Ready to take the plunge

[Ampman]

I drove both the P300 and the 340 V6. Had at least 2 hour test drive in both. You would think V6 all day long but ended up with first edition P300.
When driving the V6 I was left thinking when would I really be able to use the extra power. The P300 has a lighter front end so has better turn in. You can definitely feel the extra weight in the front of the V6 when cornering.
Not everybody wants a car that wakes the dead every time you start it. While the P300 will lack the orchestra of the V6 and he grunt and growl of a V8 it makes a pleasant enough noise for a 4 pot. So much nicer than the monotone drone of the caymen 4 pot. I do a fair bit of motorway driving with the occasional A and B road blast and the P300 suits me fine. With the weather getting drier and warmer I am starting to see parts of the rev counter not normally visited. Spun the wheels plenty of times and even had it sideways a couple of times. Not intentionally and the first time was almost a brown trouser moment.
After driving a few i definitely wanted the performance seats and the climate pack. Heated steering wheel has been brilliant.
There's quite a bit of choice and each to their own, but get a long test drive and drive on the type of roads you would normally drive on and maybe some you don't and give the car a good workout, Whichever you chose its still a F-type, will still turn heads and you will be driving with a smug grin on your face :mrgreen:

 

[scm]

I know I'm going to get lots of "you've no idea!" replies to this, but are they really THAT noisy?

Yep.

 

[scm]

I must admit I've thought that the heated front windscreen would be a nice-to-have but if its irritating in low winter sun then I would hate that.

Best to try and see if it bothers you. the filaments are really thin and have never bothered me - you can really only see them if you focus on the glass but you should, of course, be looking at the road ahead!

 

[kookaburra1457]

i found it too noisy, (i also know someone who 'had' a 380 V6 and he kept getting complaints from the neighbours with early morning starts).

I know I'm going to lots of "you've no idea!" replies to this, but are they really THAT noisy?

Hello Crispy

Just catching up with all this thread as I've been working all day, more I read the more I recognise the same concerns that I had when buying my first F-Type in December last year, let me answer some specifics:
1. Noisy? When you start the V6S you get the initial throaty roar as the engine fires, this quickly dies down and drops to a nice V6 burble once RPM drops back to normal idle
2. Options for me: Coupe over Convertible if you want a weekend away taking any more luggage than spare underpants - get the panoramic roof and you won't care
3. Seats come in standard Sport or Performance (wing-backs like star-wars) and in addition to being all-electric have factory option of 3 position memory on each side, mine's got these in ivory and looks fab with Sapphire Blue body and 20" wheels

Hope this is useful stuff, contact me if you want to chat, oh - I live in North Derbyshire just outside the Peak District National Park where roads are just right for the V6S
Paul

 

[kookaburra1457]

Sorry, one more thought, you might want to check the price of rear tyre replacements as your right foot will develop a mind of its own...

 

[OldGrandad]

I have only owned my car a few weeks, I didn't test drive one before I bought it, online purchase and car was delivered, it has the sports seats with some electric movement 4 way, I am a short arse so even on the highest setting I couldn't see the front of the car, I've bought a small seat wedge which helps. I took it for a rear diff oil change yesterday and gave it some stick on the way home, v6s, I am still smiling what a car. Which ever you choose you will enjoy. Happy hunting.

Like you then, I am of short stature but the seats offered me adequate adjustment thankfully. The bonnet is long and even a six footer would have the same problem unless they raised the roof! Now into my 3rd day of ownership ('16 S) I cannot get this stupid grin off my face!

 

[mickjaguar]

You should be able to find your ideal car eventually, as the dealer stock turns over enough. Good idea to decide which features are your must have's vs preferences. Watch out for cars that have missing service history, even some Jaguar approved ones.

A car with chrome can be given the black pack treatment using wrap for £200-£250. I doubt it would be as successful the other way around. Replacement window surrounds are £750 for each side on their own, so you'd be looking at £2000+ for chrome if using new parts. I haven't come across many cars with the light interior and I'd imagine this would be matched up with dark paint and chrome too,

My journey to work used to be a 90 mile round trip on A roads. Hence, I managed 20,000 miles out of the rear tyres. If the majority of the journeys are sitting at constant speed, these cars can be quite cheap to run e.g. on the motorway, the V6 will sit at 2200 revs doing 34mpg. Tearing around makes a huge difference in fuel and tyre use. Mostly motorway commuting with some weekend hooning about should see 29mpg average and circa 16k out of rear tyres.

As mentioned, ideally get the parking pack if you can (front/rear sensors and camera). Rear visibility is a bit like a mobile phone in portrait. I'm 6 foot and the front isn't visible either. These are very wide cars, which is generally more of an issue in tight car parks.

In terms of noisy, the V6 isn't crazy from a cold start. There is a thread on here from someone getting complaints from neighbours, but that related to an after market exhaust. It does depend on when you are setting off and the environment i.e. 5am and an enclosed space isn't going to be great.

I've had heated screens on other cars and they can be handy in the winter. However, don't forget the F-type comes with remote start, so as long as you are not on the public highway it can be started warmed up and defrosted whilst having breakfast etc.

Good luck with the search

 

[scm]

I've had heated screens on other cars and they can be handy in the winter. However, don't forget the F-type comes with remote start, so as long as you are not on the public highway it can be started warmed up and defrosted whilst having breakfast etc.

