Marking the end of the road for the formidable Jaguar F-Type and all its fire-breathing Supercharged V8 engine, I get one last spin in what I have always called the British muscle car. Being that the 2024 model year is the end of an era, I am left a little sad, considering that the F-Type has been an intriguing vehicle for me over the course of 10 years, having many brushes with this special sports car.
As a somewhat brash and endearing vehicle, the Jaguar F-Type has its merits but was never razor-sharp in being an exotic that received much recognition. However, during its ten years of existence in being more of a grand touring vehicle, it pushed the envelope for its unique British styling that captivated many followed up with its Thor hammer-like performance and intoxicating sound. As a convertible, the F-Type furthered its uniqueness and dash of eloquent attributes to win over a small but proud audience of enthusiasts.
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As I’ve explained in the nearly countless times of driving the F-Type R, it is mostly a one-of-a-kind vehicle that I will always continuously dub as a British muscle car. This is because it has 575 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque from a garish supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine and chassis dynamics that can be somewhat lumpy and heavy feeling. Those characteristics, despite it now being exclusively all-wheel-drive, feels more like a muscle car than an exotic. Still, the grand touring aspects of the F-Type are deeply embedded in the predisposition of its leather-wrapped interior, exterior styling, wheel choice, and performance numbers that are more thrilling and suited for the road than the track.
See Also: 2023 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe Review & Test Drive
In the convertible flavor, there’s an equal amount of fun to be had as in the coupe. I would say having the convertible F-Type affords you a bit more sensory overload with a few of your senses as there’s more of the rumbling and popping sound of the exhaust to be heard, along with the breeze of the outdoor elements flying over your head. The body structure remains rigid without much cowl shake, proving that the F-Type Convertible was done more on purpose rather than an afterthought. The one letdown remains to be how Jaguar put an end to the ostentatious claps and pops from the exhaust under deceleration from previous years of the V8 F-Type R – you’re now left with a somewhat neutered deceleration exhaust sound. Conversely, you still get that screaming grown upon acceleration, which will get you to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds.
Fuel figures for the Jaguar F-Type R with its beefy supercharged V8 are not outlandish as you can actually match the EPA estimates of 16 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, and 18 mpg combined in the real world. However, pushing the F-Type R hard will easily fall well below the 16-mpg city figure, having you at the pump after quickly depleting the 18.5-gallon gallons of premium unleaded.
Jaguar never skips for the generous use of leather in most of their vehicles. The F-Type R is no exception as it features a plethora of soft leather-wrapped surfaces throughout, along with nicely accented colors in my test vehicle with its Tan Windsor Leather Performance seats that delicately hold you in place. Put the soft top down that operates at speeds up to 30 mph, and you transform the F-Type R Convertible into its best-looking form for a grand tourer.
While there’s a lot to like about the interior of the Jaguar F-Type R Convertible, there’s the one letdown that continues surrounding the infotainment system that, even with its subtle updates, still feels outdated with the low-resolution 10-inch touchscreen that isn’t very consistent with its response to inputs. While the system has its shortcomings, it is somewhat forgiven, considering this is the very last hurrah for the F-Type with its V8 engine, and the system is just fine when it works and at least gives you Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.
Lastly, there’s somewhat of a timeless approach for the controls of the Jaguar F-Type with large dials for the dual-zone automatic climate control with a set of toggle buttons below. The digital gauge cluster also fits the older end of today’s digital technology with how it displays its graphics and allows for some customization for different layouts and an interactive navigation map display.
There are several of the expected active safety features included in the Jaguar F-Type, with the blind-spot monitors being a necessity as there are a couple of rather large blind spot areas when you have the top up. Otherwise, you get the typical lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, parking sensors, driver attention warning, and a rearward-view-only backup camera.
For its very last year of production, the Jaguar F-Type R continues a similar pricing structure that it has had for many years, with typical increases year over year, leaving us with the current base price of $77,900 for the F-Type R-Dynamic Coupe. From there, things ramp up quickly with added power from the base 444-horsepower V8 to my test vehicle’s 575-horsepower F-Type R75 Convertible trim at $115,000 before any fees or options. Adding in my test vehicle’s extended leather option, stunning Giola Green paint, performance seats, and Nubuck-edged carpet mats, the price comes to $119,875, which includes a $1,275 destination/delivery fee.
