Our ultimate fantasy—no, not that one, the car-related one—involves a pile of money appearing out of thin air alongside directions to the nearest exotic car dealership. But what would we buy? The choices are many, but as soon as staffers laid eyes on the 2015 Jaguar F-type coupe, many minds were made up. At once gorgeous and semi-attainable, the F-type combines a heart-twisting exhaust note (with any of its three available engines) with athletic moves and fine luxury in a single lust-inducing package. As Jaguar’s own marketing department extolls, It’s Good to Be Bad, and this is how naughty we’d be at the Jaguar dealership:
MODEL:
Jaguar F-type R Coupe (base price: $99,925)
The F-type coupe can be had with one of two supercharged V-6s or a supercharged V-8. Guess which one we’d pick? Yep, the blown 5.0-liter V-8, which in the F-type coupe comes paired exclusively with the high-performance R trim level. The R part is important, because it means the V-8 produces 55 more horsepower and 42 more lb-ft of torque than it does in the topless F-type V-8 S model.
It almost doesn’t matter what the F-type R coupe comes standard with—that engine is all that matters—but here’s a brief overview of what you get for a shade less than $100K: A flat-bottom steering wheel, rain-sensing windshield wipers, heated performance seats, navigation, an active exhaust system, and an electronic active differential. A 12-speaker, 770-watt Meridian audio system also is standard, but why anyone ever would want to listen to it instead of the crackly music pouring from the R’s quad exhaust outlets is beyond us.
OPTIONS:
Italian Racing Red metallic ($1500)
Panoramic roof ($1200)
Extended Leather package ($2200)
Vision package ($2100)
20-inch Blade wheels ($2500)
Jet Black interior with red contrast stitching ($0)
Heated windshield ($350)
Our long-term F-type V-8 S roadster is a fine car, but one of its least wow-inducing aspects is the plain-looking set of wheels it came with. Let us use this imaginary buying session to set right that wrong—the first accessory we slapped on our dream F-type R coupe was the 20-inch “Blade” wheel option. These hot rims are rendered in a menacing black color with ultrahot carbon-fiber spoke inserts. That’s $2500 well spent, we think.
To set off the glorious wheels, we opted for Italian Racing Red paint ($1500), as well as the panoramic sunroof ($1200), whose black trim emphasizes the erotic taper of the F-type coupe’s roof. For the cabin, we indulged in the Extended Leather package ($2200), which wraps the headliner, sun visors, and more in leather, keeping the standard Jet Black color scheme and adding the no-cost red-stitching option. Because illumination is important for late-night back-road blasts, we fitted the Vision package ($2100) for its adaptive headlights, automatic high beams, backup camera, and front and rear parking sensors. Finally, because anything an ice scraper can do, a defroster can do better and with less work, we opted for the Jag’s optional heated windshield ($350) for cold-morning starts.
- 2015 Jaguar F-type R Coupe: Jaguar’s Porsche 911 Turbo
- 2015 Jaguar F-type V-6 S Coupe Driven: Few Are More Desirable
- Jaguar F-type R Research: Full Pricing, Specs, Reviews, and More
Surprisingly, for a fantasy-land binge, our ideal Jaguar F-type R isn’t all that expensive, at least given its knee-wavering looks, performance, and awesome supercharged V-8. Okay, so we get that $109,775 isn’t “affordable,” per se, but consider that for about the same money, you’re looking at a well-optioned base Porsche 911 Carrera. Seems like a deal to us.
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