Should we be thinking of the new Jaguar F-Type as a bargain alternative to an Aston Martin V8 & V12 Vantage rather than a pricey Porsche Cayman?
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With a starting point of £58.5k for the F-Type with the 340PS V6 Supercharged engine, rising to £80k for the F-Type V8 S, we thought prices were strong. But actually, after a week of cogitation and argument at Cars UK Towers, we wonder if they’re actually something of a bargain?
We’d being expecting something closer to the Porsche Cayman on pricing for the F-Type, but what we’ve actually got is something a bit closer to the 911. But perhaps we were wrong to see the F-Type as a Cayman basher? Perhaps it’s more akin to the Porsche 911 and even the Aston Martin V8 Vantage?
In fact, it’s the Aston Martin Vantage comparison that’s the most intriguing.
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Starting point for the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster with the speedshift auto ‘box is £103k. It gets a nice V8 with 420bhp and can get to 62mph in 4.8 seconds. By comparison, the Jaguar F-Type S with the 380PS V6 S/C costs £67.5k, has 375bhp and can get to 62mph in 4.9 seconds. So there’s nothing in it on performance yet the F-Type is £35k cheaper.
At the top end, the F-Type V8 S costs £80k, offers 488bhp and can get to 62mph in a rather swift 4.3 seconds. The new Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster offers 510bhp and takes 4.5 seconds to get to 62mph and costs a whopping £150k.
At this exalted level of price and performance perception is more important than statistics, and Aston Martin is still perceived as more premium than Jaguar. But a difference of £35k between the F-Type S and V8 Vantage Roadster and a whopping £70k difference between the AM V12 Vantage Roadster and the F-Type V8 S is too much to ignore.
We still think the Aston Martin has the edge on looks and the edge on status. But Jaguar is on the up and the F-Type is new and impressive; a more modern car than the Aston Martin Vantage. It already seems clear that Jaguar will push the next generation XK in to DB9 territory, and it has revealed the F-Type as a powerful alternative to the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster – both V8 and V12.
Perhaps Aston Martin need to be seeking a new owner with deep pockets before Jaguar eclipses their appeal completely?
Bridford says
Our first impression was it looked a lot of car for the money.Definite Maserati connotations & a bit of California front end too!
Brian says
And the Jaaaag is probably going to be cheaper to run.
Oblivious says
Interesting comparison. For me the Vantage has the edge on looks too but the F-Type does seem a bargain in this light.