2019 Jaguar F-TYPE Road Test and Review

The 2019 Jaguar F-TYPE is one of the most beautiful, sexy, and attractive sports cars on the market today. Available as both coupe and convertible, the F-Type is at once a thoroughly modern car and a throwback. It makes a styling statement with its classic proportions, yet it is not afraid to offer a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, an array of electronic driver’s aids, and all-wheel drive to demonstrate its current street cred.

There is no doubt that the F-Type attempts to channel the glamour and exclusivity of the legendary Jaguar E-Type, but it also has the looks and driving chops to appeal to young, moneyed types who wouldn’t know an E-Type if they crashed their Lime scooter into one. For a low-volume sports car, the F-Type is offered in an amazing number of variants, ranging from simply hot to downright scalding. And while the Jaguar might not offer the stupefying performance that the highest-priced vehicles in the segment promise, it certainly delivers an experience the purist street driver can more than appreciate.

Other vehicles in this segment are good-looking. “Hey-look-at-me” is one of the biggest functions of vehicles in the class. But the Jaguar F-TYPE is, to our eyes, the most attractive vehicle in the segment.

Yes, the Jaguar E-Type is an impossible act to follow, but taken on its own, the F-Type stands out against such eye-catching sports cars as the Porsche 911, Chevrolet Corvette, and Mercedes-Benz AMG-GT. Further, the F-Type looks good in both coupe and convertible forms. In that regard, the traditional soft-top-equipped convertible promises to be more fun, but the coupe offers more elegance and sophistication. It is very difficult to choose between the two. The F-Type also makes the heavily finned and creased Corvette seem impossibly busy, while at the same time making the 911 seem somewhat plain and perhaps a little awkward. And it doesn’t bow to the Teutonic bombast of the AMG-GT. The F-Type is hardly new, and we might see a revamped version in 2021, but it still looks terrific.

Let's face it — the interior is where Jaguars have traditionally shined. Through the years, some Jaguar sedans have been a bit clumsy on the outside, but inside they have always delivered the flavor of a very exclusive British club, all rich leather and well-polished wood. The F-Type follows in that tradition, while at the same time building in a touchscreen and other modern features.

Frankly, Jaguars of 10 years ago didn’t pull this off very well. For instance, their message screens were set in an attractive panel but were also impossibly dense and difficult to use. But as the F-Type has evolved, those issues have largely been solved. We can’t say the F-Type’s touchscreen is the most intuitive, but it won’t have you pulling your hair out either. All in all, the F-Type’s cabin is a cozy place to be. Designed strictly for two passengers — who else do you need? — the nearly infinitely adjustable leather seats are both supportive and accommodating. The slimline seats made on magnesium frames come in two forms: sport and performance.

The 2019 F-Type offers InControl Touch Pro as the overlord of its infotainment, and all F-Types feature 10-inch touchscreens with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. F-Type buyers have the choice of two audio systems developed specifically for the car by the well-respected British audio firm Meridian.

The standard system has 10 speakers, while the optional surround-sound system features 12 speakers and delivers exceptionally clear sound optimized for both driver and passenger. The InControl Touch Pro system has unusual smart functions such as “play more like this,” which automatically compiles playlists. Its Music Queue function makes it easy to search for and add songs, albums, or artists to a music lineup even while the current track is playing. Jaguar has partnered with Spotify to use the app’s ability to recognize listening habits and suggest playlists containing recommended tracks.

The Jaguar F-TYPE offers three impressive engines, and each is worthy of consideration. The big news is the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that joined the lineup for 2018. Some might suggest equipping an F-Type with a four-cylinder is tantamount to blasphemy, but with 296 horsepower on tap, the engine proves itself a viable choice. It helps make the lowest-level P300 rear-drive version reasonably affordable, so for that alone, it is a worthwhile addition.

The top-of-the-line SVR with all-wheel drive uses a 575-horsepower 5.0-liter V8, which offers enough brute force for all but the most over-the-top enthusiast drivers. In between are supercharged 340- and 380-horsepower versions of the 3.0-liter V6 that grace the P340, P380, and R-Dynamic models. Yes, the SVR is a ton of fun, but if we’re spending our own money, the R-Dynamic and its 380 horsepower seems like a very good choice. If you’re a fan of manual transmissions, the lower-horsepower models are the only ones that will slake your thirst for right-arm exercise.

