I picked up a 2014 f-type v8s this past weekend after five years in a Bmw e92 m3. I test drove 911s, several Amgs, and decided that I would go with my first British car. Below is a brief comparison on these two fantastic vehicles.

Accelerations. F-type. The m3 build up speed as it climbs up the rev line where the f-type provides instant power from around 2k rpm. Passing while going 40+mph is so effortless. Though the f-type is significantly faster, I enjoy both experiences because they are so different in feels.

Sound. F-type. I had a cat back system (AA) on my m3 and it was loud but when compared to what the stock exhaust on the f-type sounds like there was no contest. Plus there are no drones with the f-type exhaust. The sport exhaust option is a must for this car. And unlike my m3, which pops and crackles on down shifts, the f-type does it after upshifts.

Designs. F-type. I actually think that the e92 m3 looks great as a design. The f-type is sexier for sure but this was a close contest. Out on the street the f-type constantly draws attention where the m3 can blend in, which for some may be a more attractive feature.

Build quality. M3. The m3 feels better put together as a whole where as the f-type has some great parts mixed in with some so parts. The plastic on the cup holder cover, the gas cap, and some of the interior trims in the f-type feel flimsy and cheap when compared to the m3. This is where Bmw as a larger car company, has the resources to do what Jaguar cant do (yet).

Driving position. F-type. I prefer the low seating position and the way the seats hugs around you in the f-type.

Technologies. Draw. The nav, radio, and electronic interphase in my 09 m3 are faster in responses and are better organized than the f-type. They also look better. There’s a slight lag in the f-type when the volume is turned on, a song is changed, or an address is inputted into the Nav. The f-type makes up for this with cool gadgets like g-meter, stop watch, and color-changing gauges.

Brakes and Tractions. F-type. The traction settings on the f-type is spot on. I can accelerate hard and hold corners without feeling like the tires are letting go which was not always the case with my m3 (especially on off the line accelerations). The brakes in the f-type feels tighter if not shorter in travel distance.

Transmission. M3. The f-type 8 speed is very good but not to the level of a DCT. I wouldn’t say that it kills the car (unlike some AMGs transmissions I’ve driven) just don’t expect the same responsiveness as a true DCT.

Gas Millage. F-type. I was averaging 15mpg with my m3, and so far the f-type (only at 300 miles on the odometer) is about 17mpg.

Value & Utility. M3. The m3 offers 4 seats, a usable trunk; close enough acceleration for about 70% of the cost. I loved having the extra seats and the ability to go to Home Depot or Costco in my m3 without any hesitations. The m3 could be used as a daily driver when it’s not raining hard or snowing. The two seats and tiny trunk in the f-type mean that I will only drive it on the weekends now.

Steering and Chassis. Draw. Both chassis feel comparable in rigidity and road feel. I prefer the slightly heavier steering feel in the f-type to the m3 but I like how the m3, as a whole, feels lighter when tossing around corners.

Dealership Experience. M3. The Bmw dealerships feel much more modern and upscale feel. For example, Bmw SA great you with tablets to input your vehicle, while Jaguar SA uses paper clipboard and paper. BMW waiting rooms are full of TVs, free Wi-Fi, and nice furnitures. My Jaguar dealership had 4 chairs in the waiting room that was about 12 by 12 in dimension with stained walls. Again, this is due to Bmw being larger as a company having the resources to support that network. Neither company is Lexus but the Bmw centers offer a more upscale feel.

Reliability. Unknown??? My m3 was terrific, not a major problem in the 5 years, 68k miles I’ve had it. I can only hope Jaguar can come close to this.

Overall I fell that the different between the two cars are not that great. Looking at pure facts and figures, the F-type does not make sense as a logical buy. However, buying a sport car is hardly ever a logical decision. If you are looking to have a fast sport car to use daily and have fun on a weekend drive, the m3 is the best money can buy. If you are looking for a vehicle that makes you feel special every time you get behind the wheel than the f-type is the choice.

 

Great write up. I love reading comparisons written by owners instead of journalists.

 

I used to have a 2008 E92 M3 (six speed manual) and loved that car. I agree with the OP. Nice review - well written. Thank you for taking the time to post.

 

Thanks for the replies. I look forward to exploring this forum and my f-type.

 

Telling that "Technology" was a draw, considering your M3 was 5 years old and the F-Type is new for 2014. Jag (and Aston) are really behind the curve on the interior electronics and controls. These are premium cars, they need top nav systems and screen interfaces. And sound systems!

 

I couldn’t agree more.

 

I think the core technology offerings in the F Type are fine, the thing which really lets it down is the interface design, it's not overly intuitive and the overall design is poor as are the graphics. I tested a couple of current AM offerings before getting the V8S, and the Jaguar offerings are certainly much better. The interface and design for me are the main problem, the core technology itself isn't all that bad.

