► Car Shopping Part 2: M4 Vs. F Type

[hl0m4n]

I have 4 months left on my e92 M3 lease and started car shopping. Having seen a F Type in person for the first time today, here are my thoughts:

Feedback below are based on my opinion .

Exterior:
The car is simply mean and sexy with a gorgeous ASS!!! I was definitely impressed by the car. Elongated hood, sharp sidelines, and an amazing ass what more can a man ask for. Quad tips on the R are definitely the better looker but I must say the S with the dual tips is quite a looker as well. Negative or positive, I can definitely see this car bringing more attention than an M4.

+1 F Type

Interior:
The F Type sport seats were more comfortable than the M4. Heavily bolstered and firm, the seats are more than supportive and I don’t see myself having any problems on long drives. The Meridian sound system was very similar to M4 HK providing EQ balance and almost all the same setting adjustments; no complaints here. The flat bottom steering wheel was nice but was little smaller in diameter to my liking. The driver cockpit was very nice, sitting low, and the elongated hood will take some getting used to. The only negative is getting in/out due to thick and low door sills. Leather was softer than the M4 but overall everything had a nice touch & feel.

For me, the center vents popping up and down, although cool, is completely useless. I do however, like the clean look of the dash when the vents are down. I really loved the simple climate controls; temperature, speed, and heated seats were all integrated on a single dial.

The infotainment system, although a major improvement over previous generations, usable yes, but still needs more work, especially on the response time of the touch screen.; I-Drive gets the up on this without hesitation.

I understand this car is not for everybody (no back seats, small trunk, etc) but this is not a problem for me. It will take some getting used to but the hatch boot is decent size and enough to carry my gym bag along with a few groceries. I think of this is an adjustment trial car for my future Carrera.

My only gripe was the feedback of the buttons. All the buttons were to smooth and didn’t offer any real haptic feedback. For example the paddle shifters, on the M4 you pull and you can feel and hear the click; there is firmness to them. The paddles on the F Type were like toy switches with just a subtle click and no firmness to them. I often had to look at the gauge to see if I changed gears. The same can be said about the shifter. Manually shifting there is no firm feedback given; it’s just a smooth pull/push on the lever.

+1 F Type

Performance:
I drove the RWD S model and the first notable thing is the very exotic and intoxicating burble/crackle. After watching extensive YouTube videos, I finally understand what all the hype about the sound was. Even on the S it was profound and definitely added bad ass character to the car. I will be excited to see what an aftermarket exhaust will do. The R however, stock, sounded almost twice of the S and was absolutely glorious.

I found the pedal box to be very narrow, I guess this is a characteristic of being a two seater, although I do not have this problem in a Z4.

Driving this car will take some getting used to. Power comes on very gradually from the supercharger and is very predictable based on pedal position. The super charger whine is very subtle at low RPMs but definitely noticeable at WOT. Steering was great but just a tad behind the M4 in feedback and response. I loved the driving position and having that elongated hood in front of me, and do I need to mention that intoxicating burble/crackle coming from the back?!?!

Brakes felt very firm and solid, similar to the M4, no complaints here.

The ZF transmission in the F Type does a fantastic job with shifts. There is definitely NO comparison to the DCT though. But honestly, we are talking millisecond differences and for real world driving who is keeping count. Oddly enough, I found the ZF to be too smooth even on highest sport settings. The M4 you shift with highest settings I love the raw knock the car gives you. Where the F Type makes for in crackle/burble the M4 makes up for with DCT and shifting feedback.

+1 Tie

Lease (36 Month/12k Year):
M4
Residual: 62%
MF: .00135 (3.24%)
MSRP: $80k
Out of Pocket: Only doc fees, first month payment, etc
Monthly Payment: $970

F Type
Residual: 62% (R 57%)
MF: .00225 (5.4%)
MSRP: $$90k
Out of Pocket: Doc fees, first month payment, etc
Monthly Payment: $900

With the current promotions and incentives available, the F Type is more expensive and yet has a cheaper monthly payment. This is a fabulous deal for such a car and is definitely a top contender to the M4 for me.

Although I really want the R, I cannot justify the difference. For reference, a $115k R with same incentives and terms will cost $1,150. I technically can put $5.5k out of pocket to have the same payment as the S, but you never want to put money down on a lease.

