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Test Drove F-Type R Coupe - Ride Too Rough for Daily Driver
I am on the market for a base F-Type Coupe. The dealer just had an F-Type R to test drive, which really is a bit out of my price range. However, I thought it would be good to see how the car felt and drove. I loved the car, and it did a great job of putting down the power. However, I felt that the ride was too rough for a daily driver for me, anyway. In my work, I often put on 200 miles in a day. The reviews I have read say that the ride for the F-Type in general is on the rougher side. I saw some posts on here that the base suspension is even rougher that the adjustable suspension in the R-Dynamic.
I have to say, I am a bit disappointed. Perhaps someday, they will offer two suspension options. |
In the world of sports cars, the base suspension is hardly considered harsh. It's a Jaguar, and you can most definitely tell. That being said, why not go for a "softer" car like an XK or even a BMW 4 Series or Merc E-Class coupe?
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Sounds like you haven't driven the base coupe. You should. And since ride comfort is a factor for you, try to find one with the 18"s. I like crisp handling with a firm but not punishing ride and for me the base is tuned just right, with a nice balance of both.
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I'd say my R ride is "firm" but not uncomfortable, and I can drive distances without discomfort. Was the R you drove in dynamic mode? The would firm up the ride more.
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The ride gets much softer as the seats soften up with use. At about 20000km mine is quite nice even on 21's.
but you need adaptive suspension as the base suspension is very hard, I thought. |
I previously owned a base and now own an R. The ride on the R is much more forgiving than the base due to the adaptive dynamic suspension. I find it firm but comfortable. It could easily be driven daily on most roads. One thing that is important to note is that the tire pressures out of the factory are set around 45 lbs. for shipping. Dealers almost never adjust them when the car comes in. When I took delivery of my last 4 cars, including the F Types, the tire pressures have been around 45 lbs. on all. This is enough to make the ride seem very harsh and bouncey particularly when they should be around 35lbs. You should give it another shot and check the tire pressures before you test drive. |
Try Mercedes SL, probably one of the more comfortable rides of any roadster. Just don't buy one out of warranty.
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I appreciate everyone's feedback. My reference is a Corvette with Z51 suspension, so it's not like I am use to plush riding cars. The salesperson did check the driving mode after the drive, and said it was in normal vs. "Dynamic" mode. That was my first thought, too. I wouldn't say the car was crashing over bumps, but it was just very jittery, even on smooth roads. It never settled down, and I felt every imperfection. Perhaps the tire pressures were up too high. This was the only thing that marred an otherwise beautifully driving car. I immediately felt at home in it, and it was easy to drive fast (well, as fast as you dare go on a test drive). :)
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As scm stated, my R also has a firm ride in its normal configuration and more so in dynamic, car companies that produce cars with sporting pretensions often firm up their suspensions to control body movements during more aggressive driving. An exception would be Lotus, who discovered decades ago how to make cars handle exceptionally without the buck board ride some manufacturers still revert to. As far as the Rs ride, I don’t find it objectionable on long trips as the seats are very comfortable, but that is a personal observation |
Originally Posted by Michael2000
(Post 1985823)
Perhaps the tire pressures were up too high.
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Originally Posted by Michael2000
(Post 1985823)
I appreciate everyone's feedback. My reference is a Corvette with Z51 suspension, so it's not like I am use to plush riding cars. The salesperson did check the driving mode after the drive, and said it was in normal vs. "Dynamic" mode. That was my first thought, too. I wouldn't say the car was crashing over bumps, but it was just very jittery, even on smooth roads. It never settled down, and I felt every imperfection. Perhaps the tire pressures were up too high. This was the only thing that marred an otherwise beautifully driving car. I immediately felt at home in it, and it was easy to drive fast (well, as fast as you dare go on a test drive). :)
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IFor my ‘16 R, I found I preferred the not-upgraded seats due to their being a bit more comfortable than the sportier, upgraded seats. And for normal, daily driving, I usually don’t switch to dynamic mode, also for the sake of a more comfortable ride. That ride is great. It is a sports car ride, not an isolation-from-the-road ride, but no bench butt at all. (And I use the gearbox in sport; and I find myself switching the exhaust to loud and back more than once on most drives.I find that as fun as dynamic mode for all but the most spirited drives. Then Dynamic mode is for the especially spirited drives. Fine ride. Fun ride.) |
I've noticed when I start my ride it's very stiff and firm. However after 15-20 miles the tires and/or shocks start to break in and the ride is smoother and more comfortable. Kind of reminds me of the old polyester ply tires that would have flat spots after sitting, but would smooth out after driving for awhile.
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For me, F-type suspension is on a soft side of acceptable parameters for a sport car. Any softer and it would detract from performance.
Take Mercedes SL for example. They are very roomy and comfortable. Hydraulic suspension, when it works, makes it really comfortable ride. However, as a result SLs are monstrously heavy cars. Unfortunately, comfort vs. performance is a trade-off. You can't really have both, not even if you have unlimited budget. |
I drove the R, The S etc. For me the best all around ride was the base with the 18" wheels. I did drive a corvette with the Z51, much to rough and jittery/bouncy for me.
