I test drove the F Type convertible and summarily dismissed it due to the poor build quality (compared to the Vantage) and me just not being a convertible fan.

But after watching the video of the F type coupe ... i think the Vantage may have a challenger on its hands. I suspect the interior build would still not be up to par with the Vantage (plasticky), but with the power, styling and electronic advancement, Aston has a problem on their hands. What are y'all thoughts? Anyone test drove the coupe yet?

Plan to test drive it when i get back into town. It looks gorgeous.

 

F-type is a good car, but still it is too tall for me and seems oddly proportioned because of it - IMO

Let us know what you think when you check it out in person....

 

I had hopes for this car. I have been in them and drove them. There is a bit of an artificial feeling about it especially having experienced V8 & V12 Aston's. Don't get me wrong, they're nice cars but they bare no comparison to Astons. In fact, I kind of feel that they are more of an Mercedes SL / BMW 6 series competitor. If you have criticism for AM's SS trans, the shiftable auto in the Jag should really be a bummer.

 

I drove the convertible, and it was ferocious. It also had an overly stiff suspension for around town driving. I think the coupe is very handsome (although I would eliminate the droop in the tail lights), and the interior feels pretty good, although not AM good. The biggest difference between the two cars is that one feels hand made and the other feels mass produced. Like so many things in life, the extra increment in quality gets priced disproportionately. I also thought the exhaust was just too raucous.

 

Respectfully disagree. Not that I am applauding Jag's choice to put a slush box in the F-type, but setting aside any debate as to which cars should have it installed, the ZF 8 speed auto is truly a fantastic transmission. In many ways it emulates a DCT, and is generally more versatile than automated single clutch manuals like SS.

Upshifts are very swift in manual mode and are accompanied by an ignition cut, but crucially, in auto mode, the slurring of upshifts is as good as any automatic. Because of this duality, it outperforms SS: upshifts easily as fast (to the butt meter, anyway), but way smoother when you want to mooch around. Indeed, in the latter regard, one might argue it outperforms a DCT.

Downshifts when driving hard in manual mode come close to a DCT or automated manual for swiftness and rev matching (but not quite as good); the weakest point of the ZF 8 speed is that in anything other than hard driving, manual mode downshifts are inconsistent, sometimes crisp, other times less smooth and a bit delayed.

 

I have to admit that they are almost as fetching as the Vantage (to me), at least from the outside. I have never really studied their performance data but I assumed it would be better (on paper) than the Aston. Jag would have to find a way to lure an Aston buyer down to the Jag showroom. They temp us with price and power but the Aston is still a more exclusive beast, for whatever that is worth and I think Aston still has an edge on exterior design.

Again, I have no real reference other than quite adoration at the stop signs.

 

I posted this on another forum:

I’ve driven and looked very closely at the F-Type (the Roadster in V6S and V8S forms), and I’m really looking forward to seeing the Coupe. I've always been a Jag fan, I like the current cars, and I’ve owned an XK140 and an E-Type. IMO, the F-Type is very, very nice. But it's not even close to being as nice as a Vantage. It may well have more tech, but it doesn't look or feel anywhere near as expensive or as finely crafted as an Aston Martin.

Many of the styling details are taken straight from Aston; the wing vents (which are fake in the Jag!), the vents in the top of the bonnet, the general shape of the dash and center stack, the door handles, etc.). The difference in quality of the interior materials is massive. It has one those cheap and utterly boring plastic engine covers. Astons are beautiful under the bonnet. Many, many things in the interior and the exterior are made of plastic in the Jag, but made beautifully of metal in an Aston. The Aston looks and feels like it’s worth every single pound/dollar of the difference in the cars' prices.

I really like the F-Type and I hope it does well. It was very, very good to drive. It sounds great and handles very well (though the extra weight of the V8 over the nose of the V8S was very apparent – unlike the V8V, it is mounted over the front axle, rather than behind it, and the gearbox is mounted directly to the engine). But the V8V remains a great drive, and it looks and feels like a car in a completely different price range. I don't think there is anything wrong with this, either, as this has always been the case with Jags and Astons. Jags have always offered style and performance but have been built to a price (albeit now a higher price than years ago), whereas Astons offer style and performance, plus a level of craftsmanship that is in a totally different league. Both are great cars.

I like the F-Type a lot, but the Aston is an event that the Jag is not. I’ll be keeping my V8V.

 

This illustrates an important part of why I greatly prefer a manual 'box to any paddle system. With a manual, I can shift as quickly or as slowly as I want to every time I shift -- it's up to me, not a computer. The only time I enjoy a paddle system is in absolute max-attack driving, and that represents a very small proportion (sadly) of driving on the road. I still get more satisfaction out of a manual in very hard driving. Crucially, I also enjoy a manual 'box a lot during normal driving -- and I get no pleasure at all from a paddle 'box when not driving in max attack mode.

 

I agree with most of your analysis. The ZF is certainly more useable in auto mode but there is in my opinion even greater disconnection. It feels more artificial to me. There is still a manual possibility with the Vantage which offers more connection to the car. I would probably drive the Jag in Auto most of the time. That's why I compared it to MB and BMW. I never drove my V8V in auto.

 

'Raser, completely agree with your comments about a manual trans, for a sports car, that is. That's why the automated manuals don't seem to work in the real world: you can't get a decent shift quality when you want to just unplug your brain and get from A to B, even if B is where the fun road starts.

Too bad the F type doesn't have a manual. But I don't think I would drove around in auto most of the time if I had an F type.

For me where the ZF auto shines is in a daily driver. As much as I like a manual trans, for the mind numbing daily commute, no thanks! But as soon as I am off the highway and onto the back roads, it is nice to be able to have a manual mode that is so responsive.

 

Many people share your sentiments about the commute/daily driver thing, and I understand it. For me, though, I'd rather have a manual for the daily commute also -- autos just annoy me, and shifting manually, even in heavy traffic, is so second nature that I don't mind it at all. Besides, at least it gives you something to do

 

I bought the F-type V8s new in May at Hennessy in Atlanta. It is fast and loud. I traded it happily for my first Aston , an 09 V8V manual roadster. The Aston is by far more fun and precise. The Jag has way too many buttons and when it shuts down at each stop it is just wrong.

 

The coupe had been on my list since I saw the CX-16 concept.

I think it looks stunning. We've already witnessed its power (in the 'vert), but I still need to check the coupe out. The wife is spec'ing her Stingray (not to be purchased for 2 years - she just bought another vehicle recently), and this Coupe may take the place of the Stingray.

Yes, I realize the Stingray and the Jag are not the same type of vehicle, but V8, great low-end power, front engine, RWD, with auto-trans, they may not be so far apart for certain buyers.

 

I am guessing the F type has a button that can disable "Eco start/stop" mode? True, frustrating that it has to be pressed every time you get in the car. I asked my dealer if there are any plans to do a software mod so that the default status is 'off' but I'm not holding my breath...

 

Anything is possible... I have purchased modules that remember button settings in other cars. If there is demand, there will be a product (or an adjustment to the original).