F Type R test drive
Discussion
Having recently sold my V12V I'm thinking about something new for next year. So today I test drove an F Type R.
It wasn't the best conditions but I got a good couple of hours behind the wheel around north Wales.
So what was it like. Well, firstly its better looking in the metal. The car I drove had a panoramic roof which I quite liked , but you pay a small weight penalty for this.
The interior is good, it's not as special as the Aston but it's close enough at the the price point. I didn't like the way the vents lift in the centre console. Why did they do that?
The car is extremely well screwed together, no rattles or creaks ( AML take note!!!). The switch gear is good. The driver interface (computer ) is too much for me. Sat nav wasn't great. Think I preferred Astons but I guess you grow accustom to these things.
Can't comment on the paint finish as the car was wet when I picked it up.
The jag dealership were very good, no presure and they let me take the car unaccompanied. A quick lesson on the basics and we were away.
I went straight for dynamic mode, even in 'drive' (it's an auto don't forget) at low speed the car is eager to get away. It almost caught me out. Through the traffic and out on to local B roads and we're away. Using then paddles was easy, changes are very quick. There's loads of torque and 550 bhp. It's a real holligan... and that exhaust note is fantastic, pops and crackles a plenty. You can really hear it in the cabin too even with the windows up.
I regularly drove the V12V on the same roads so pretty much knew what I was looking for in the twisties. If I'm totally honest I felt the suspension, although good, didn't quite match the Aston. The Aston feels some how better resolved. I also thought there was a little bit more body roll in the Jag.
The gearbox was good, but I was always aware that I was driving an auto ( must try an automated manual) ,
At SPEED the car seemed to lighten up, the steering felt very light which was a bit weird, but that could have been because it was a bit damp...
In summary, it's a great car , especially at the price point. AML could learn a lot from the build quality. The exhaust noise was the highlight , it had me giggling away to myself.
The autobox is very good, but it's still an auto and I felt less connected to the car as a result... The engine is superb, really eager and revs nicely.
The suspension, wasn't quite as good as I had hoped, but as I said, that could be down to the damp condition, although things were drying up all the time. I also couldn't detect any difference in the ride between dynamic and standard mode, may be it wasn't working correctly.
The seats were very good too...
Would I buy one, I'm not sure... In my opinion it falls a little bit behind the V12V, but when you compare the price difference, build quality, then I'm sure it will attract a lot of buyers.
So what's next??off to try some Pork..
It wasn't the best conditions but I got a good couple of hours behind the wheel around north Wales.
So what was it like. Well, firstly its better looking in the metal. The car I drove had a panoramic roof which I quite liked , but you pay a small weight penalty for this.
The interior is good, it's not as special as the Aston but it's close enough at the the price point. I didn't like the way the vents lift in the centre console. Why did they do that?
The car is extremely well screwed together, no rattles or creaks ( AML take note!!!). The switch gear is good. The driver interface (computer ) is too much for me. Sat nav wasn't great. Think I preferred Astons but I guess you grow accustom to these things.
Can't comment on the paint finish as the car was wet when I picked it up.
The jag dealership were very good, no presure and they let me take the car unaccompanied. A quick lesson on the basics and we were away.
I went straight for dynamic mode, even in 'drive' (it's an auto don't forget) at low speed the car is eager to get away. It almost caught me out. Through the traffic and out on to local B roads and we're away. Using then paddles was easy, changes are very quick. There's loads of torque and 550 bhp. It's a real holligan... and that exhaust note is fantastic, pops and crackles a plenty. You can really hear it in the cabin too even with the windows up.
I regularly drove the V12V on the same roads so pretty much knew what I was looking for in the twisties. If I'm totally honest I felt the suspension, although good, didn't quite match the Aston. The Aston feels some how better resolved. I also thought there was a little bit more body roll in the Jag.
