I went to the Newport Beach grand opening party for the F type coupe. Just a beautiful car for sure. The interior is exactly like the vert. Beautiful lines to say the least.
They had all 3 price range cars there.

NOW why would I buy this car when I can buy a 2010-2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage ? The had a few there and, frankly, the styling and sound just blew me away.

Have any of you owned this car? Thoughts? Maintenance?

Help me out here LOL

 

Well, for me that's an easy question to answer as I had this exact dilemma - I tested a 2013 V8 Vantage S coupe with Speedshift II and a 2014 V8 Vantage convertible with the 6 speed (which were both being sold as new), and also looked a 2009 V8 Vantage convertible with the prior Speedshift when looking for my car.

The Aston wins on brand, exclusivity and interior. It's a great car.

However...

The Jaguar is the better performer. The V8 F Types, which are the most obvious points of comparison, are considerably faster than the V8 and V8 Vantage S.

As good as the Aston sounds, the V8 Jaguar for me has an even better exhaust note. It is (or can be) louder, it's more aggressive, and to my ears it takes what the Aston delivers in this regard and turns it up to 11. Note that it does appear that Jaguar toned down the exhaust on the coupe compared to the convertible, but both sound great!

I personally think the F Type in both variants looks better than the respective Vantage counterparts. The Vantage is a beauty, no doubt, but the shape has become familiar and it no longer stands out as it once did. This is of course a very subjective thing. For me, the F is better proportioned, is fresher, and just looks better.

The ZF auto in the F is genuinely light years ahead of Speedshift I and II. There's just no comparison. It is truly night and day. The 6 speed in the 2014 I tested was decent though. The automated manual is very, very dated although the Speedshift II is a decent upgrade over the original.

The Jag's electronics and technology are arguably nowhere near the best in class, but they are broadly current generation. The Aston's electronics are very obviously from days gone by and are truly dated. Current gen Astons use a garmin (I believe) nav system, but it looks and feels low rent and aftermarket.

The Aston feels old - because it is old. Jag has to develop on a relative shoestring, but their development budgets dwarf that of Aston. And it shows. The Aston on sale now is largely the car that was released around ten years ago.

The Aston does have an old school charm, and it still feels like a special car. But the strong points are all the brand related ones. For some, that's enough, but it wasn't for me. There's no doubt in my mind that the Aston is the "cooler" car, but there's no doubt in my mind that the Jag is the better one.

Keep in mind that the Aston is the car I wanted all along - but in the final analysis I personally felt that the Jag was actually the better car. I wish Jaguar had done more on our interiors and I wish that the Jag brand was as strong as the AM brand, but when you focus on the bits that actually matter Jaguar sells a more modern, much faster and more capable car.

 

Great reply and thanks! I was looking at a 2011 AM for $67K beautifully equipped. It’s not a 2014 F type but is 2/3 of the price.

Gotta keep thinking about it LOL

 

Like swajames, i also looked at the aston martin vantage and decided on the F-type instead.

I agree with his assessment, and would just add:

1. Obviously, this is an F-Type board so you will get skewed opinions here.

2. AM is not doing too well financially and there is speculation of a mercedes buyout...so there is uncertainty over the corporation's future. Also, I am a fan of Jaguar's corporate resurgence so i wanted to buy into the story.

3. The Vantage platform is really old and at the bottom end of its product lifecycle, and AM is currently developing a new replacement platform based on their partnership with Mercedes AMG....unclear when it will hit the market, and what kind of technology risk they are taking because partnerships are always difficult.

 

Oh man, I was in the same dilema. The Vantage has been my favorite car for years. I had been keeping an eye out for a 2008-2010 for quite a while when the F-Type was released. I agree with much of swajames' comments. Aston's craftmanship and interior styling hit my aesthetics perfectly, and the exclusivity is very appealing to me.
The F-Type is the first car I've found to be equal to the Vantage in beauty and it performs better. I like some aspects of each over the other, but I would love owning either (or both!) In the end, servicability of the Jaguar won me over the exclusivity of Aston. I kept my Lotus for 12yrs, and I've had to move many times due to my job. Getting service for it was a pain when there are so few places with a mechanic familiar them. I get the feeling I would have the same problem with an AM, so I ordered the R.

 

I have owned three contemporary Astons, all purchased new:

2001 DB7 Vantage Volante (6-speed)
2009 V8 Vantage Roadster (with 4.7 liter engine, sport pack suspension and Sportshift single clutch gearbox)
2012 Virage Volante (Touchtronic 2 automatic gearbox)

I actually traded the Virage in for the F-Type. Specifically, as it relates to the Vantage, I would say the differences are vast. The Aston puts a more exclusive badge on a car that is inferior to the F-Type in every area of the driving experience: power, chassis (as determined by handling,) steering, and a transmission that, while not being (IMHO) quite the dog reviewers thought it to be was still quite slow. Infotainment unit was lifted straight out of the contemporary Ford parts bin and unreadable in sunlight; the Volvo sourced pop-up Nav system was a joke. Better interior materials are mated to poorer build quality. Annual services $1000 minimum. But the sound of the engine was sensational and it is a timeless design. Do NOT buy an older car with the 4.3; it's too sluggish.

 

Hi. I registered to respond to this as it is the same issue I am having.


New AM Vantage GT or a F-Type R


What do you guys know about engineers leaving AM to goto Jag to build the F type? Or was that just salesman BS?


The pure performance of the F Type R keeps pushing me towards it over the under powered Vantage... For this price range im shopping the 500-600hp market.


New gen Viper (its still a dodge with crap support and slimy dealerships)
C63 AMG (hell of a deal for what you get but its boring looking)
F-Type R (Wish it looked a little more "not squished")
Vantage GT (even with its weaker old engine)
Audi R8 V8 (prefer the V10 but its out of my price range)


After spending countless hours with the cars, owner forums, dealerships and car shows... I can almost say (unless something earth shattering is released like AM makes a V8 500hp Zagato at a realistic price and replace the Vantage) that the Jag is about to win for me. Its epic engine, quality, history AND the ability to modify it for over 600hp makes it the winner for me.


A few more months to see whats coming up and ill pull the trigger.

 

I have a 2012 VV8S soft top and love it. The Jag V8 I drove had better seats and was way cheaper. Still want to get the V8 F model also it is a fun car.