I'm considering the purchase of a 2016 F-Type S Coupe AWD and would appreciate any input as to how this car handles cornerning forces and input. My 2013 Audi S5 with 6 spd Manual and the Sport Rear Differential continues to impress me with its application of subtle torque to the outside driving rear wheel at cornering speeds. It comes on subtly and does a good job of negating the "push" on turn in experienced by a lot of AWDs, especially those with heavier front forward engine placement. Any experiences re the F-TYPE S Coupe type AWD would be appreciated.

 

F-Type S does not have real torque vectoring, it has "fake" vectoring by braking the inner wheel instead. So, I guess it will be worse than your Audi in this department.

 

The AWD system on the F-Type is not like the Audi Quattro system:

 

I was a bit worried when I purchased my R that it wouldn't have the playful character of my previous wheel drive cars. The first time I went above half throttle in a tight turn I was disabused of that notion. I can't comment on the V6 AWD system as my father's is RWD, but beyond the added weight I don't think the V6 loses much dynamically to the RWD, and as you know AWD can be a boon in slippery conditions.

 

I can break loose the tail on my SVR at will in a corner, I don't know about the S Coupe.

 

Surely however the torque to the inner wheel is reduced, it's still torque vectoring, so hardly "fake"?

 

Having previously owned 380 hp RWD F-Type S coupes and comparing them to my current 380 hp AWD F-Type R-Dynamic coupe, there is a very noticeable decrease is performance, handling and feel in all wheel drive F-Types without any apparent advantage during inclement weather conditions. If you choose to drive in cold and/or inclement weather conditions, use all season tires on your RWD F-Type and you will have a better driving experience in a RWD than AWD with summer tires. While I can’t speak to other all season tires I’m on my 7th or 8th set of Conti DWS tires on various vehicles I’ve owned, including F-Types. Needless to say, the tires have served me very well in snow and heavy rain.

 

Drover RWD and AWD, and unlike the above, found the AWD better...stiffer springs, more grip out of corners, and if you don't need the awd on...it is only running at say 5-10% unless called uppon..the AWD feels just like a RWD car unless you are driving like an idiot OR hit water and are losing the tail...in which case you avoid a crash with the awd...to me, priceless.

Add tuning to 475hp on 93 octane, awd every day.....steering feel to me was identical too. Coming form a 996gt2 that had way, way better steering feel.....wish they had left hydraulic steering in the F type alone....

 

Think of the F-Type's AWD system as a RWD system. I think the traction control, which is somewhat crude, is more effective in taming the car than the AWD. I have absolutely had the tail get happy, although not nearly as much since ditching the P-Zeros. It is nothing like my old S5.

 

JCB-Memphis,

My only true 2-door sports car experience is with a 996 C4S. Hardly a GT2, but how would you say the enjoyment level is of the F Type compared to the 996? I haven't driven a car yet that I think I've enjoyed more, but I haven't yet driven an F-Type in anger. I'm strongly considering buying one in the coming weeks.

 

The 996 was not made all that well...my interior was the leather top tier stuff and it was sort of aging poorly to be nice. Fun car and superb steering feel. No luggage space...if you do fixed seats the stuff behind the front seats goes away for hard things. Maintenance was not low despite the PCA mantra. Porsche have made themselves the target of desire by all....they rust and break and creak and rattle ....

What they do have is great steeting feel and great traction out of a corner....and snap oversteer if you are dumb...

New ones are very precise but 2x the cost used.

The F type for me is more of an occassion. More rare. Way more beautiful. It is better at handling one big suitcase (coupe)...still not great. The panoramic roof (fixed) is sort of like the 997 targa.....it is fixed though... The ZF8HP tuned by VAP is probably about equal to a pdk (or 90%). It is remarkable. And unlike the PDK, it can be repaired. A pdk is a full unit swap...after warranty watch out. I had a manual in my Porsche and I had to add a cup car cable set and a big custom made lever assembly to get the slop out of it (CAE engineering unit). Coilovers, etc. It was a great track car...not a great road car....so keep that in mind...I probably "ruined it" for the street.

