People will do all sorts of apples-and-oranges comparisons. On the M5 board we regularly have highly confused individuals who come along and say I can't choose between a Cayenne, and M5 or a Cayman and then start comparing stats of the cars with complete disregard to the functionality!

To me the Z06 and the F-type R are also apples and oranges. The F-Type R is a grand touring car like the 911. It is comfortable, has a higher riding position and center of gravity, it is heavier, and it has decent ride quality.

The Z06 is very low to the ground supercar with a seating position on the floor and super firm suspension. It's going to be difficult to get in and out of, the firm suspension is going to compromise ride quality. However it delivers genuine supercar performance. In the Motortrend test it achieved the highest lateral Gs of any car tested. That makes it a Ferrari 458 style of car rather than a Ferrari California style of car. Our F-types are more like a California than a 458.

 

I disagree with regard to the suspension. Corvette's highly regarded and patented Magnetic Selective Ride Control (MSRC) is so highly-regarded that Ferrari started using it because they decided it is the state-of-the-art for suspensions. It's "soft" when you want it to be, and exceedingly firm for track purposes. It is standard on the C7 Z06. It has the ability to adjust automatically in microseconds based upon road conditions. If anything, I would bet the Corvette will win on ride-quality.

Ground clearance is almost identical.

As for ride height, I also disagree. I sit far lower in my F-Type than I did in the Z06 because in the F-Type you sit further down in the floor pan, and it also has a higher door sill relative to the seat. The Z06 was much easier to get in and out of.

 

I disagree. The suspension may be very good but at the end of the day when a car sits that low and has also a flatter body there is only so much room for suspension travel.

You can't deny physics.

And on ride height - you are insane. It's night and day.

 

You're certainly welcome to your opinion, but I have experience with both, and I disagree. I'm most certainly not insane, sir.

It doesn't sit significantly lower, and I don't know what you mean by "flat body." You're also wrong about suspension travel limitations. That's a function of how much room there is in the wheel arches, and you should perhaps study the way the fenders are flared on the C7.

 

Such class...

Personally, I'm a fan of apples to oranges comparisons. May I explain?
Besides being fun, I can see myself going for a car based on its performance rather than its functionality. Sometimes a car's design or reputation is enough to make a person ignore the car's functionality, but since the performance is entwined with its aggressive design or sporty reputation the performance becomes a deciding factor between the functional car and the one we desire.

 

Back on the original topic...

I don't really see anything in the same price range as the F-Type which offers similar features (not solely focused on performance) other than the Cayman GTS. There are many vehicles which are around the same price ranges as the various F-Type options (several mentioned in this thread, some a little above, some a little under):

Corvette Stingray (and it's variants)
Porsche Cayman
Porsche 911
Maserati GranTurismo
Alfa Romeo 4C
BMW M4
MB SL-series coupe/roadsters
etc..

I think they all bring something different to the table including the F-Type. At that price point, there really are a lot of options. I will say that I looked at a lot of these myself, specifically the 4C and the Cayman. My father is a huge Corvette fan an has owned about every generation since the 70's (aside from the current gen) so maybe that's why I'm not all that interested in them.

Granted, I don't have my F-Type yet, but what made me go this direction were a few things:

• I wanted a car that my wife would also want to drive. She likes the 'look' of the 4C, but the practicality would make it useless for her when I wasn't driving it. Also, the seats are like basic aftermarket seats where you have to use tools to raise or lower the seat. My wife is shorter than myself so having programmable electronic seats like in her Audi was a desire.
• Porsches just don't have that wow factor any more. You see one and it's just "eh, nice Porsche". I wanted something that would be a little more rare and something that would not get the "eh, another Porsche" look most people have.. Granted, I would love to have a GT3.

I will say that with the F-Type, I will likely drive it more often than I would the 4C so the opportunity for my wife to drive will likely be lower. However, it has all the comforts that will help facilitate it when it happens.

 

"Such class" you say in response to me? I was the one called "insane" for expressing my opinion. If what you meant was that accusation from Stealthpilot was classless, I certainly agree.

BTW, to confirm my memory I did go back and re-check ground clearance numbers for the C7 and F-Type. What I found was:

F-Type V6 4.3"
F-Type V8 4.8"
C7 4.75"

As I said before being called insane, the differences in ride height are negligible.

 

It was meant as a compliment , and no insult was meant to StealthPilot.

I have no stake in the argument. I just like to hear people's opinions.

 

Thanks. Your post seemed unclear to me.

 

I wasn't intending to insult you, just challenge your opinion aggressively - and I still hold that belief.

Anyway it's an internet board - roll with the punches.

 

No problem with that Stealth, but since you say you still hold that belief, I am curious about what numbers support your assertion that the ground clearances between the two are "night and day" different, along that suspension travel "laws of physics" stuff

 

Good list!
I think the Aston Martin Vantage should be included. I felt like the chassis and suspension were really close to the f type, although the engine and transmission were pretty much the opposite :-P.
The seats are also very similar, as was the viewing angle. Not to mention their not too distant relations!

 

On the ride quality it's my experience with the previous model. The new model is unknown and I am speculating. However I have noticed people always claim there is no ride quality cost for better handling and I have yet to see an instance where this is true.

On the seating issue its based on sitting in a stingray versus sitting in the F Type. The stingray was uncomfortable to get in and out of because the seat was very low. This was a non issue in the F Type.

Also when driving my M5 I can see over the roof of the Stingray but I can't see over the roof of the F Type which is another indicator of a difference in vehicle height and likely seat height.

 

Alrighty then, but I put my money on published specs (in a post above for both). The height of the top isn't a good indicator because some car bodies are taller than others. The floor pan will never be lower than the frame rails and flush or slightly above in a sports car.

I have used the very same low profile floor jack on both my previous C6 Z06 and F-Type just recently to swap wheels, and the ground-to-frame distance was virtually identical (plus or minus a half-inch) on both cars, giving just enough clearance to be able raise the car on the approved jacking points. The C7 frame layout is almost identical.

You really can't go lower than 4" and practically use a car on the street. Even my Lotus Elise was near 4". I had a '65 Shelby Cobra (replica) 427SC where the 10 qt. Canton Racing oil pan was 3.5", and I simply couldn't go many places in that car.

As for seating position, that's more a function of a person's height. I'm 6'3" and have to put my F-Type seat all the way on the floor. That puts my rear well below the door sill, which makes the F-Type harder for me to get out of.

 

"Comparison is the thief of joy."

Discuss.

 

"And the only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it" - Oscar Wilde (worked for me and my F-Type V6S)

 

Oh yes...

 

That's just not true.

 

I'm surprised no one on here has mentioned the Viper. Granted, the F-Type doesn't pack t1he same levels of torque and horsepower as the Viper, but the way the V8S has a lot of bottom end torque, a great exhaust note and is more than happy to power slide through turns puts me in mind of the Viper; I guess I'd say it's Jaguar's Viper but without the poor quality and crappy dealership experience.