 

It's a real bummer it doesn't have voice activated controls, especially for dialing the phone on blue tooth.

 

Don't disagree, but one issue there may just be that this isn't a quiet car - it may just have been troublesome to get voice recognition to work reliably in a fairly noisy (in a good way) cabin. JLR obviously has the technology, it's on my Range Rover, I wonder if it just proved unreliable in this application.

 

My 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid (aka Ford Fusion - yes, my other car is a hybrid ) has a much better touch-screen interface and map graphics.


I have been pleasantly surprised that I can use the handsfree phone with the top down, windows up, though not at highway speeds.

 

Yes, I figured the same, but when I'm using bluetooth in the car, even with the top down (usually windows up though for better sound buffering) no one has complained it's hard to hear me.

I guess they thought it was better to delete it than to have people constantly bringing it in for service because it wasn't responsive due to background noise.

 

Is the infotainment system in the F type basically the same as the one in land rovers?

High end and sports car vendors have really struggled with software because they don't have the scale to amortize a big software engineering team. By comparison, BMW has really been able to leverage a common infotainment system across all its models from the 7 to the 1.
This is one of the real benefits of the JLR merger... Unlike powertrain and chassis, infotainment can be reasonably shared between the two brands so they can really take advantage of each others scale.

 

I end up using Siri to make phone calls over Bluetooth. Have to hold the home button on phone to get Siri but after that I can use the phone with voice controls.

 

Just to chime in but I have a 2009 M3 that I am intending on keeping and adding an F type to the garage. I test drove the V6 S Convertible and to be honest came away amazingly disappointed. Sure it sounded great looked great but the I never really felt it was a driver's car. The downshift blip from the transmission was quite a let down too. On my M3 it's just epic. I think the steering was quite numb. It was very accurate but the feel was different which I guess I could get over. It just lacked the little bit that makes the M3 so awesome. Oh yeah the throttle pedal...felt really dead...I floor it in dynamic mode and it really just gradually picked up. I was expecting a bit more of a raw feeling to be honest. But then there's the V8 R Coupe. I am hoping to snag a test drive and to see if all will be well again in my mind about the decision to get a Jaguar.

As a disclaimer I would like to state that I have tracked my M3 a few times at Road Atlanta and AMP. I am a beginner at both those tracks but at the end of the sessions only much more powerful cars were able to lap me and I am talking Gallardos. Even a new Nissan GT-R could not pull away from me at Road Atlanta in the corners. So yes I will definitely track my Jaguar. Bottomline the V6 S was a massive disappointment. I am hoping the V8 R sets the record straight. This testimony is but an opinion of mine only and I am sharing it not to bring the OP down or anything. I think the Jag is a brilliant car but the M3 is just better.

 

Thanks for sharing a contrarian (for this forum, anyway!) opinion in such a mature way. Let us know what you think of the R when you drive it.

 

Almost sounds like you didn't have Dynamic Mode on. It makes a huge difference.

 

It is surprising what a difference it makes. At Sonoma, I tracked one session in "normal", and the rest in dynamic. The 2nd lap in dynamic mode was 10s faster than the best lap in normal. And I got faster from there.

I am in a V8s, so I don't have any lack for power in either mode.

 

It was a pleasure to read this thoughtful comparison so thanks for taking the time to do this.

To your question of reliability.. I've now had three Jaguars, XJ, XKR, and this time the Ftype R without a single issue, so my experience is that they've been better than my other vehicles.

I never did consider the BMW, although I like the car overall, the AMG gullwing, Porsche and the Ftype all just looked better to my personal taste, (well not the Porsche) and somehow just feel like they are in a different class. The AMG was a bit too loose for my driving preference, although I liked it a lot, a good friend of mine has one so I've spent lots of time with it. The Porsche is a great car, but too clinical for me.

You're right about acceleration, the specs. on the FtypeS show a faster acceleration than the BMW.. however I personally wouldn't care as they are both fast.

The sound of the FtypeR or I suspect the S is out of this world when the optional exhaust is switched on. The AMG came close though.

Actually they are all great cars and the differences are slight ... if you are a dedicated racer then you might be picky around certain issues, otherwise, I think most of us just go with what feels and looks best to us personally.

 

Thanks guys I thought I would get flamed for stating my opinion. I am planning on going to the Jaguar unveiling event that my dealer is holding. I will ask for another spin in the jag then and hopefully my impressions will change. I think the salesperson had flipped the car in to dynamic mode but I think you could be right! if that's the case then I am in for a treat

 

If it didn't howl at you when you put your foot down, then dynamic mode wasn't on.