The gearbox was good, but I was always aware that I was driving an auto ( must try an automated manual) ,
At SPEED the car seemed to lighten up, the steering felt very light which was a bit weird, but that could have been because it was a bit damp...
In summary, it's a great car , especially at the price point. AML could learn a lot from the build quality. The exhaust noise was the highlight , it had me giggling away to myself.
The autobox is very good, but it's still an auto and I felt less connected to the car as a result... The engine is superb, really eager and revs nicely.
The suspension, wasn't quite as good as I had hoped, but as I said, that could be down to the damp condition, although things were drying up all the time. I also couldn't detect any difference in the ride between dynamic and standard mode, may be it wasn't working correctly.
The seats were very good too...
Would I buy one, I'm not sure... In my opinion it falls a little bit behind the V12V, but when you compare the price difference, build quality, then I'm sure it will attract a lot of buyers.
So what's next??off to try some Pork..
I tried the spider version, I didn't like the steering wheel feeling (it looked like to drive a bmw 1 series) and the plastic of the central tunnel was coming away already, poor quality construction in some plastic pieces imho ( and the dealer said "sorry for the plastic defect, it's a Jaguar...)
Look at the space in the boot, simply ridiculous
Look at the space in the boot, simply ridiculous
Edited by Billieray on Saturday 19th July 22:40
We were invited to drive the F Type R at Millbrook. The engine is mighty! I was given the opportunity to have a serious play with the car . Four runs at the straight mile delivered a lowest figure of 172MPH and a high of 176MPH!! On the Alpine circuit my Jag passenger got very fidgety ( I do know my way around). The handling and brakes are right up there. On the oval circuit I was told to not to exceed 110 mph and to stay in the fourth lane. 150MPH in the fifth was for me with much more to come. Slight wrist slap! I was then driven by a race driver who did one complete circuit and did not drop below 170MPH !!
Conclusion. The car looks great, handles, performs and sounds excellent. The interior is where it all goes a bit wrong, it is not such a nice place to be as an Aston Martin it just doesn't feel special. So it is on that basis that I will pass.
I did get a bit excited about the F. TypeR Project 7 and am on Jags list as a potential buyer. Then I discovered that it comes without a roof only!!
Conclusion. The car looks great, handles, performs and sounds excellent. The interior is where it all goes a bit wrong, it is not such a nice place to be as an Aston Martin it just doesn't feel special. So it is on that basis that I will pass.
I did get a bit excited about the F. TypeR Project 7 and am on Jags list as a potential buyer. Then I discovered that it comes without a roof only!!
robgt said:
I did get a bit excited about the F. TypeR Project 7 and am on Jags list as a potential buyer. Then I discovered that it comes without a roof only!!
Come on Rob, you know drop-top is the way forward. Tell me you didn't get just as teensy bit jealous of Mike and Kay on your Euro-Hoon when they had the roof down, exposed to the sights, smells and sounds of the road, and Mikey's hair blowing on the wind 
Oh, and with the roof down and Molly in the car, more people can see how well you've done there
robgt said:
We were invited to drive the F Type R at Millbrook. The engine is mighty! I was given the opportunity to have a serious play with the car . Four runs at the straight mile delivered a lowest figure of 172MPH and a high of 176MPH!! On the Alpine circuit my Jag passenger got very fidgety ( I do know my way around). The handling and brakes are right up there. On the oval circuit I was told to not to exceed 110 mph and to stay in the fourth lane. 150MPH in the fifth was for me with much more to come. Slight wrist slap! I was then driven by a race driver who did one complete circuit and did not drop below 170MPH !!
Conclusion. The car looks great, handles, performs and sounds excellent. The interior is where it all goes a bit wrong, it is not such a nice place to be as an Aston Martin it just doesn't feel special. So it is on that basis that I will pass.
I did get a bit excited about the F. TypeR Project 7 and am on Jags list as a potential buyer. Then I discovered that it comes without a roof only!!
