And finally, two more photos.

 

Here is the video of the presser- I stopped it when Land Rover came up. (20 minutes long- beware)

 

David, thats great, thanks for posting that video, really cool to watch / listen and be a small part of the day.

Lots of interesting info and great pr to be involved in the land speed record attempt too!

Superb

 

Hey guys - Met up with Dave and Ted at the show yesterday and took a lot of shots with my phone. The Jaguar people couldn't have been any nicer, they outfitted us with the appropriate credentials, spent some time with us at the pre-show event and took a picture or two of the three of us. Saw some amazing classics, race cars, customs and a converted fire truck at the pre-show. We watched the 6 speed F type arrive and spent some time ogling it and its stick shift. In the Jaguar booth they had the Project 7 car, an AWD F R coupe, and another 6 speed on display. I'm going to try to load some pics with this post, I've got my fingers crossed.

 

Well I didn't succeed with that one I'll try again.

 

I've had for tonite, will try again tomorrow.

 

Took delivery of my loaner today...and WOWOWOWOWOW. The F-Type is fast, handles incredibly and the exhaust note is intoxicating.

 

Wow, she's a beaut Dave, you lucky devil.

Looking forward to more info, your thoughts / opinions and pics / video at some point.

Been quite a few days for you, still another few to really enjoy the car and get a feel for it.

Best

Jim

 

Hi David,
I got mine about 10am this morning and the ride is very much like my 2010 XKR. Shifts are smoother than in the XKR, but overall a very similar feeling. But that sound (with the booster button engaged), oh my goodness, what a symphony (or shall we say cacaphony), it's just wild and intoxicating. Driving it up to Buttonwillow in the morning and am going to see if I can get one lap on the track with it during lunch hour.

Pictures tomorrow.

And by the way, by the look of that grin on your face, I will assume you found that little exhaust booster button, as well.

 

nice...and I like the color :-)

 

LOL Ted- YEP, I found that button. Sweet, sweet exhaust music.

Here were the two most uttered phrases today:
1. Slow down. (wife)
2. I am going the speed limit (me)

 

To enable throttle-blipping when the car downshifts and also have it make even more exhaust noise (vs just pressing the active exhaust button)

1. put it in dynamic mode by pulling the small lever left of the shift-lever for a few seconds until the dash turns red AND
2. move the shift-lever to the left to put it in sport mode (in the center display, it will change from a D to an S)

You won't be disappointed! :-)

 

Wait, there's MORE? I will definitely try that today!

 

I have much to say about my weekend with the F-Type, I'll post my experience most likely tomorrow. It has been a wonderful time, and one I shall not soon forget.

Thanks another_geek, that was good advice- REALLY brought out the car's personality. I took the wife out to Roy's at Fashion Island in it- a good meal, great car, and a fine woman make for a lovely evening.

 

 

tl;dr Got car, drove around gave it back- it was amazing.

9:30 Friday morning could not come soon enough- two cars drove up in a very unassuming fashion, and the F-type pulled in front of my house. I walked up to the driver and introduced myself, he jumped out and moved to the passenger seat to begin giving me the tour of the car. "This setting is for inclement weather, see the snowflake?" I don't remember the other settings for performance except when he pointed to the checkered flag- "that's the sport mode, when you want to go very fast" "this is the button when you want to annoy the neighbors, it will be loud." I signed for the car, indicating no damage and he told me to enjoy myself!

Sitting in the car you get a feeling of being in a much bigger vehicle- the hood sits much higher than my XK8 or XJ's so that you cannot see the front of the nose. I made a minor adjustment to the seat (it is adjustable in every which way) and then started the engine.

The sound is smooth, with a touch of rasp- not quite luxury quiet, but quieter than I would expect for a sportscar.

