Nine months in, and the Jag is still a kick in the pants
One might think after 13,442 miles, the sharp report that is the supercharged V8 barking to life would wear a little thin.
Think again. Anyone tiring of the glorious, ear-crunching metallic yawp has clearly never driven the Jaguar F-Type R.
Truth is, the logbook is dominated by comments on the exhaust note, and where we weren’t preoccupied reveling in the sound, we were arguing the relative merits of the F-Type R and a Porsche 911. As far as we can tell, there is no obvious winner.
“For a driving purist, it’s difficult to argue with a 911,” says one editor. “It’s just so well balanced and quick. The F-Type does have its own distinct handling character, which is a little more tail happy and requires a smoother touch behind the wheel. But that’s all on-track. On the street, it doesn’t really matter. People are looking to get noticed, and the Jaguar is definitely sexier with its sensational shape and good proportions.”
Long-term 2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe
Perhaps the best thing about the Jag’s third quarter was finally being able to shed the big wheels of their winter rubber. That came in month two of the quarter. The worst thing? Having to find a replacement Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero in month one, a difficult task at best for 20-inch wheels so late in the cold season. As an editor put it, “We unfortunately fell into a pretty big pothole that sprang up after all the snow we’ve been having around these parts, which is gonna happen. That’s just the great thing about living in Michigan. Our roads are crumbling.”
The move back to summer rubber benefitted the car’s performance in more than one way. We saw a major leap in fuel economy, averaging a tick under 19.0 mpg compared with the 15.8 we managed in the second quarter. And with fuel prices as cheap as we’ve seen in a while, we got to drive almost 800 more miles for $ 15.44 less than we spent the previous quarter.
Long-term 2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe
If the quarter saw any complaint, it was with one editor who pointed out that the car’s central touchscreen interface is aging poorly, design-wise. “The interior is still a mixed bag for me. The seats are terrific, and build quality and materials look fine. But the touchscreen looks and feels even more dated to me and operates that way,as well. It could use an upgrade. I see Jag’s new small car, the XE, has a new touchscreen. I’m looking forward to trying it.”
As are we all, but perhaps not as much as we are looking forward to another three months with our F-Type R.
