2024 Jaguar F-TYPE Convertible

　　

2024 Jaguar F-TYPE Convertible Review

byChristian WardlawCorrespondent

　　Christian Wardlaw has worked in the automotive industry since 1994. He has written nearly 10,000 car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 2,000 vehicles over the course of his career. Chris is a correspondent at zzdcar and was the first editor-in-chief of zzdcar.com in the 1990s. He has also contributed to Autotrader, CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, NADAguides, New York Daily News Autos and WardsAuto. His mom claims that his first word was “car,” and Chris believes that Miata is always the answer.

　　, rating written byChristian WardlawVehicle Test Editor

　　Reese Counts has worked in the automotive industry since he started as an intern at zzdcar in 2015. He has written or edited thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Reese is a vehicle test editor at zzdcar and has also contributed to Autoblog. Reese has also been featured on Yahoo! Finance, Engadget and AOL reviewing cars and covering automotive technology, auto shows and more. Reese learned to drive in his father's C4 Chevrolet Corvette and now owns his grandfather's 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG. A love for cars runs deep in his family.

　　With the 2024 F-Type, Jaguar celebrates 75 years of sports car production and the end of the road for this model and its internal combustion engine. Future Jaguar sports cars will be electric. So if you wish to revel in the sumptuousness of an F-Type accompanied by the sound of its sonorous supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine, this is your year to get one while you can. You'll choose between coupe and convertible body styles, and select from four variants including three new special-edition and limited-edition models.

　　

zzdcar spotlight: F-Type 75, R75 and ZP Editions

In standard specification, the 2024 F-Type comes in R Dynamic trim. However, to celebrate 75 years of sports car production, the exclusive F-Type 75 and more powerful F-Type R75 editions are available. Both include a more luxurious and comfortable interior and 75 Edition badges and offer an exclusive Giola Green paint color as an option. If that doesn't interest you, perhaps the F-Type ZP Edition will. Limited to 150 examples, the ZP Edition takes inspiration from E-Type racers of the 1960s and features color and feature equipment by SV Bespoke. The ZP Edition comes in coupe and convertible body styles, but only with the most powerful F-Type engine.

　　

Competitors to consider

High-end sports cars like the Jaguar F-Type are increasingly rare, but finding an alternative isn't impossible. The Chevrolet Corvette is one option, even if it's not a luxury model. You could also choose the Mercedes-AMG SL, though it is more expensive. And, of course, there is the pricey Porsche 911. In this quartet, the Jaguar stakes out uncommon ground to deliver luxury and performance at a relative value. Read our Expert Rating of the F-Type for more details.

　　

What’s it like to live with?

Half a decade ago, when the F-Type still had plenty of attitude, we added a high-performance SVR Coupe to our long-term testing fleet. What we learned by living with that 2019 F-Type remains broadly applicable today, even though the sports car received a heavy refresh in 2021. The most important evolution is the new F-Type's more effective infotainment system compared to our SVR. Check out our long-term road test of the F-Type for all the details.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Average

　　7.2

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

7.5/10

　　How does the F-TYPE Convertible drive? When we first drove the latest F-Type, we weren't impressed. That F-Type R coupe with all-wheel drive felt altogether less alive than the car it replaced. The new P450 model has brought some joy back to the F-Type. For starters, the F-Type is available with rear-wheel drive again. That means the steering is more communicative, and you still get a 5.0-liter supercharged V8. Our convertible test car logged a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds, and while that's behind class leaders like the Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche Boxster S, the F-Type doesn't feel lacking in the engine bay.

　　Where it falls behind key rivals is on twisty back roads. The F-Type simply never settles down, and the steering doesn't give you much feel for the road or the car's grip. We want the F-Type to be a visceral, communicative sports car, but it's best suited to cruising around town or on long, straight drives. It's not a full-fledged sports car, and if you stop thinking of it as one, you'll be plenty satisfied.

　　

Comfort

7.0/10

　　How comfortable is the F-TYPE Convertible? The F-Type isn't what you'd call comfortable, but it isn't punishing either. The seats are firmly padded, but they're supportive on longer journeys. Wind noise is excessive at pretty much any speed with the top up (even for a convertible), and you can always hear that supercharger whirring away in the background. That said, the raked windscreen does keep wind buffeting with the top down to a minimum. You feel the air, but it's not a tornado inside the cabin.

　　The ride is firm at lower speeds. Small imperfections get absorbed nicely, but potholes and expansion joints will send shimmies down your spine, and the stiff suspension does get tiring after longer journeys. If you're going to road-trip it, think about taking a break to get a nice, long stretch in.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below