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Originally Posted by Noshame
(Post 1986107)
I drove the R, The S etc. For me the best all around ride was the base with the 18" wheels. I did drive a corvette with the Z51, much to rough and jittery/bouncy for me.
Likewise, before I ordered my 2013 XF I test drove cars with 18", 19" and 20" wheels. To be honest after coming from an XJ6 and an XJ8 I would not have considered the XF on 19" or 20" wheels. All is personal preference, but I'm way past the age of tracking my car or even driving like the maniac I was in my yute so comfort is more important these days. |
I don't believe it is my imagination, but the Michelin tires made the ride noticeably smoother/softer compared to the Pirellis.
Especially in cooler weather. The Pirellis turn into hard plastic donuts. |
OP, I traded my Corvette Z51 vert for my current R vert.
Both my wife & I agreed that the Jag is a softer ride than the Vette. I'm always on Dynamic mode, with softer programmable suspension setting. Think it'll get softer with more miles & change to Michellins soon. |
Originally Posted by Michael2000
(Post 1985823)
I appreciate everyone's feedback. My reference is a Corvette with Z51 suspension, so it's not like I am use to plush riding cars. The salesperson did check the driving mode after the drive, and said it was in normal vs. "Dynamic" mode. That was my first thought, too. I wouldn't say the car was crashing over bumps, but it was just very jittery, even on smooth roads. It never settled down, and I felt every imperfection. Perhaps the tire pressures were up too high. This was the only thing that marred an otherwise beautifully driving car. I immediately felt at home in it, and it was easy to drive fast (well, as fast as you dare go on a test drive). :)
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Originally Posted by Michael2000
(Post 1985823)
I appreciate everyone's feedback. My reference is a Corvette with Z51 suspension, so it's not like I am use to plush riding cars. The salesperson did check the driving mode after the drive, and said it was in normal vs. "Dynamic" mode. That was my first thought, too. I wouldn't say the car was crashing over bumps, but it was just very jittery, even on smooth roads. It never settled down, and I felt every imperfection. Perhaps the tire pressures were up too high. This was the only thing that marred an otherwise beautifully driving car. I immediately felt at home in it, and it was easy to drive fast (well, as fast as you dare go on a test drive). :)
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These are some excellent responses. I really appreciate it. The test drive was only three miles, so not much heat was built up in the tires, and the tire pressure were unknown. Sounds like I need to head back down to the dealer and do some more investigating.
Speaking of tickets, I asked the salesperson whether he has had anyone ticketed on a test drive. He said the police usually leave them alone, although an officer did come in to their sales office one time and yell at the manager. :) |
Originally Posted by Michael2000
(Post 1986635)
These are some excellent responses. I really appreciate it. The test drive was only three miles, so not much heat was built up in the tires, and the tire pressure were unknown. Sounds like I need to head back down to the dealer and do some more investigating.
Speaking of tickets, I asked the salesperson whether he has had anyone ticketed on a test drive. He said the police usually leave them alone, although an officer did come in to their sales office one time and yell at the manager. :) |
Just my :icon_twocents:
Our '14 was set at 39 PSI when we got it. Dropping the pressure to 36 as on the door-jam sticker made a noticeable improvement in ride. :icon_woot: |
A couple of notes about the ride. My F Type is garaged so usually the tires don’t get colder than 55 degrees. After parking outside in Bishop during the fall where temps fell into the thirties at night, the summer tires rode noticeably harder until they warmed up. They felt a bit like hockey pucks. For colder weather, all seasons or winter tires will not only improve your traction but also your ride. My only other complaint about the ride is due to the short wheelbase but I would not want the F Type to be any longer so I think it’s a good compromise. I agree with others that the F Type has a good ride handling balance. I have not driven a Corvette so I can’t compare the two. I do agree with SinF that if you are coming from a more luxury car like the Merc SL, the ride will be harsher in the F Type but it will not handle as well. The condition of roads in your area will also make a difference. In the end though, harsh ride is a personal preference. What is acceptable to one person may not work for another. So check the tire pressure (you can do that from the information display in the instrument cluster) and if the ride is still too rough you may want to consider another car. |
Funny about those tyre pressures, many moons ago it was common for the recommended pressure on the tyre placard to be stupid low (usually around 28 PSI) and the dealer demo cars to have even lower pressure than that, usually around 26 PSI.
I never did figure out why, but I am talking bog standard passenger cars with high profile tyres not sports cars or low profile tyres, and I can only guess it was to give the car a nice soft ride on the test drive. I always put a bit more in my older cars, usually around 32 PSI, but with my Jags I have gone the other way dropping from the recommended 36 PSI to 34 PSI. |
Originally Posted by OzXFR
(Post 1986749)
I always put a bit more in my older cars, but with my Jags I have gone the other way dropping from the recommended 36 PSI to 34 PSI.
