I commute around 180 mile round trip maybe three time a week. I am gifting lol my NA XF to the Wife but I am confused as to my next car:

I am looking at one of these but get confused by the candy:

• F type Coupe
• XK/XKR Coupe
• Tesla 85/P85D

I need input ?

 

I was pretty impressed with the telsa when I checked it out. My only concern with that car would be finding power.

 

F type Coupe - stiff suspension, good looking aggressive styling, somewhat cramped cabin, an exhaust note to die for, more like a race car than the others. Lots of engine choices with this one.

XK/XKR Coupe - refined, roomy and comfortable grand touring coupe, all the creature comforts you could want, killer looks and tremendous power in the "R" model.

Tesla 85/P85D - very nice car, lots of torque and acceleration, finding a charging station might be difficult depending on where you find yourself when you are low on juice. A bit of "cork sniffer" mystique to this one too, if you like that kind of thing.

Vector

 

All are great choices....you can't go wrong with that line up! Would you have access to plug in the Tesla at your commute destination location? Like others have said, having the ability to charge the car is a huge issue. You basically limited on trips so this can't be your only car.


The F-Type or XK-XKR are both amazing unique vehicles that define what an automobile should be.

 

The XK is in the last year of its design cycle, and IMHO is definitely starting to show its age.

Teslas are crazy fast off the line (I've driven the former fastest version, the P85+), and the D i can't even comprehend. Maybe it's just living in Texas, but I see them so often here that I barely notice them anymore. The styling is just too bland for me to get excited about.

My vote would be for the F-Type Coupe. I think it's the most stunning looking car in the 100K price range in at least a decade, if not longer. Test drive the V8 version in the active exhaust mode, and i bet you'd be hard pressed not to buy it on the spot. It really is that incredible.

 

I'd go with the F over the XK. That back seat has no legroom. Have a seat in the back when you check it out. It's just a gimmick in order to claim it seats more than 2. I guess you could sit sideways and it may quality as a 3 seater.

 

I'd drive the f-type for a day or two if you could to see if you can live with it as a commuter. Most complaints about it are about the stiff ride, some suggest that they are more a weekend car.

I've got the XKR with 20's, the ride in it is better than the ride in the XF on 20's, I think. I've had it for over a year and regularly take it for a 120 mile commute (well about 200kms for me) and I can do that and come out feeling good. But then the not so good is that the interior is a little tired compared to the XF, though I prefer it to the f-type which didnt wow me at all. And it still has the terribly slow infotainment system that I thought was worse in the 2012 plus models (black screen) than the previous (blue screen). The rear hatch has very useable space, I fit in 4 x 6 bottle cases of sparkling with a case of beer last week and still had room for some snacks to go with them, and it does the weeks groceries easily when I need to (family of 4) so it is actually quite practical. The fuel use is heavy driven hard (about 14l/100km) but not bad driven for the commutes, my average is around 12.5l/100km to 13.0l/100km, so about 18 to 20mpg.

Yes, the rear seat is a bit of a joke. The back of my seat nearly touches the front of the back seat though someone can get in the passenger side rear if the passenger seat is pushed forward, so as glenonoka says it is more a 3 seater unless the driver is really short. One of the XK forum guys called it a "leather lined luggage compartment" and that is how I use it - my suit coat, files, the dogs all go back there. I'd really miss it if I didnt have it.

So for my lifestyle it is the XKR over the f-type, though the f-type is a very awesome car, and if it ends up having the softer suspension and becomes more of a GT, I'd eventually get into that.

 

The base F Type probably has the best ride, but they are all too stiff. This is deliberate design by Jaguar because the market appears to demand it.

I note R&T's PCOY lists the F Type S (convertible) as posting a quicker lap time than the F Type R despite a lower top speed. This tells you that the F Type R has been tuned for excitement over performance. Everyone who drives the F Type R comments about its tail happy character, same as the F Type V8 convertible but even stiffer.

It is the rear axle spring rate and damper rate that affects your subjective experience of ride and making the rear axle stiffer is the easiest way to inject a little excitement into the drive.

Of the three options you list the F Type R is far and away the best value. The XK has ceased production so if you want one the currently available cars are all there is, forever. Not destined to be a classic Jaguar though.

Jaguar is designing an new stretched F Type four seater, really a sportscar version of the new XE sedan. If you can wait that will be a true four seater like the Maserati GT.

Myself, I'd wait for the XE S due over here late next year. With the V6 supercharged from the F Type and XF, awd and 300 lbs lighter....published number is 4.9 0-60....better suspension than the F Type as well as lighter and with four doors and a trunk.

 

I tried out the F Type Coupe S. I was surprised, that I did not get excited with the torque?. It was nimble, agile and very tight-stiff. It made a good sound the best of any V6. I was a little confused at 70mph it was popping and growling more than I thought it should since I was not going that fast. My NA has magnaflow mufflers and makes a very impressive deeper growl, while the F type made a higher pitch note. I did not roadtest the F type V8, we started it up, and I was so so impressed with the quad exhaust sound, I did not push to drive it as I figured that if I went down that path, I would kill myself in it by losing the backend around a corner or worst go to jail for wreckless-plus driving. I am already wreckless in my XF and I am not a good driver .

This video annoyed me as well: .