On a track the porsche is faster if you know how to drive it. On a street, the Jaguar is more civilized - quiet, fast, but able to have fun on a twisty road. I find myself still very happy after 4 years of ownership (bought used)...at four years the porsche sort of exhausted me and it was so darn capable at track stuff that street use was actually boring.


it comes down to this: Porsche seemed to impress more people. The F type doesn't impress car folks as much, gets less hate overall though, and makes me happier. I got middle fingers from strangers in the 911 and get thumbs up from strangers in the Jaguar. That is not important of course, but just a comment.


Mine is tuned to 475hp on 93 octane (can do e85 at 550hp too). It is never doing track duty and it is just perfect for long fast drives across the country and for weekend romps on winding roads. And it has been drop dead reliable. It can be thought of as two cars...in normal mode it is sort of docile...has snow mode even....in dynamic it with paddles on a tuned tcu/ecu car it is amazing...think 911 gts mentally with pdk. I know I'll get hate, but that is how I feel. it is NOT a gt3. No F type is...they are all too darned heavy - weight is only big flaw of the F type imho.

Do the cooling pipes, the fluids, and get carplay and led headlights....done. People drive their cars on the street not the track. They should shoot to optimize that...what I did. And this site and the people on it are amazingly cool. On rennlist there was so much verbal combat....amongst enthusiasts no less....mine is bigger than yours....I have more money than you do sorts of conversations....I have two gt3 allocations and an s/t, anyone know what color I should pick - are the paint to spec options at 30k worth it? kinds of posts... Not all porsche people are like that of course, but the posting group seems full of that sort these days.

Is the F type perfect - no. Would I love a 992 gt3 touring - sure. I bought my F type for 40k. A gt3 touring the way I want is probably 300k or so.... if it was 40k used, I'd likely take the porsche.....assuming maintenance was affordable too.

Am I happy in my v6awd with about 500hp and tcu optimization by VAP...YES.

 

That explains why you prefer AWD to RWD. With 475-550 hp getting power to the ground is worth the weight penalty. With the stock 380 hp 175-200 pounds of extra weight on the front end isn't worth the additional traction IMO. I stay stock, even on our Supras. My days of modifying engines and suspensions for additional performance and handling are decades behind me. I don't track our vehicles. And I've long since learned that using a blast of speed to evade a nut on the road only encourages more and more speed and endangerment to others. Besides, my favorite Jaguar dealer (where I have maintenance performed), now Land Rover, checks to see if a code is present that indicates the ecu had been modified at any time. If so, they won't service the vehicle. I like my Jaguar dealer and, as you so eloquently describe, F-Types are rare, beautiful, relatively practical, and within limits, fun to drive.

 

Now that's an interesting one. Never heard of a dealer doing that before. What's their reasoning behind that?

 

I didn't bother to ask. I just took it as a warning and am heeding it. Regardless, my guess would be they must have had a customer chip an engine, reset it before taking it in for maintenance, revert the ecu for more hp, had something go seriously wrong with the engine within the manufacturer or dealer warranty, blamed it on the dealer, and the dealer doesn't want to deal with that again. Just conjecture on my part. I know that I've had them check for a chipped engine before I considered a used Jag, whether or not I'm buying the Jag from them. I don't want to be saddled with replacing an engine for something someone else has done.

 

People forget dealers are independent businesses and not related to the manufacturer in any meaningful way other than they sell and service their products. JLR has specifically told dealers they will not get reimbursed for warranty work if the code showing the ECU has been modified is present. A dealer doing non-warranty work may be concerned that the mod to the ECU (i.e. tune) could cause problems with the vehicle and they don't want to be 'blamed' for any issues (such as "you just changed my oil and 200 miles later the engine blew"). The dealer would rather not deal with someone who modified their ECU. Every dealer is different--some ignore the code and some live and die by it.

 

I was happy at 380hp for years. In snow awd is amazing (50/50 in snow mode). In dynamic it is probably 99% rwd unless you spin the wheels too much - not sure, but it "feels" rwd until you need to be saved...then it saves you. Sort of amazing really.


Note:
e85 was fun...but it was stressful driving long distance when it was not that available....so I am not an EV type quite yet too....the 93 tune at 475 is perfect.

 

To me it aint all that bad. I have a RWD V8 with 650+ hp and it's not like it is trying to kill me. I love it. Depends on who you are, what you like in a driving experience, what you need from your car, and how much skill/common sense you have I'd try driving both a RWD and AWD car and decide based on that - AWD helps in snow but at that point I'm driving my 4runner anyways.