With high performance tires, owners actually need to try and obtain the optimal tire operating temperature for conditions. (Ambient temps and driving style.) A non-contact pyrometer is inexpensive (and, the laser light does double-duty as a Cat Toy, LOL). |
Originally Posted by Carbuff2
(Post 1986961)
Especially with the 20" wheels, you need to factor-in rim protection. (Especially in locales with a LOT of pot-holes.)
With high performance tires, owners actually need to try and obtain the optimal tire operating temperature for conditions. (Ambient temps and driving style.) A non-contact pyrometer is inexpensive (and, the laser light does double-duty as a Cat Toy, LOL). Also, the road temps here very rarely drop to or below 0C, it never snows here, and I have never seen or experienced black ice. |
Originally Posted by OzXFR
(Post 1987115)
Also, the road temps here very rarely drop to or below 0C, it never snows here, and I have never seen or experienced black ice.
I told her it was the car's sophisticated Weather Prediction system. (Part of the optional Climate Pack.) :icon_verzsilly: Sure enough, we saw snow flurries later in the day! |
Originally Posted by ndabunka
(Post 1986396)
Not sure what you were driving but it wasn't a "normal" Jag F-Type if it was "jittery" in ANY way. As a prior Vette owner myself I can confirm that my '17 F-Type R is a "softer" ride than my older vette was by a LONG shot and due to modern tech, it also handles FAR better even with that softer ride. Now, it's not a Lexus either so there is a balance. If the steering on the one you drove was in ANY way "jittery" then it sounds like there was something wrong with either the alignment or the tire pressure.
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Originally Posted by IndyCruiser
(Post 1987333)
These cats have lots of grip and road conditions can make them seem jittery or misaligned. There is a 2 mile stretch of road leading to my neighborhood that I drive on a regular basis. In my DD the road feels normal, when I'm in my Jag the car wants to pull left or right. The first time I drove on it and not tracking straight, I thought Holy S*** I have a tire going flat or I need an alignment. It happens every time I'm on this stretch of road and once I'm off of it the car handles great. This road has a slight center hump that typical cars ignore, but with the wide tires and tight suspension, my Jag wants to wander.
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I'll show you jittery. Try my previous ride - Mercedes A Class AMG. Similar bhp to my F-Type but lighter, so great fun to drive. But the firm suspension and general whining and whistling made longer journeys tiring. I now have an R with 20" wheels and can happily spend 3+ hours in comfort. It's all relative.
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I went back down to the Jaguar dealer, and road tested the F-Type R again. This time I checked tire pressures. They didn't do a great job setting pressures. They were 32, 34, 34, 36. I forgot to look at the door jam sticker for what is recommended. Perhaps someone could fill me in. I also made sure it wasn't in dynamic mode. The bottom line is to me the ride feels like the tires don't have much give. I don't think the suspension is overly stiff, but it is jarring. I also test drove a Porsche Cayman, and it rode quite a bit better, even with 20" wheels (the engine sound is completely different matter, though). Now that I think about it, I probably should have checked the tire pressures on the Cayman. Maybe they were low.
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The recommended tyre pressure according to the placard on the door jamb is 36 PSI, for both the 19" and 20" tyres.
I find that to be a little too hard so I set mine (20" tyres) to 34 PSI and so far that has proven to be a good compromise between ride comfort and grip/handling/wear, at least on the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (MPS4S) tyres. If you decide to buy an F-Type R one of the best things you can do is to swap out the fairly crappy OEM Pirelli P-Zeros for MPS4S. |
37 psi all round for my MY18 R AWD, seems they change the pressures every year!
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Originally Posted by Michael2000
(Post 1985751)
I am on the market for a base F-Type Coupe. The dealer just had an F-Type R to test drive, which really is a bit out of my price range. However, I thought it would be good to see how the car felt and drove. I loved the car, and it did a great job of putting down the power. However, I felt that the ride was too rough for a daily driver for me, anyway. In my work, I often put on 200 miles in a day. The reviews I have read say that the ride for the F-Type in general is on the rougher side. I saw some posts on here that the base suspension is even rougher that the adjustable suspension in the R-Dynamic.
I have to say, I am a bit disappointed. Perhaps someday, they will offer two suspension options. Secondly, the 18” wheels (45/40 profiles) typically offered on the base will offer a noticeably softer ride than the 20” wheels (35/30 profiles) always provided on the R. |
Originally Posted by Michael2000
(Post 1985823)
I appreciate everyone's feedback. My reference is a Corvette with Z51 suspension, so it's not like I am use to plush riding cars. The salesperson did check the driving mode after the drive, and said it was in normal vs. "Dynamic" mode. That was my first thought, too. I wouldn't say the car was crashing over bumps, but it was just very jittery, even on smooth roads. It never settled down, and I felt every imperfection. Perhaps the tire pressures were up too high. This was the only thing that marred an otherwise beautifully driving car. I immediately felt at home in it, and it was easy to drive fast (well, as fast as you dare go on a test drive). :)
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