A quick hello from a soon to be new owner. I currently run a 2018 XES - one of the very last supercharged V6s. 5 1/2 years of driving what has got to be one of the most underrated four door cars has made a strong desire to replace with another supercharged Jag.
Budget is 50-60, so I thought I'd get some test drives in. Target was for a late P450 Coupe.
My first drive was in an AWD P450 - 75 model. Interior was very nice - looks lovely from outside too. Stepping from the XES into the F Type was interesting. Although more gruff in character, the V8 is mechanically smooth and more torque rich than the smaller engine. There impression I get is that the F Type is taller geared, so the performance difference from the XES doesn't seem quite as great as I expected. I would expect traction to be near total with the AWD layout. So far so good, but something was missing, or, more to the point, something I expected was not there - steering feel. I didn't expect the chatty helm of an Elise, but I did expect something similar to the XE, where the steering tells you something of the work the front tyres are doing. I wasn't sure if the issue was one of basic characteristic, the fitment of Pirelli tyres (more on that later) or the front end having driveshafts poking through the hubs and some extra mass to move. It wasn't lighting my fire.
Back in the XES and the impression was immediately reinforced. Off to the other side of the country, literally, for a test in a rear wheel drive version. This was much closer to what I was expecting from the helm, it's a subtle but, to me, obvious difference in the way the car turns and feels. The sense of the tyres' workload and response was definitely clearer. Still not as clear as the XES though.
It was good enough to convince me that this was the right car, so deal done, collect next week! I remember the J spec Dunlop OE tyres on the XES - particularly I remember how much better the car felt once a set of Goodyear Asymmetric 5 were fitted. Would we expect a similar transformation going for a set of Goodyear Supersport, maybe Michelin PS4S or Continental Contisport 7?
The car is a P450 75 model on a 24 plate, 500 miles from new with some nice optional extras. Carpathian grey with black wheels and exterior trim. Looks a bit menacing, but in a good way.
Looking forward to it!
Oh, last question for now, do F Type drivers wave to each other out on the road?
Budget is 50-60, so I thought I'd get some test drives in. Target was for a late P450 Coupe.
My first drive was in an AWD P450 - 75 model. Interior was very nice - looks lovely from outside too. Stepping from the XES into the F Type was interesting. Although more gruff in character, the V8 is mechanically smooth and more torque rich than the smaller engine. There impression I get is that the F Type is taller geared, so the performance difference from the XES doesn't seem quite as great as I expected. I would expect traction to be near total with the AWD layout. So far so good, but something was missing, or, more to the point, something I expected was not there - steering feel. I didn't expect the chatty helm of an Elise, but I did expect something similar to the XE, where the steering tells you something of the work the front tyres are doing. I wasn't sure if the issue was one of basic characteristic, the fitment of Pirelli tyres (more on that later) or the front end having driveshafts poking through the hubs and some extra mass to move. It wasn't lighting my fire.
Back in the XES and the impression was immediately reinforced. Off to the other side of the country, literally, for a test in a rear wheel drive version. This was much closer to what I was expecting from the helm, it's a subtle but, to me, obvious difference in the way the car turns and feels. The sense of the tyres' workload and response was definitely clearer. Still not as clear as the XES though.
It was good enough to convince me that this was the right car, so deal done, collect next week! I remember the J spec Dunlop OE tyres on the XES - particularly I remember how much better the car felt once a set of Goodyear Asymmetric 5 were fitted. Would we expect a similar transformation going for a set of Goodyear Supersport, maybe Michelin PS4S or Continental Contisport 7?
The car is a P450 75 model on a 24 plate, 500 miles from new with some nice optional extras. Carpathian grey with black wheels and exterior trim. Looks a bit menacing, but in a good way.
Looking forward to it!
Oh, last question for now, do F Type drivers wave to each other out on the road?