F-Type SVR will be in both, and more of a complete package that the 7.Conclusion. The car looks great, handles, performs and sounds excellent. The interior is where it all goes a bit wrong, it is not such a nice place to be as an Aston Martin it just doesn't feel special. So it is on that basis that I will pass.
I did get a bit excited about the F. TypeR Project 7 and am on Jags list as a potential buyer. Then I discovered that it comes without a roof only!!
Having just taken delivery of a V8VS Coupe I perhaps obviously also had the F-Type on my shopping list, especially as it was brand new against the older Vantage design.
Initially impressive and exciting to look at, I spend a lot of time really looking at it and decided it might date quite quickly, lots of scoops and vents and such (most of the vents seemed to serve no practical purpose or were blanks anyway). The drive was the same, initially impressive and exciting but, for me, a bit too full on for a daily driver and less practical than the Vantage as well.
Finally, I thought ahead and wondered if six months into Aston ownership I would be sat in it wishing I had bought the Jaguar? No.
Sat in the Jaguar wishing I had bought an Aston (given they were about the same price)? Probably yes. Decision made. The Jaguar dealer also had a whole heap of nearly new cars on the forecourt which put me off.
Fashion fades, style remains came to mind.
I applaud Jaguar for producing the car and it is a great car. Just not for me this time (and I have had a lot of Jaguars and still own a 1964 Mark 2 Saloon). Will be interesting to see how the Maserati Alfieri compares to it in a couple of years.
Initially impressive and exciting to look at, I spend a lot of time really looking at it and decided it might date quite quickly, lots of scoops and vents and such (most of the vents seemed to serve no practical purpose or were blanks anyway). The drive was the same, initially impressive and exciting but, for me, a bit too full on for a daily driver and less practical than the Vantage as well.
Finally, I thought ahead and wondered if six months into Aston ownership I would be sat in it wishing I had bought the Jaguar? No.
Sat in the Jaguar wishing I had bought an Aston (given they were about the same price)? Probably yes. Decision made. The Jaguar dealer also had a whole heap of nearly new cars on the forecourt which put me off.
Fashion fades, style remains came to mind.
I applaud Jaguar for producing the car and it is a great car. Just not for me this time (and I have had a lot of Jaguars and still own a 1964 Mark 2 Saloon). Will be interesting to see how the Maserati Alfieri compares to it in a couple of years.
I looked at the 6 cylinder f-type before buying a used Vantage V8. As cost of the two were similar.
In the US at least, sales of the F-type have been dismal and don't understand. but one reason I stopped considering the F-type, as depreciation on a new car is going to bad and even worse because probably will be huge discounts on leftovers at the end of the year.
Also really liked this commercial for the US market, and the F-type looks fantastic in it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bls1KKDwmo
The other detractor is lack of a manual gearbox.
Chris
In the US at least, sales of the F-type have been dismal and don't understand. but one reason I stopped considering the F-type, as depreciation on a new car is going to bad and even worse because probably will be huge discounts on leftovers at the end of the year.
Also really liked this commercial for the US market, and the F-type looks fantastic in it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bls1KKDwmo
The other detractor is lack of a manual gearbox.
Chris
I also recently drove the F-type R Coupe. Great car. Looks great, sounds great, goes REALLY great, handles great. Very, very happy that Jaguar has done this, and done it very well. But, it doesn't look as great as a Vantage. While the F-type is a great looking car, the Aston is significantly better looking, inside and outside, IMO. Part of it is that the Vantage's proportions are even better, and the rest of it is the attention to detail. The F-type has many more shut lines, and most of the vents are fakes. Inside, there is simply no comparison in the quality of the materials -- the Jaguar is very nice, but the Aston is on a different level. Finally, for me, the lack of a manual 'box seals it (though that is supposedly coming at some point). The Vantage remains a genuinely great drive, with superb balance, and significantly better steering feel than the F-type. It also sounds wonderful. It isn't as fast, obviously, but it's more than fast enough. I really like the F-type, and I'd love to have one, but I'm keeping my V8V (note to the OP -- my MY09 V8V doesn't squeak or rattle).