+1 Tie

Conclusion:
The F Type is a strong possibly for being my next car. I never would have thought in a million years I would walk into a Jaguar dealership and think of buying any of their cars. Jaguar did a fabulous job on the F Type and their new design element is now setting the way for their current and future line-ups. Personally, brand status will be a tough adjustment from BMW to Jaguar but if you don't care about such thing and want something rare, different, and unique definitely give the F Type a chance.

I got one or two others cars in mind...

[Never Convicted]

There's a strong odor of bullshit coming from you. First the Benz, now the jag. Personally, I think you're posting just to bust balls, and that you won't buy any car you review as superior to the M4. So prove me wrong, grow a pair, and buy something...anything...so that the entire forum doesn't think you're full of crap.

[bimmerj]

I like the M4 much more than the jag. Looks awesome in this colour.

[SupremePower1]

Digging these reviews. Helps me expedite my shopping experience without the hassle of dealing with sleazy dealership salesman. Tough to walk into a dealer just to look these days without being felt like they need this sale to feed their family.

Good Luck in your search!

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by Never Convicted

There's a strong odor of bullshit coming from you. First the Benz, now the jag. Personally, I think you're posting just to bust balls, and that you won't buy any car you review as superior to the M4. So prove me wrong, grow a pair, and buy something...anything...so that the entire forum doesn't think you're full of crap.

Frankly I can't see what you're talking about. The guy's lease ends in 4 months so he's doing the rounds of likely candidates, enjoying the shopping and posting the results. For me it makes entertaining reading and I appreciate posts like these

[duky]

I don't agree with many of your points but sounds like you might have found yourself a car. More than anything thanks for the cool photos -- where is this place? I want to go there

[Kief]

OP,
I never thought I would ever end up in a Jag either since I'm such a BMW fan boy--check out my signature. But I made the mistake and test drove a Type R this past New Year's Day and was hooked ever since! Following the test drive, I sold my M4 30 days later and have had my Type R since the beginning of February. Overall, the Jag is fantastic! But a few things to piggyback on and a word of advice...do not settle for the Type S, you will regret not getting the R! Especially coming from a V8. I repeat get the R! You should have no difficulty finding a great deal on a 2016 Type R with the 2017s arriving. When I bought a few months ago, there were several rebates and conquest cash which sweetened the deal. You may need to search around/out of state, but it would be worth it in the end.

The interior is a nice place to be, but IMO, a short coming of the car, especially at this price point. I have the black with white stitch, but wish I could have found a car with something different than black to break up the interior a bit. The navi/entertainment gets the job done, but is not at all comparable to BMW. The Meridian is hit or miss. There is a tsb out for speaker rattles which apparently doesn't always correct the issue. So far I have not experienced the speaker rattle. I think the steering wheels is a great size/thickness. Steering feel is on par with other electric units. The trans is very good, but I prefer the DCT on my previous M4. I'm also getting use to the AWD vs RWD. Other than my utes, I never had an AWD car. There certainly is enough power to easily break the rear on the twisties and it's great getting all of that power down easier than with the M4. Handling is impressive for such a heavy car.

GL with you search and a few pics of mine to help with your decision

[visi107]

Originally Posted by Never Convicted

There's a strong odor of bullshit coming from you. First the Benz, now the jag. Personally, I think you're posting just to bust balls, and that you won't buy any car you review as superior to the M4. So prove me wrong, grow a pair, and buy something...anything...so that the entire forum doesn't think you're full of crap.

+1

[ThinkRevolutionx]

Thanks for posting, this car really has caught my attention. 435 comes off lease in a year, going to step up to something really nice this time around and a used type r is on the short list.

[dubsesd]

do they make the ftype r in a manual? seems the car is a downgrade with the automatic transmission

[dkhm3]

is this the one with the stats
0-60 4.3
1/4 mile 12.9
.90 skidpad?

i love the looks, but the performance is not impressive in that price range. i think for me, that is a deal breaker.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...pe-test-review

[SupremePower1]

This is the review of the AMG GTS vs. the F Type R (2016)

[auf Deutsch]

Originally Posted by SupremePower1

This is the review of the AMG GTS vs. the F Type R (2016)

I watched one second of that vid as the neck beard appeared says "hey there" in his goofy clown voice....boy, do I miss Carlos.

[silverarrow]

I think you'll be pleased with the F type with the review you just did

[Xtabi]

I'd go F-Type all day long over an M4 if I were in the market for a coupe.

For me the comparison would be F-Type vs. Cayman.

Good luck with your search. Fun times!