Jaguar F-Type Review 2023

You’ve discounted the idea of a Porsche, either the 718 models or 911s, Audi’s R8’s a bit too compromised, and BMW or Mercedes-Benz don’t appeal, either. An Aston Martin Vantage is still a bit out of reach, for now. The Jaguar F-Type range’s breadth really is wide enough to cover all those bases, partially at least. 

Chances are you’ve owned Jaguars before or have always loved the E-Type and want some of that in a more modern package. Being a two-seater the Jaguar F-Type is always going to be a bit of an indulgence, and while there are obvious compromises because of that, like boot space and running costs, if you can afford the price tag then you've earned it.

The Jaguar F-Type really does line-up against a broad church of potential rivals, at one end it’s in the smaller, relatively affordable end of the sports car spectrum, and at the other, it’s chasing supercars, on pace, if not necessarily outlay. 

That’s between around £50,000 and £100,000, so there’s the Porsche 718 Cayman and 911 line ups, cars like the BMW Z4 and Mercedes-Benz SLC/SL, purist sports cars like the Alpine A110 and Lotus Evoras or Exiges, as well as things like Audi TTs to R8s. 

An F-Type buyer might also consider Aston Martin’s Vantage, too, even if you could have a pair of Jaguar F-Types for the sort of money you’d need to find for one Aston Martin.

Get inside and the initial impression is one of a nicely finished interior, and you’d be largely right. The materials that are in your sight look good, even if they lack the tactility of those in something like an Audi TT (or R8 if you’re further up the range). Likewise, nobody at Porsche is going to be benchmarking the Jaguar F-Type for trim materials, but, in fairness, both Audi and Porsche do set a very high bar in this regard. 

In isolation it’s a special enough cabin, indeed, take into account that Jaguar probably had a budget to develop the entire Jaguar F-Type’s interior comparable to what Audi might spend designing a cup holder, and its actually rather good. There’s a but though, and that’s that it’s okay at P300 levels of outlay, it less tolerable when you’re dropping nearly £100,000 on it, as you will with a P575 R. 

You should be enjoying it too much to care about the odd cheap feeling bits of plastic secreted away out of your sight, but there if you go looking for them. It all feels decently screwed together, too, however, every time we get in the Jaguar F-Type we do wonder how problematic and costly those electrically powered vents that rise from the middle of the dashboard would be to fix should they ever go awry. 

Like the overall interior, Jaguar’s infotainment offering can’t quite offer the polish of its bigger rivals. It's fiddly to the point of distraction, with sub-menus galore, and a touchscreen that needs a good prod at times to respond to inputs. Superficially it all looks good, but it requires some learning, and even once you’ve mastered its peculiarities, patience. It’s some way behind Porsche, Audi and BMW in regards to user friendliness, and we’ve encountered a few that are just plain buggy, with the entire system freezing. 

The 10-inch central screen contains the sat nav, an online pack, Bluetooth and USB connectivity and controls a standard 380W 8 speaker Meridian sound system with DAB. That can be upgraded to a Meridian Surround Sound System, which boasts 770W and gains another pair of speakers. There’s Apple CarPlay or Android Auto connection as standard, while Jaguar’s remote App allows you to track your journeys, check fuel levels, heat or cool the car before you get in as well as lock and unlock it with your smartphone. 

In addition to the main infotainment screen, the instruments are replaced by a 12.3-inch interactive display, which offers configurability to display maps, switch between music tracks and much more, too. 

It’s a two-seater sports car, but the cabin will fit a pair of taller adults without any problems, with good headroom, and plenty shoulder space. The impression of space is reduced a bit with the convertible, thanks to the proximity of the folding roof over your shoulder, but it’s still not claustrophobic in there. 

There’s a big transmission tunnel dissecting the interior but it doesn’t impede your space too much, and gives room for a pair of cupholders and a small lidded storage box. The glovebox is typically small, while the door bins aren’t exactly huge, either, but this is a sports car, so it’s difficult to be too critical about that. 

You’re unlikely to be surprised to hear that the boot space isn’t exactly vast, either, falling into the clichéd ‘squashy bag’, and ‘best leave your golf clubs in the locker room at the clubhouse’ category, if, indeed anyone still plays golf – we reckon an Jaguar F-Type buyer just might, actually. The coupe significantly betters its convertible sibling here, which, again is no shock, the coupe’s hatchback giving better access over the small bootlid of the convertible.

The coupe’s measured volume is actually a respectable 310 litres, with the convertible being 207 litres, both of which are smaller than something like their Porsche 718 Cayman/Boxster rivals, but with the Jaguar F-Type coupe the space on offer is arguably more usefully shaped. There is no ISOFIX child seat mounts in the Jaguar F-Type’s passenger pew, though Jaguar does offer child seats for various age ranges for the Jaguar F-Type. 

The Jaguar F-Type dimensions are 4470mm long, 2042mm wide and 1311mm tall.

