Jaguar F-type Review

The Review

First Impressions (0-1 years) Supercars Jaguar F-type F-type Coupe (facelift 2017) SVR 5.0 V8 (575 Hp) AWD Automatic

Extremely fast and extremely loud!!!

Summary

This is my second review on LoveCars, and I wanted to give as much information as possible about my latest purchase, for anyone looking at or considering the mighty F-type SVR as a next purchase. :)

First up, why do I go for the SVR over all other options out there? Well first up, about a year back, I spotted an F-Type R on the way to Birmingham, and straight away I loved it. It was fresh, sharp, mean and just very very good looking! That was it for me. I started looking into the model and like everyone else, I went down the YouTube route to check out as much as I could about this car. I churned through tons of videos and reviews and actually first saw this blue colour on "SeenThroughGlass" on YouTube. Again, just set the car off nicely, and although some may disagree, I actually loved it. A little loud, a little politically incorrect and a lot of me haha :)

At the time, also considered against the 911 Targa, but they hold their second hand prices like nothing else, which is not great when buying of course. I also looked at the Aston Martin equivalents and found that the SVR was faster, louder and in my view, just a prettier car. Just waiting for the Aston boys to come back at me on this one! Having had the old M3 too, and loved that, I naturally looked at the new M4 also, but really felt I needed a change. Just wanted to look at a different dashboard, which I am sure many will relate to. So, overall, this felt like the best option and quite a rare car compared to some of the other options I see day to day.

I did look at the convertible option for the F-Type too, but at the time, I just preferred the hard top, being better looking and more rigid (my old M3 was convertible).

There was a moment before I bought the car, I was a tad hesitant about the colour. In my head I was wondering whether it was too loud and in your face! But I really love this blue now and with the interior being blue and diamond stitched, I think this is a great combination.

Practicality and Comfort

Can't really fault the car here. Seats are very comfortable. Boot space is good for a weekend away with one other. Its not a Golf of course, but you get decent space in in the boot. Plenty of room inside the car itself, with plenty of head and leg room and I am around 6ft 2". The driving positions is nice, no complaints there. There are loads of storage compartments inside which is useful for drinks and all other little bits. I had a Boxter in the past and the F-type definitely has more room than that inside. Panoramic roof makes if feel more airy in addition to all the above. The car is pretty wide so loads of shoulder room for me.

HOWEVER, car parks are a terror because the car seems to scrape massively with two passengers in the car. When its just me, I just about clear it. Speed bumps are also not my friend, because of the height of the nose of the car, so be warned! This is my daily driver and overall is more comfortable than other cars that go as fast. I would say probably on par with a 911, but better than your average super car. I went back to a 2 seater, because I didn't really need the back seats and I doesn't really carry extra people!

In reality, you can carry 2 weekend suitcases for a comfortable trip across Europe without any real fuss.

Performance and Handling

Proper rapid and eye wateringly fast! That's the only way I can put it. I generally doesn't like driving on the edge and I'm not sure whether its skill or what, but I don't push this car like I did with my M3. Again, with the hard top I get a bit more stiffness compared to my old M3, which is great.

At pretty much any speed in any gear, the power is instant, and being supercharged, there is no lag.

Handling wise, I never pushed it at high speed. But at medium speeds, it has plenty of grip. I generally chicken out before the car does :) The car has an active wing, which you can lower to hit the higher speeds, but I have not done that just yet. It has a exhaust button to make the exhaust louder, but this is not digitally enhanced, like some of the cars including some of the Astons. You don't really go much quicker for the money. This is 4wd, so not sure how this compares to the non SVRs but definitely all the performance I need for now.

Reliability and Running Costs

To be fair, I have not had the car long enough to say. This is my first non-German car. Buying something that is not German was a concern, but "touch wood", I have had no issues so far. The car has warranty left, but I will extend the warranty just in case. So far, I have had 1 service at 2 years old, this was £600 and covered oils and filters and the usual bits, which is on par to your average sports car. They did find a bolt missing weirdly, but luckily they fixed it.

Fuel wise, I use premium petrol of course. Costs around £80 to fill up the tank. On a run, I am averaging around 30mpg which is very good on the motorway. This compares to 18mpg and 26mpg in my old M3 in town and on the motorway respectively. No tire changes yet, but not expecting anything outrageous. Insurance, was an extra £200 over my M3, so still under a grand, which is great. This is with my clear licenses of course so behave!

Looks and Style

In my view, this is one of the best looking two seater sports cars out there at the moment. Much prettier than the equivalent Aston Martin. Diamond stitching on the seats just makes it look even better inside and out. Yes its in your face, but I like that. :) Looks great with the wing, which sets it off nicely. The colour combo works well, between the dark graphite wheels, the blue and lots of black details. The rear wing is also carbon, which is very cool. This works for me and I would not change it! Has lots of little touches that make it look special. Oh and that includes Alcantara roof lining, middle console and top of dash. I could have gone for the some on the steering wheel but that wears down after a while.

Features

For a car like this, its got loads of technology. Especially compared to my old car. Heated seats and steering wheel. All of the connectivity you would expect. Reversing camera. It has an app for starting the car, recording all of your journeys and stuff like that. Also all servicing details are on the app, with any car warnings. Has all the telemetry features and you can tailor your sport modes etc. The car has normal, dynamic and sports mode, which is a nice touch because the dials go red, and everything tightens up neatly! There is also a snow mode, which I will let you know how it works when I ever use it. Sat Nav is good, and Pano roof is great. Automatic everything pretty much in this car. Heated front screen, which is nice on a cold day.

It would be nice to automatically raise the car over bumps, buts that's just me being picky. Stereo isn't as great as it could be in a car like this, but I didn't buy it for the music. Comfort entry is there, so steering wheel moves up when getting in and seat moves back. Seated are heated and ventilated, and you have dual zone climate control. So, for a car of this performance level, I really can't complain about the level of kit it has inside! So all good!

Would I recommend it? YES

If you can find one, buy one, because there are not that many out there at the moment.