I'm curious as to whether any of you out there have driven both the R and the SVR, and whether the difference in handling/performance is significant enough to warrant an upgrade to the SVR down the road? (I'm talking without ECU tuning)
CRS

 

I've driven the S, R, and SVR, and currently own the S. If/when I decide to upgrade, I'll probably go straight the the SVR. However, if I were already in a R, I wouldn't be inclined to go through the hassle/cost of taking the next step. The only exception would be if I still lived in the frozen north, had to use the F-Type as a daily driver, and it was RWD (none of which currently apply).

 

 

Wouldn't even consider it...

 

I bought a 2015 V8 S and I would not consider getting an SVR. I optioned it the way I wanted and ordered it. I plan on never selling it. I have the old infotainment system. It's obsolete and old. It has zero driver aids and is RWD. It will be easier to maintain - I hope! The achilles heel of new cars are the electronics.

I hope I am still driving my V8 S in 50 years. I can imagine the drama of a V8 internal combustion engine in an era of cars that I cannot imagine!

 

 

Yeah the SVR is a nice car but I have the F type I want; V8 RWD 'vert with all the trimmings.

Dave

 

Maybe? (See the last paragraph for clarification)

I had the choice when I bought about 6 months ago. I picked the R coupe. My brother-in-law owns a 2017 SVR coupe. We live about an hour apart.

Performance - From a purely technical POV, the SVR has some weight-saving features. The front knuckles on the SVR are larger to help them wear better on race courses, the SVR exhaust is titanium & the SVR wheels are lighter so although the SVR has those weight savings, I did not notice any difference in performance. Either can "RIP YOUR FACE OFF" from a standing start. (EVEN)

Looks - Our seats are identical with the exception that his have the diamond-pattern stitch which is a nice touch and does give his car a more up-scale feel (+1 for him). His SVR wheels are fairly dull and black. I prefer the LOOK of my Gyrodyne wheels (+1 for me). I do like his rear spoiler better than mine (+1 for him) but others prefer the R's more subtle spoiler that fully retracts into the rear deck.

Costs - His SVR retailed at almost exactly $20K more than my R ($132K vs. $112K). He does not have the carbon fiber brakes. Therefore our vehicles have basically the same options which helps demonstrate that the $20K is basically the premium for the SVR. Not worth that additional costs (+1 for me).

As you can see this makes everything a wash and it comes down to costs. We both got pretty huge discounts from 25 to 30% off MSRP so without those discounts, neither of us would be driving these cars. After discounts I was able to save about $10K over what he spent and felt it was the best option for me at the time and have no regrets.

If I could have gotten a dealership to have agreed to $90K & "near-zero" financing, I would probably be driving the SVR today for only $5K more than I paid for my R but that was not possible & I did not see a $10K difference so I am more than thrilled with my R. He is also thrilled with his SVR so its subjective. If the $20K (retail) to 10K premium (street price) doesn't matter to you then buy the SVR.

 

Is the ride noticeably improved with the lighter SVR wheels? If so, could be a useful upgrade for Rs.

 

Not in any way. The only place I would think that you would notice the lighter wheels would be in a road course at speeds of above 100MPH

 

 

That's probably one of the reasons why Jag is discontinuing the R (but not the SVR).

 

i've been going back n forth over swapping my rwd R for an awd SVR for a while now

and tbh now that the my19 cars have the newer nav and svo have opened up brg colour palette, the argument to do it has never been better

my only stumbling block is the actual cost - i'd need to tip in at least 100k (aud) for a comparatively spec'd svr with all the options incl. ceramics like my R, and i just can't get my head around it atm

for that kind of money i can keep my R, enjoy the fact it's the last of the rwd, and buy a another small awd car to do a big build/have fun with

 

Dom, I reckon you would be looking at closer to $200k AU for such a change over.
You would be lucky to get $150k for your used R and a new MY2019 SVR with all the fruit would be close to $350k.
Our 'murican friends have no idea how much more we here in Oz pay for the "privilege" of owning an F-Type than they do!

Edit - yep, probably over $350k AU for a new and loaded (with CCM brakes etc) MY2019 F-Type SVR coupe, see here for example: https://www.carsales.com.au/bnc/deta...-5847097/?Cr=2
That one obviously doesn't have CCM brakes so add $20k - $30k just for that, and maybe another $20k for other options it would be missing and we are now past $350k.
Then add another $20k if you want a 'vert!

 

Yes Oz, it has actually got my mind ticking over that I could have an F Pace SVR here for less than half of what I would pay for an F Type SVR (if I had $350K to spend on a car which I dont!). But while I dont pine for the 8 in the f type, maybe if I tire of a sports car I could see myself in the F Pace SVR - or an iPace, depending on how they handle.

 

The i-Pace probably handles OK (not as good as an F-Type but pretty good for an SUV), but my worry is the normal problems with fully electric cars, especially here in Oz - range anxiety (use the performance much and the range drops like a stone), charging points/infrastructure (bugger all in Oz outside of Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane so combined with the range issue a long trip let alone interstate or out donga is completely out of the question), charge times (hours and hours!) and if you plug in at home overnight to charge up the exorbitant cost of leccy here in Oz (highest on the planet!).

 

Oz i've only had a high level convo with my dealer so far, but i can land a fully optioned svr under 300k

There is a lot of room to move on these things when ordering new and you load up the options, my R was 290+ retail and i paid 25x

 

Yes, I have a solar PV system that generates about 60kwH a day in summer and around 40kwH a day in winter, so as long as I could charge from it at the weekend (I dont know whether I could) then an electric car would make sense, though in real terms it would only save me a couple of grand a year in costs so the car would have to be a lot of fun to drive as well. At this stage I cant imagine a gearless car being fun to drive, I'd actually rather go back to a manual, but I'd keep my options open.

 

My view on it, SVR cost more to buy but as the SVR is rarer and the halo vehicle it shall also depreciate less and if Jaguar discontinue the V8 SC or even F-Type it will always be halo models that fetch more money.

 

Thank you. It's interesting getting perspective from someone who has driving experience with both...and that performance/looks wise it generally a wash between the two. thank you for your post :-)