Visibility and noise issues aside, the F-Type’s cabin is lovely, with comfortable seats and high-quality materials on nearly every surface. The cabin is snug, but I never felt cramped. When Jaguar last updated the F-Type’s interior, it added a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and a 10-inch touchscreen display, and those remain today. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included, but that’s really the extent of the technological advancements in the F-Type’s cabin. The remaining audio and climate controls are physical and easy to use, and there are physical controls on the center console for raising and lowering the convertible top, selecting a drive mode and adjusting the adaptive exhaust. Compared with some luxury cars with complex control systems, the F-Type’s setup is simple, straightforward and sincerely appreciated.
With its luxurious interior and calm demeanor in normal driving, one could assume that the F-Type has morphed into something of a grand tourer, but that’s not the case; the interior and lack of cargo space refute that notion. Snugness aside, there are only two seats; competitors like the BMW 8 Series, Lexus LC and Porsche 911 offer something that at least looks like a backseat (though I’ve yet to meet a human being of any age who can safely fit in any of them). Grand touring also requires at least some cargo space, and the F-Type’s trunk is sports-car small. One editor was able to fit a Costco-sized package of toilet paper in the trunk but not much else; any luggage larger than a carry-on suitcase will probably be a stretch. Even a single golf bag is a stretch, giving the Chevrolet Corvette a leg up on the F-Type, too. This isn’t so much a flaw, though, as it is simply a reality. The F-Type is for driving enjoyment and not much else. That’s fine.
What’s not fine is that the 10-inch touchscreen is very difficult to see when the top is down even in indirect sunlight. Being unable to see the screen could be an inadvertent safety feature — if you can’t see the screen, you won’t try to operate it while driving — but the truth is people will try. The Mercedes-AMG SL, meanwhile, has a built-in tilt feature for its screen that can operate automatically when the top goes down to ensure you can see the screen. The F-Type can’t do that because its screen is integrated into the dashboard, not mounted on it as in the Mercedes. Even when you can see the screen, the graphics are dated and the interface itself is unintuitive and slow. And as luxurious as the interior feels, the shift paddles feel like cheap plastic, and multiple editors noted excessive squeaks and creaks coming from the dashboard.
So Long, Farewell
Even with those issues, I enjoyed every second I spent driving the F-Type. I would even argue that those issues give the F-Type a bit of character, which is something that’s sorely lacking in most cars today; nearly everything is some degree of fine at worst. The F-Type’s dated tech and creaky but comfortable interior, meanwhile, feels incredibly on brand for Jaguar; it just made me love the F-Type even more.
The F-Type R75 we drove had an as-tested price of just a hair under $120,000, making it very much not a cheap vehicle — but it’s still something of a value purchase when you consider its performance. The similarly powerful Mercedes-AMG SL 63 starts at more than $180,000, and the cheapest AWD Porsche 911 convertible is $136,150 before any options. BMW’s M850i xDrive is less powerful and only slightly less expensive than the Jag, but the higher-performance M8 Competition convertible costs tens of thousands more than the F-Type I drove.
I’ll be sad to see the F-Type go; it’s a beautiful car full of character and surprising performance value. But it’s also clearly behind the times for 2024; it’s been neglected by Jaguar as the brand makes its transition to an all-electric lineup, and hopefully, any electric replacement that comes along will have even half the F-Type’s character.
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