A Week With: 2024 Jaguar F-Type R75 AWD Coupe

Back in 2014, Jaguar finally came out with a worthy successor to the legendary E-type. Oh sure, they made the XJS, then the XK and XKR, and all of those were pitched as the next E-type, but they came and went with little fanfare, even though the XKR was objectively pretty damn good. 

Then came the F-Type, and suddenly Jaguar really was Jaguar again. The F-Type may be designer Ian Callum’s best work in a long history of great cars, and freed from Ford’s oppressive bean counters, Jaguar finally was able to develop the kind of cars they really wanted to make. 

Overview

The F-Type is a two-seat sports car, available as a convertible or as a fixed head fastback coupe with a liftback. You can get the F-Type with your choice of rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, and a couple power levels. Our test car ranks at the top of the performance and price range for the F-Type, but you can get a very respectable base trim car at the starting price of $77,400. 

Exterior

Whether you want the top down or the cozy confines of a coupe, the F-Type is among the most attractive cars on the market. One look from any angle tells you this car is fast, expensive and everything you ever wanted. 

The flowing, sinuous lines of the F-Type recall the relaxed grace of a big cat, and the proportions are just right in every detail. The long hood recalls the glory days of sports cars, and there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that you’re driving something special. 

Interior

Perhaps the biggest pleasant surprise about the F-Type is its interior, which manages to be as sporty as anyone could ask for this side of the Le Mans starting grid while at the same time being comfortable enough for a long road trip. 

We tested the R75 coupe, which is the top of the line with all the shizz. I’m not a particularly small man, and I had plenty of headroom, legroom, and most importantly, rib room. The steep bolsters on most sports car seats (looking at you, Recaro) hit me right in the floating ribs. After an hour of driving, I feel like I’ve just stepped out of a kick boxing tournament as the loser. But not so with the Jag! The seat cradled me like a race car built to my exact size and weight. Also, the seat bottom was not too hard, which was really nice. 

Powertrain

All F-Type models in this era use a 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 engine. In the past there were V-6 and turbo 4-cylinder models, but that’s all done with now. Also, your F-Type will have an 8-speed automatic transmission. There used to be a manual for V-6 cars, but that’s gone too. Never fear, however, as there are paddles. If that bums you out and you think you can shift the car faster and better than the computer (spoiler: you can’t) you’ll have to get a used V-6 model. 

The base and midgrade trims tune the V-8 to 444 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque, which is good for a 4.4-second 0-60 run and 177 mph top speed. The R75 we tested is tuned up to 575 horses and 516 lb-ft of the torques. This one will get you to 60 in a breathtaking 3.5 seconds and will theoretically hit 186 mph, if you can find a place to do that without getting arrested. 

Do you care about fuel economy? Buy a Prius. For the record, the F-Type R75 will give you 16 city miles or 24 highway miles on a gallon of premium. Which is actually not too bad. There are thrifty crossover SUVs that don’t do any better than that. Three cheers for aerodynamics! 

Safety and Technology

This section on tech will be mercifully short. Apart from the DOT required list of safety features, the F-Type comes with parking radar, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist (which never did anything in the week I had it, thank all the gods), adaptive cruise control and traffic sign recognition. 

What the F-Type doesn’t do is try to drive itself for you. Hallelujah! I love not having to jerk the steering wheel out of the computer’s dead hands when I want to apex on the fog line. 

Up on the dash, there’s a screen. It’s a short, wide 10-inch screen. It does the job. To tell the truth, apart from changing the radio station to something appropriate for a drive over a winding mountain road, I didn’t pay any attention to it. This car is way too engaging to tempt you to fiddle with the infotainment out of sheer boredom. Really, that’s why automakers load vehicles up with all that stuff anyway — to distract you from the grim ennui of the rolling padded cell you’re driving. When you’re piloting the F-Type, you don’t need a video game to keep you occupied. 

Driving Impressions

By now you’ve already guessed what driving this car is like. It’s a giggle. When you lay into the throttle, the exhaust system opens up some baffles and the car lets out a snarling, crackling roar as the V-8 spins up on its blower. Meanwhile, you take off like a rocket, while the Jag maintains perfect control and aplomb. Steering is precise, and you really just think the car through a curve in a perfect late apex line. 

When you get to town, it’s easy to drive the F-Type with all the grace and dignity in the world. This is not a jumpy sports car; the power is there when you want it, but you won’t look like a kid who can’t handle a clutch trying to park it. Basically, this car turns you into James Bond behind the wheel. 

2024 Jaguar F-Type R75 Coupe Specifications

Wrap Up

So, the bottom line with the F-Type is easy. You want this car. If you claim you don’t want it, you’re lying. The only question is which one to get. The basic R-Dynamic trim in the high 70s is perfectly respectable. The mid-grade 75 trim runs about $90,000, and gets you some nice features, and it’s probably a good deal if you want to stay this side of six figures. 

However, the full monty is the R75, with the high-output engine and all the goodies, including AWD. That one will run you $113,000 for the coupe or $115,000 for the convertible. By the time you add floor mats and a few goodies like the very sexy wheel package on the test car, you’ll end up about $120,000, so plan for that. 

2024 Jaguar F-Type R75 AWD Coupe ­— Frequently Asked Questions