I find remote start extremely useful in colder weather, but if you're an infrequent user be aware that after 4 days the car goes into a deep sleep and cannot be contacted by the app. To avoid this you can use the app to set a wakeup time (assuming you know when you want it woken up!) and that works fine, IME. It wakes the car first thing in the morning of the set date.

Another useful feature is that if the temperature is below 5 degrees C the front and rear glass heaters come on automatically when you start.

 

[crispy]

Wow, loads of great replies since I last had time to log on.

“I know I'm going to lots of "you've no idea!" replies to this, but are they really THAT noisy?“

Depends if daily driver, what time you head out for work & how well you get on with the neighbours

Hmmm, it will be my main car, but I work from home and have for years, with a weekly visit to whichever construction sites I have live at that point. Other than that it social and shopping. They're all over the country and I usually leave EARLY!!!! Neighbours are possibly OK, we get on really well with the ones we get on with and have no problem upsetting the ones we really don't. In fact, that alone is a good reason to start looking at the V8.

I drove both the P300 and the 340 V6. Had at least 2 hour test drive in both. I do a fair bit of motorway driving with the occasional A and B road blast and the P300 suits me fine.

That's what I need to do - I'll take my time and try to get a dealer to let me really drive them.

After driving a few i definitely wanted the performance seats and the climate pack. Heated steering wheel has been brilliant.

I love the idea of a heated steering wheel. And it sounds like performance seats are perhaps a must in my case.

the filaments are really thin and have never bothered me - you can really only see them if you focus on the glass but you should, of course, be looking at the road ahead!

I would like to see whether the heated screen works for me too. Those 5am starts would be easier to live with if I could get moving quickly with the added benefit of being able to see and have warm hands!

i found it too noisy, (i also know someone who 'had' a 380 V6 and he kept getting complaints from the neighbours with early morning starts).

I know I'm going to lots of "you've no idea!" replies to this, but are they really THAT noisy?

Hello Crispy

Just catching up with all this thread as I've been working all day, more I read the more I recognise the same concerns that I had when buying my first F-Type in December last year, let me answer some specifics:
1. Noisy? When you start the V6S you get the initial throaty roar as the engine fires, this quickly dies down and drops to a nice V6 burble once RPM drops back to normal idle
2. Options for me: Coupe over Convertible if you want a weekend away taking any more luggage than spare underpants - get the panoramic roof and you won't care
3. Seats come in standard Sport or Performance (wing-backs like star-wars) and in addition to being all-electric have factory option of 3 position memory on each side, mine's got these in ivory and looks fab with Sapphire Blue body and 20" wheels

Hope this is useful stuff, contact me if you want to chat, oh - I live in North Derbyshire just outside the Peak District National Park where roads are just right for the V6S
Paul

Thanks Paul, I'm not far away - North East of Oldham about a mile from Saddleworth Moor - so have easy access to similar roads. The seat info is useful, so it sounds like the ones I see online with '6-way electric seats' or similar, are the performance seats.

Your car sounds spot on - dark blue (tick), 20" wheels (if silver, tick), ivory seats (tick).

Sorry, one more thought, you might want to check the price of rear tyre replacements as your right foot will develop a mind of its own...

Yeah, I already have but, hey, it has to be done. My current car shocked me when rears were £260 each. They're not any longer - don't know why but first purchase was a surprise! I drive in two modes too - work mode is gentle and frugal and get-there-relaxed, and 'other' mode might cost me a bit, but its by no means all the time. Just one of those things I guess.

A car with chrome can be given the black pack treatment using wrap for £200-£250. I doubt it would be as successful the other way around. Replacement window surrounds are £750 for each side on their own, so you'd be looking at £2000+ for chrome if using new parts.

Strangely, I was working away yesterday and drove home past a Jaguar dealership. From the road outside I could see a car that sounds just like yours and it had a black pack. I've clearly never looked properly before, I mean I've looked at F-Types obviously, but yesterday I realised that I've not gone and 'studied' any with the realistic-buyer glasses on. I've not looked close up since I decided I would be buying one sometime actually. I mean I've looked like I did at the Ferrari Testarossa at the Motor Show as a 10-year-old who was really never going to buy one, but never with the critical eye of personal preference. And it turns out I didn't realise how gloss black the window trims are, and how good they look. I do still like the chrome but I'm possibly no longer so against black trim. Maybe the options will widen!

My journey to work used to be a 90 mile round trip on A roads. Hence, I managed 20,000 miles out of the rear tyres. If the majority of the journeys are sitting at constant speed, these cars can be quite cheap to run e.g. on the motorway, the V6 will sit at 2200 revs doing 34mpg. Tearing around makes a huge difference in fuel and tyre use. Mostly motorway commuting with some weekend hooning about should see 29mpg average and circa 16k out of rear tyres.

As mentioned, ideally get the parking pack if you can (front/rear sensors and camera). Rear visibility is a bit like a mobile phone in portrait. I'm 6 foot and the front isn't visible either. These are very wide cars, which is generally more of an issue in tight car parks.

In terms of noisy, the V6 isn't crazy from a cold start. There is a thread on here from someone getting complaints from neighbours, but that related to an after market exhaust. It does depend on when you are setting off and the environment i.e. 5am and an enclosed space isn't going to be great.

I've had heated screens on other cars and they can be handy in the winter. However, don't forget the F-type comes with remote start, so as long as you are not on the public highway it can be started warmed up and defrosted whilst having breakfast etc.

Good luck with the search

Thanks Mick, that's all good stuff too. I didn't know about the remote start. That's a great addition, I think I'd use that on the driveway. And I will certainly have a good look at the heated screen.