Our test vehicle was an all-wheel drive R-Dynamic coupe (in bright red paint that thrilled the neighbors), and we found it to be one of the sweetest-handling all-around driver’s cars we’ve experienced in several years. A true GT coupe in the best sense of that term, the Jaguar F-TYPE is responsive to the throttle, to steering inputs and to brake application. All occurs with no drama or, more precisely, only the amount of drama you’d like to impart.

Drivers who like to turn twisty roads into personal roller-coasters might prefer the rear-drive version because it will be easier to kick out the tail — possibly the slower way but arguably the most fun way through corners. We were perfectly sanguine about the hooked-up nature of the all-wheel drive version. The car is balanced and rotates the way a classic front-mid-engine design could be expected to. We’ve spent hundreds of miles behind wheels of F-Types both here and in Europe, and they are miles we cherish.

The F-Type offers a laudable helping of available driver-assistance tech. The forward-facing “stereo” camera system provides the sensors at the heart of the sports car’s advanced driver assistance systems. They include emergency braking, a lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, traffic sign recognition, and adaptive speed limiter.

The optional driver condition monitor is designed to spot driving patterns that indicate drowsiness or other impairment. The emergency braking system is capable of initiating full braking automatically to help to avoid an imminent collision or to mitigate its effects. Sensors monitor the F-Type’s position in relation to lane markings to facilitate the lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist, and the latter is not overly intrusive. At the same time, those who like to steer their own course unimpeded might find it a minor annoyance.

The various F-Type versions have plenty of power, and the existence of the 2.0-liter turbocharged version helps it go to the head of the class in terms of fuel economy. EPA fuel consumption ratings for the 2.0-liter rear-drive F-Type are 23 mpg city/30 mpg highway/26 mpg combined.

The naturally aspirated rear-drive 3.0-liter V6 in the P340 version offers EPA ratings of 20 mpg city/28 mpg highway/19 mg combined. Fuel economy for the all-wheel-drive R-Dynamic version with the supercharged 3.0-liter engine is 18 mpg city/26 mpg highway/21 mpg combined, and the EPA numbers for the all-wheel-drive SVR coupe powered by the 5.0-liter V8 are 15 mpg city/23 mpg highway/18 mpg combined. Depending upon equipment level, the F-Type weighs between 3,500 and 3,800 pounds. Fuel economy for the rear-drive Porsche 911 Carrera with 370 horsepower is 22 mpg city/30 mpg highway/23 mpg.

As we’ve mentioned earlier, both the F-Type coupe and convertible are offered in a dazzling array of versions from four-cylinders to V8s, many with rear-drive and all-wheel drive variants. While you might decry the idea, the best value is the P300 four-cylinder version. With nearly 300 horsepower at your beck-and-call, it is a very nicely balanced grand tourer that also looks great.

Climbing the proverbial “food chain” brings ascending levels of engine power and sophistication. We quickly became enamored of the all-wheel drive R-Dynamic version of the car we had in our possession, and that infatuation was logical given its $96,461 list price. While any vehicle with a $100K price tag should send a thrill up your spine, the R-Dynamic did all that while maintaining a sanity and ease-of-use that many sports cars with its capabilities eschew. The F-Type SVR convertible with its 5.0-liter V8 takes the Jag to the illogical extreme.

Value takes on a completely different definition when applied to cars like the Jaguar F-TYPE that are intended for something far beyond simple Point-A-to-Point B transportation. Emotion drives these purchases, and the F-Type has the looks, the interior appeal, and the brand cachet to justify the lofty prices. Further, in the context of cars an enthusiast driver might covet, the F-Type is actually a pretty good bargain.

At the “affordable” end of the scale, the P300 has an MSRP of $60,750 plus a $995 destination charge. The mid-range F-Type P380 with rear-wheel drive has a base price of $80,750 plus destination. And the all-wheel drive Jaguar F-Type SVR convertible has an MSRP of $125,850 plus destination. All these prices compare favorably to the competing Porsche and Mercedes-Benz models. The Chevrolet Corvette offers more bang for the buck, but we guess the two cars aren’t “cross-shopped” very much. The fact is that if you want a Jaguar sports car, you want an F-Type, and there is no obvious substitute.