 

From my test driving experiences with all 3 F-type models I have no doubt that the base F-type has the worst ride, by far. It lacks the electronically adjusting dampers that both other models have which, BTW, make a huge difference in ride. In my test drive over broken, lumpy pavements the base F-type's ride was unacceptably harsh to the point where I just turned around, saying that I had enough punishment :-). The V8 rode the best of the 3.

Yes, Jaguar's line up these days employs rear springs that are far too stiff, IMO. Those stiff springs not only compromise the ride quality but, prevent weight transfer when accelerating out of corners, which likely explain the poor track performances of every single Jaguar models. I can not understand why Jaguar engineers are deciding on those heavy spring rates when the car would be for more comfortable and handle better with much softer rear springs and much larger rear swaybars to compensate for too much body roll in the corners.

After test driving all F-types, I sat in an XKR on the dealer's lot and found it infinitely more attractive. So, that is when I got my '10 XKR.

As to the Tesla, great car, great looks but, the range anxiety for you on your 180 mile trips...?

 

Thanks Albert, I am glad I am not alone. While I am not super knowledgeable about cars I drive a lot and drive them hard. (No track experience as I do not have the time for that hobby). Thisi my favorite Jag road run in NorCal that every Jaguar needs to be tested on around 10PM at night http://www.mapquest.com/embed?hk=1HWBinp

 

I don't recall ever being on that loop. Many years ago when running with the Lamborghini Club we used to have a yearly unofficial event between Calistoga and Hwy 101, running over Hwy 128. Until we ran some important locals off the road by passing them on their bicycles at 150 MPH... . They were not happy and we were told quite clearly about that. :-)

I had track raced cars for decades, only quitting when age told me that it was time... Now, settled down in my need for speed, my picks are nice, powerful GT cars or sedans.

 

Axr6, that is why I have only done the ran the loop at night It is a loop to die for literally. I was wondering if we could ever get permission for a "Isle of man TT" race for performance cars and use this very loop, as it is countryside for the most part.

 

You can't sit sideways because the seats are very deeply bucketed. I had the same thought and tried. I am not sure any human over 3 feet tall can sit back there.

People joke about the 911 seats, but if you have to, you can literally fit 4 very uncomfortable adults. There's just no hope in the XK.

It's really a waste of money to buy a new XK since it is so inferior to the F-type. But I wouldn't mind owning a heavily depreciated used one, although I would get the NA version. My brother bought a new XKR a year ago. At first it seemed really nice, but he left it at my house for a week and I drove it every day, but before the end of that week, I didn't want to drive it anymore and I was so happy to go back to driving my XF again.

The XKR is trying to be a gentleman's Viper, but it fails. It just doesn't feel like a nice daily driving GT, nor does it feel like a great track car. I would expect the NA XK to be a nicer daily driver.

 

Did you mean to say XKR not XFR? Otherwise the comment doesn't make sense.

 

Yep

 

I guess, you did mean XKR instead of XFR. In that case I do have a comparison as I own a NA XF and an XKR while I had also owned a NA XK.

I definitely prefer the XKR over the XK not only due to the gobs of extra power but, the handling. The XK steering was inaccurate and the handling was mushy compared to the XKR which got a new steering rack, as well as a retuned suspension with considerably less understeer. Still not perfect but, a lot more fun to drive than the NA XK.

The XF is my wife's car and I do like it at those rare occasions when I get to drive it. Good compromise on power (NA) and handling. Still, a bit too stiff on its springs, something late Jaguars are all known for. The ride of the XF is only slightly better than the stiff XKR and they are both superior to my XJL, a big disappointment when it comes to ride quality.

My lease on the XJL is up in 6 months and it is going back. Had enough of its "always busy" ride. Will keep the XF and the XKR for the foreseeable future.

 

I own and XF and my husband owns a Tesla P85+. If you're willing to spend the money, get the Tesla. You can't go wrong .... 180 miles shouldn't be a problem with an S85 or a P85. Honestly, the car can charge up to 235+ miles. It's really a change of mind set that is needed. Most ICE owners wait until their tank is fairly low to fill up. With a Tesla you charge it every night regardless of how much charge is left. I don't know what the F-type Jags get for mileage, but I had a Lexus Hybrid SUV before the XF and I'm finding it hard to adjust to my new gas guzzler. Maybe my husband was right and I should have gotten a 2nd Tesla for the family, I just found the Tesla a bit large for my liking, it's a big car.


BTW ... We live in South Florida and my husband bought his Tesla from upstate NY, 15 miles from the Canadian border, and drove it home. It took him 3 days and only had to charge for a few hours the first night. Once he got on I-95 he used super chargers all the way home not taking more than 15 minutes to fully charge.


He loves the way it drives and has sworn never to go back to an ICE car again.

 

I was going to test drive the P85+ but came to a an even confused state after I configured one it was rather pricey with all the options

I then realized I wanted to go to a race track... so I did - see another thread.

 

I see you're in California. That's the best state for owning a Tesla with all the rebates and incentives, not to mention charging stations everywhere. Since the P85D was announced there are a bunch of people selling their barely used Tesla. Also, Telsa showrooms are selling their demos for a fantastic price. The only thing is you may not get the latest options that are available on the car. Go test drive one and check out the Tesla forum at teslamotorsclub.com