Then I switched on the exhaust button. Oh dear. The sound is like nothing I have ever heard- there is a luxury car dealer about half a block from me, so I am used to hearing Lambos, ferraris and the like- loud and deep sounds. The F-type had a different sound- it was more like raw power coupled with a touch of smoothness. Think of it as a glass of 20 year old scotch and a glass of Bordeaux in the same exhaust note; it was a rock and roll symphony.

I headed out to the freeway, hoping to open it up a little- when I reached the on ramp, I gave it about half throttle and boy I was not disappointed. I felt the traction control kick in as the wheels began to slip at 65, but it was not what I expected. I was waiting for the throttle to switch off ala my XJR or for the rear to pitch a little before recovering but neither happened- it was more of a "wiggle" with the car maintaining smooth power delivery and a straight line- to say I am impressed would be an understatement. The radio had everything you would want, and the delivery of music at a "spirited" volume level left me feeling as though I was in a concert hall vs a car with a loud stereo. I paired my phone with ease, and the call quality was good, as would be expected.

The car is louder than what I was used to with my older XJ and XK, although this should probably be expected as it is meant to BE a sportscar- you want to hear it. I would say my cars are about 50% luxury and 50% sportscar- good at both, the F-type is 30% luxury and 80% sportscar. That's not a typo- it a FANTASTIC sportscar.

(cont'd)

 

(cont'd)

That evening we had a marvelous dinner out and the Valet let us know the F-type was his favorite car out of the many he parks at our upscale eatery, the car is more beautiful at night if that is possible...

The next day we jumped on Pacific Coast Highway for a drive up to Santa Barbara, with the sun out and 80 degree weather to boot! My wife was enthralled- she said the look on my face as I drove it was priceless and made her happy to see.

We traveled north at a VERY SLOW pace (LA traffic) until we hit Malibu, where we stopped for lunch at Neptune's Net and had some fresh seafood. The parking coordinator pointed us to park next to the Lambo. The food was fresh and delicious, and the ocean in the background was a nice addition to our lovely day.

Back on the road, we passed Point Mugu I was able to open it up until she realized just how fast we were going and told me to slow down- for the first time in 25 years, she had a wicked smile on her face when uttering those words Note to Jaguar: Move the speed displays so the passenger cannot see them...

A short time later we were on the 101 and reached Santa Barbara- it was still light, so we opted to shop a little and take in a "salt cave" treatment for an hour, giving me a chance to grab some much needed Zzs. After some dreams about the F-type, we had dinner and headed for home.

I suggested we stop at her cousin's to show her husband the car as he is a fan of Jaguar- I took him for a ride, and upon launching the car up the on ramp he started to laugh at the ridiculous amount of power and fun that car was to be in. Giggled is more like it.

The rest of the weekend was fairly uneventful, I took a client to lunch, scared my kids and their SOs and had an overall great time. One thing struck me- even after driving the entire weekend (on Saturday almost nonstop) my back felt great and I was not fatigued. I fully expected some discomfort after so much time behind the wheel, but felt none- this is worth mentioning, as I would have expected a sports car to be less than comfortable on long hauls.

Thanks Jim et al and Jaguar USA for a wonderful time!

 

Thanks Dsnyder.....

For sharing your thoughts on the car and the experience throughout.

I read the "story" with interest on the weekend and the car experience as you enjoyed it, seemingly squeezing every last little bit out of the time you had, sharing it with family and friends too, exactly as I would have, had it been me.

Its an experience I hope to share one day, having read many reviews, seen many pictures and videos, drooling over them all.

Much appreciated

Jim

 

David,
You were up in my neck of the woods, and you didn't even call, I'm so insulted! It's interesting how we each tried to maximize our time behind the wheel with long drives. Let's get together soon with our other Jags, there are a whole bunch of new members that want to have a Jaguar get together. I'll try to put something together.

Hope you and your family had a great Thanksgiving.
Ted

 

I get mine for the weekend of 12/19 - 12/22 and I am really looking forward to it. I am already planning the weekend and expect to have a couple of relatively long drives in the F type. Ted I think that A get together with other xk people is a great idea. Count me in.