C&D: Plans for mid engine F-type

While I like handling characteristics of a mid engine car, it is hard to do so while maintaining comfort. Keeping engine between wheels greatly limits available passenger space. Current F-type is what I would consider lower end of acceptably comfortable daily driver. Any less comfort and I would only want to drive in on the track.

 

While I can’t speak for any other mid-engined automobile, having driven cross country - twice - in an Acura NSX (Gen 1) I can state unequivocally that it was incredibly comfortable and immeasurably fun. And while I respect your thoughts and opinions that our F-Type is at the “lower end of acceptably comfortable” I find it completely comfortable and worthy of any long distance journey. Some of us have even, privately, discussed a Coast-to-Coast “Run.”

 

i did 5k in a huracan this summer and it was same thing as being in my f type as far as comfort goes

 

Haven't heard anyone complain about comfort in a McLaren 720S, R8 or a Cayman.

The 4C is a bit on the extreme side...

 

my partner at work has a cayman which he says is terribly uncomfortable, but then it is a base on 20's

 

Front engine still dominates the real world. 48 of the top 50 Dragy runs are front engine. And every single car under 2 seconds is front engine. Of course, more than half are Nissan GT-Rs. The "track focus" fad is media ad driven to allow exotics to compete with much faster street cars.

 

Personally I've no interest in a snub-nosed F Type.
"Superior handling characteristics" be damned.

 

That's rather less of a challenge in the UK.

 

My apologies. I meant to say coaster to coaster “run.”

 

Sounds like the partner is coming from a cushy sedan. I've been in many Cayman's over the years and they are one of the better driver's cars out there. However, I think people may have a different idea of what "comfortable" is or isn't. I'm not sure the OP was necessarily referring to ride quality.

 

I come into F-type from a line of Mercedes SL ownership, so my expectation of comfort are rather high.

Here is what I meant by comfort:

1. Ease of getting in and out of the car
2. Ease of fastening seatbelt
3. Leg and elbow room; elbow support for long drives
4. Seat comfort and adjustability
5. Ability of suspension to absorb road imperfections
6. Sound quality when listening to music
7. Lack of rattles while driving over bumps
8. Technology (e.g. blind spot monitoring) that eases task of driving
9. Visibility

I am not saying F-type is problematic in all aspects, I am not saying that above-average handling characteristics isn't a worthwhile sacrifice for some comfort - I am saying that if you use comfort as the only criteria, F-type is a mediocre car.

 

All valid points (if nothing more than your opinion; which of course is valid) to which the ONLY thing I would add is: I do not want MY sports or GT automobile - I consider the F-Type to be the latter - to be TOO comfortable. That would almost defeat the purpose of having a performance automobile.

 

Well, I somewhat disagree. I want my sports car to be simple (i.e. minimal tech, easy to maintain when driven to its fullest), I want my GT car to be comfortable and I expect both to deliver superb handling.

Back to mid-engine discussion. I think doing so will push F-type away from being GT toward sports car without truly becoming one performance-wise (i.e. blame C8 for raising the bar). One could daily-drive a street-legal race car, climbing over cage to get in, dealing with a 6 point harness while wearing a suit, and dealing with racing clutch and straight pipe exhaust in a stop-and-go traffic. The question why would you?

 

That's basically the McLaren GT, which is a $220k+ vehicle.

 

Or maybe a “Ronin”-inspired Audi S8 (in spite of that being a 4-door sedan)? Sorry, I’ll shut up now.

 

Back to your Mercedes... the S 65 AMG ruined me. I only had it for three days, and it ruined me.

 

To put you more at ease - that sublime Mercedes comfort comes at a great costs of maintaining hydraulically-actuated computer controlled adjustable suspension system called ABC. It is huge pain and hassle to maintain as it ages and every time it fails, car pukes fluid and drops to the ground - so you have to flatbed it. Jaguar is a hassle-free by comparison (and you know history of mine).

To best of my knowledge, Mercedes no longer uses ABC in any but top of the line cars as "regular" people buying "mere" $100K care are balking at maintaining such system.

Also, hilariously, ABC overheats on the track, possibly causing internal damage if you keep pushing it. So you can't really tack a car equipped with one for more than few hot laps without risking costly repairs. Also, SL, being a very heavy car, tends to boil brakes. SL is firmly into GT spectrum of things and is not a sports car even in AMG trim.

 

The C8 has raised an imaginary bar. The actual bar won't move until its moved. If you look at Dragy, which is the first and only objective and verified source of true performance data, front engine cars are incredibly dominant over mid engine cars. So I don't buy the "track focus" story, I think it's to move the competition off the street to a realm where mid-engine exotics at least have a chance. Dragy proves that on the street, they have no chance.

 

Fantastic info! Wow. And you know *my* history with Jag. My 2016 was in the shop in 2 years longer than my Wrangler was over its *entire* 20 year lifespan. LOL

Also, the greatest modern feature in any car is the power button to turn off the LCD touchscreen. =)

 

A mid engine layout would be great IMO......but an electric only Jag would kill any excitement from that idea for me. Hybrid would be OK though.

Dave