Long Distance F-Type Drive Reveals a Worthy Grand Touring Coupe
Carwow says the new F-Type holds its own against Germany’s formidable grand touring car rivals during a drive to Portugal.
We admit that the F-Type is a toy. That’s what it is designed to be, after all. While some SUV’s try to add a sporty aspect to a big vehicle, Jag’s two-seater is unapologetically a grand touring coupe with very sporting intentions. The major tradeoff though is practicality. How does it fare on a long journey? Mat Watson from CarWow took the new supercharged V8 cat on a 430-mile journey to find out.
Watson’s first test comes from packing. He says, “We’ve got all our gear; my suitcase, my backpack, camera gear, and cameraman Jack’s rucksack as well. He doesn’t think everything can fit… I think it will if I pack it cleverly.” He’s able to make it work, albeit at the expense of rear visibility.
Watson is also a bit critical of other aspects of the car as well. Radar activated cruise control, he feels, is a big omission. “What’s the point of having cruise control in Europe if it can’t keep you a safe distance from the car ahead of you?” While that system is not necessary all the time, and some may even find intrusive, the lack of that tech shows “it’s more a heavily re-worked F-TYPE than a new one.” Some interior quality items are of a concern too.
But things get better as the miles add up. “I’ve been sat in this seat for hours, and even though it’s a sporty seat, I don’t feel uncomfortable,” Watson notes. And that’s great for the long haul. Portugal does have tremendous roads, though, so can this grand touring Jag turn into a sports car? It can. Watson explains why the V8’s are better, saying, “for V8 models, there’s been a serious re-working of the suspension. The suspension arms, the knuckles.. pretty much everything that holds the wheels on to the body is stiffer.” Combined with different suspension components like sway bars, it transforms the F-Type into a progressive, and less snappy car on the limit.
So the strong points overshadow the weak by a wide margin. What does Watson think? “I reckon you should put it on your shortlist for shopping. The car has technically been around since 2013, but the updates do mean that it’s still a really good sports car,” Watson concludes.
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