Did the f-type r driving course today
It's a fantastic car, v8 has plenty of power, sounds great, good weight to the steering.
V6 doesn't quite cut it for me (albeit some others preferred it); it's got a slightly better turn-in (thanks to the smaller lump up front) but I'd personally miss the extra grunt of the v8 plus the exhaust note on the v6 just sounds over-engineered to me
Torque vectoring system on the type R is an amazing but of technology. Looking forward to that appearing on future astons (fingers crossed)
Interior was better than I had expected given previous reviews but I was a bit let down that the steering column and indicator stalks were identical to the wife's XF. Surely they could have used slightly better materials?
As I said up front they are great cars. If I didn't need the back seats of the db9 (for the kids), and I was going to do track days I might be tempted. But as I went around I saw an am vanquish and a v12v (presumably from the am equivalent course) and I kind of wished I was in those instead; they look better, also sound great, in the real world perform as well and they are aston martins....
It's a fantastic car, v8 has plenty of power, sounds great, good weight to the steering.
V6 doesn't quite cut it for me (albeit some others preferred it); it's got a slightly better turn-in (thanks to the smaller lump up front) but I'd personally miss the extra grunt of the v8 plus the exhaust note on the v6 just sounds over-engineered to me
Torque vectoring system on the type R is an amazing but of technology. Looking forward to that appearing on future astons (fingers crossed)
Interior was better than I had expected given previous reviews but I was a bit let down that the steering column and indicator stalks were identical to the wife's XF. Surely they could have used slightly better materials?
As I said up front they are great cars. If I didn't need the back seats of the db9 (for the kids), and I was going to do track days I might be tempted. But as I went around I saw an am vanquish and a v12v (presumably from the am equivalent course) and I kind of wished I was in those instead; they look better, also sound great, in the real world perform as well and they are aston martins....
downr said:
Did the f-type r driving course today
It's a fantastic car, v8 has plenty of power, sounds great, good weight to the steering.
V6 doesn't quite cut it for me (albeit some others preferred it); it's got a slightly better turn-in (thanks to the smaller lump up front) but I'd personally miss the extra grunt of the v8 plus the exhaust note on the v6 just sounds over-engineered to me
Torque vectoring system on the type R is an amazing but of technology. Looking forward to that appearing on future astons (fingers crossed)
Interior was better than I had expected given previous reviews but I was a bit let down that the steering column and indicator stalks were identical to the wife's XF. Surely they could have used slightly better materials?
As I said up front they are great cars. If I didn't need the back seats of the db9 (for the kids), and I was going to do track days I might be tempted. But as I went around I saw an am vanquish and a v12v (presumably from the am equivalent course) and I kind of wished I was in those instead; they look better, also sound great, in the real world perform as well and they are aston martins....
The V6 lump is still a big V8 lump with 2 cylinders blanked off, ridiculous!!!!!!!!!! It's a fantastic car, v8 has plenty of power, sounds great, good weight to the steering.
V6 doesn't quite cut it for me (albeit some others preferred it); it's got a slightly better turn-in (thanks to the smaller lump up front) but I'd personally miss the extra grunt of the v8 plus the exhaust note on the v6 just sounds over-engineered to me
Torque vectoring system on the type R is an amazing but of technology. Looking forward to that appearing on future astons (fingers crossed)
Interior was better than I had expected given previous reviews but I was a bit let down that the steering column and indicator stalks were identical to the wife's XF. Surely they could have used slightly better materials?
As I said up front they are great cars. If I didn't need the back seats of the db9 (for the kids), and I was going to do track days I might be tempted. But as I went around I saw an am vanquish and a v12v (presumably from the am equivalent course) and I kind of wished I was in those instead; they look better, also sound great, in the real world perform as well and they are aston martins....
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