There are two engine choices with the Jaguar F-Type, and it’s a decision between the cylinder count of four, or eight. Both the four-cylinder and V8 engines feature forced induction, so there’s turbocharging with the smaller 2.0-litre unit, while that 5.0-litre V8 gets a supercharger to increase its performance. 

Unsurprisingly, they’re quite different in character, but don’t think that the P300 is a poor relation, as 300PS and 400Nm of torque is enough to allow a 0-62mph time of 5.7 seconds, which might be bettered by some hot hatches these days, but feels brisk enough in reality. The engine does need working hard to produce its best, but that’s part of its appeal, and when you’re not in a hurry it works well with the eight-speed automatic transmission – there's no manual offered with the facelifted Jaguar F-Type. 

The V8 is a different animal, in performance and voice. It’s offered in either 450PS (580Nm of torque) and 575PS (700Nm) in the R, allowing a 4.6s second 0-62mph time in that P450, or 3.7 seconds in the R. That latter figure isn’t far off supercar quick, as is the R’s 186mph top speed. 

Again, the V8 is mated to Jaguar’s eight-speed automatic, which works well enough when you shift it yourself, but it can be a bit slow to react at times when in fully automatic mode. Switching the drive modes helps, with Dynamic speeding up both the gearshift and changing the engine map for a quicker response. 

Sports cars should make a bit of noise, indeed, the old V6 F-Types were particularly overt in the sounds emanating from their exhaust pipes. The P300 four-cylinder is a little bit more muted in character, but opt for the switchable active sports exhaust and you can liberate some more appealing notes, though it’s never going to have the character of its V8 relation. 

It’s a particularly vocal engine, though with that switchable exhaust you can quieten it down if you don’t want to drive everywhere with a burbling, muscle car-like soundtrack accompanying you. 

There’s a bit of tyre roar with all, and some wind noise at speed through the convertible’s hood, but in these respects it’s no worse than its rivals, the Jaguar F-Type is a car that actually does a long distance cruise rather well.  

Commendably, Jaguar’s safety equipment is broadly identical across the entire Jaguar F-Type line up, so you don’t lose elements of it if you opt for a cheaper, entry-level model. As standard all come with Emergency Braking, Emergency Brake Assist, a Driver Condition Monitor, Anti-lock Brakes with Electronic Brake Force Distribution and either four airbags in the convertible, or six airbags in the coupe. 

Driving assistance includes the usual traction and stability systems, while there’s also cruise control with a speed limiter, Lane Keep Assist, front and rear parking sensors, a rear parking camera and a traffic sign recognition system with an adaptive speed limiter. That’s fitted to every model, including the P300 F-Type entry trim. There’s also a tyre pressure monitoring system fitted to all. A Blind Spot Assist system and rear traffic monitor is a £460 option on all. 

The Jaguar F-Type hasn’t been independently crash tested, but it should protect you just as well as its sports car rivals in the event of an impact. 

The Jaguar F-Type scored a highly impressive 9.83 out of 10 for reliability in the HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Survey, which is one of the highest rated Jaguars. Although given the relatively small number of examples sold it's worth being a little cautious with that figure.


As a brand Jaguar were pretty much in the middle of the pack, finishing 16th overall out of 30 manufacturers.

All are going to be costly to insure, even that P300 attracting a group 41 insurance rating, largely down to the fact that the aluminium structure won’t be cheap to repair if you crash it. Elsewhere it’s comparable to run as its competition. Jaguar offers the Jaguar F-Type with a three-year unlimited mileage warranty. 

CO2 emissions are in line with class expectations, and with all being in excess of £40,000 when bought new, you’ll pay the premium rate. On the basic P300 you'll pay £1,420 in the first year and £520 afterwards, while at the other end of the scale the P575 R with AWD is an eye-watering £2,015 in the first year and £520 afterwards.

Four different trim levels with the Jaguar F-Type, spanning the three different engine choices. Jaguar F-Type is standard specification for the coupe and roadster with the P300 engine, R-Dynamic is standard specification for the P450 and available on the P300.

First Edition is available with either P300 or P450 engines, throughout 2020, and the 575R comes with its own specification. 

All Jaguar F-Type versions come with electrically adjusted sports seats with leather and suede finishing, LED headlights, a Meridian sound system, interactive driver display, climate control and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.  

Jaguar F-Type R-Dynamic adds 19-inch alloy wheels to the P300 – the 450 gets 20-inch items, an R-Dynamic body kit, a switchable Active Exhaust, and Configurable Dampers and an Electronically Controlled Active Differential. 

Jaguar F-Type First Edition cars get 12-way electrical seat adjustment, 20-inch wheels, smarter interior leather and suede coverings and First Edition metal treadplates as well as a Dark Satin Grey exterior design pack. 

Jaguar F-Type R gets R branded highlights throughout, keyless entry, an R specific body kit.