Jaguar versus Porsche: PH blog

Having put a few miles in with 'his' F-Type Dan wants to settle this once and for all

Is the Jaguar F-Type an expensive alternative to a Boxster or Cayman? Or the bargain British rival to the 911? Much as we'd love to be able to contrive a direct comparison between an F-Type variant and its Porsche equivalent there isn't quite the overlap there in the range to inspire the 'England v. Germany' showdown any self-respecting (or, rather, click hungry) editor would like.

Push the Cayman budget or trim the 911 fund?

We've tried pitching a basic F-Type Coupe against an equivalent 911 and ended up with a £60K Jaguar battling a Porsche costing nearly twice that, once distortions like options pricing had been taken into account. Four-wheel drive, 575hp SVR and 580hp 911 Turbo S is probably as close as you'll get in performance and positioning but the £110K starting price for the Jag is still £35K less than that of the Porsche.

Amazingly enough it is actually possible to consider a sports car's position in the overall market without slavish comparisons to Porsche's carefully managed range hierarchy. But in the initial miles in 'my' F-Type Coupe long-termer I couldn't help pondering why Jaguar seems to have steadfastly avoided the temptation for direct confrontation, given it must have Porsche customers very much in its sights as potential F-Type buyers.

The recent developments in the Germans' product line-up are bit of a blessing for Jaguar though. The 718 Cayman/Boxster range going four-cylinder gives an immediate incentive for those craving the more emotive six-cylinder soundtrack and 'big engine' feel to stretch up to an F-Type. Because, if there's one thing Jaguar does very well, it's emotive. Throw the £70K our F-Type S long-termer costs at a Cayman - as Porsche GB did with the 718 S press car we drove - and you end up with a very, very fancy and focused car. Arguably a better pure sports car from a driving perspective too. But, no matter how effective, the four-cylinder thing seems a sufficient turn-off for many that it's now significantly less capable of plucking the heartstrings. Which is arguably at least as important as 0-62 comparisons or 'ring lap times.

Previous F-Type v. 911 comparison didn't work...

Meanwhile as the 911 - now also turbocharged of course - steadily becomes a more grown-up and expensive proposition the six-cylinder F-Type is quite possibly well-placed to pick up on those who hadn't quite yet realised a plain vanilla Carrera 2 is £76K and an S is now a few options ticks away from a six-figure pricetag. Once more, against that an F-Type is a less polished, prestigious and mature option. But, by heck, that money you set aside for your Carrera can get you a 500hp V8, armfuls of oversteer on demand and exhaust noise to make the neighbours tut every time you leave the house. Who wants 'prestigious and mature' anyway?

From the start I've thought the F-Type is probably more aimed at 911 drivers than Boxster/Cayman buyers. That it's now sitting in the £60-70K heartland the 911 has vacated in its move upmarket gives Jaguar a great opportunity to claim this ground its own. Without the need for endless comparisons to Porsche products. Which is hopefully a blessed relief to all of us, leaving me to enjoy the F-Type for what it is.

Dan

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oldtimer2

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