2024 Jaguar F-Type Review and Test Drive

One last cruise in this gorgeous British sports car before it reaches the end of its road.

Perry Stern | 

Jan 24, 2024 | 10 min read

Perry Stern

I was a little disappointed when I arrived to pick up the 2024 Jaguar F-Type. Sure, the Jag is stunningly beautiful, painted in the eye-catching Giola Green with contrasting red brake calipers behind the stylish 20-inch wheels, but it was pouring down rain, and I had been looking forward to putting the top down and properly enjoying this convertible sports car.

With strong Tetris skills, I fit my suitcase and backpack into the tiny trunk, and my disappointment quickly faded as I settled into the elegant interior. With a press of the start button, the big V8 roared to life, and I remembered that this F-Type had all-wheel drive, so the trip home in the rain wouldn't be so bad.

I accelerated onto the freeway with the convertible top firmly closed and the seat heaters on. With a beautiful V8 symphony emanating from the four big exhaust outlets, the car effortlessly reached 70 mph, and I realized this would be one of the last times I'd hear that sound coming out of a Jaguar F-Type.

Jaguar has announced that by 2025, all of its models will be fully electric. Unfortunately, a V8-powered sports car doesn't fit into that plan. At least in its current form, the F-Type with its big engine is set to retire at the end of the 2024 model year.

The F-Type represents the culmination of 75 years of elegant and powerful Jaguar sports cars that started with the XK120 in 1949. For its final year in production, the F-Type comes in two special 75 editions with unique styling features and a supercharged V8 under the hood.

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How Much Is the 2024 Jaguar F-Type?

Jaguar offers the 2024 F-Type in three trim levels: R-Dynamic, 75, and R75, each available as a coupe or convertible. Base prices range from the low $80,000s to the mid-$110,000s, including the destination charge to ship the car from the Castle Bromwich factory in Birmingham, United Kingdom, that builds it to your local dealership.

For this F-Type review, Jaguar provided me with an R75 convertible for testing near Detroit, Michigan. It came with Giola Green paint, a leather interior upgrade, and Nubuck-edged floor mats, bringing the manufacturer's suggested retail price to $119,875, including the $1,275 destination charge.

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Elegant Styling Inside and Out

The basic look of the Jaguar F-Type hasn't changed much since its introduction in 2013. Refreshed several times over the years, the F-Type has maintained its classic sports-car lines with its long hood, steeply raked windshield, small cabin, and short trunk. Slim LED headlights frame the large grille up front, while 20-inch wheels and quad exhaust pipes complete the look.

Climbing into a six-figure Jaguar sports car sets certain expectations, and the F-Type doesn't disappoint. Soft leather trims the seats, dashboard, and doors while contrasting black leather covers the steering wheel and the left section of the dashboard. This black and tan treatment gives the Jaguar a classic, elegant look. At the same time, it creates a virtual cockpit, emphasizing the notion that this is a driver's car.

A grab handle sweeps down from the dashboard and wraps around the center console. This handle further separates the driver from the passenger and partially blocks the passenger's view of the infotainment system.

The F-Type received its latest refresh in 2021 when Jaguar added an upgraded interior featuring a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation display and a nicely integrated 10.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Climate controls are separate from the screen, featuring large knobs to easily adjust cabin temperature, fan speed, and seat heating/cooling. Aside from the volume control knob next to the gear selector, almost every other function is accessible via the screen.

The convertible top doesn't infringe on the trunk space — which is good because there isn't much to give up — and you can raise or lower it using a switch on the center console. Don't worry about unlatching anything because everything is automatic, including raising and lowering the windows. Opening the car takes about 15 seconds, and the top drops out of sight behind the cabin.

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Performance Seats Are Stylish and Comfortable

The F-Type R75 comes standard with Jaguar's stylish performance seats featuring integrated headrests embossed with the Jaguar emblem. Contrast stitching and pleats at the top of the seatback add visual interest. However, the opening in the seatback that mimics a race car (typically for a five-point harness) may be an example of Jaguar trying too hard to underline the F-Type's credentials as a legitimate sports car.

Large bolsters offer excellent support but aren't too snug. The seatbacks are somewhat stiff, but the seat cushion has good padding, and with 12-way power adjustment as well as heating and cooling, the seats are comfortable, even after several hours behind the wheel.

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Utility Is Not in the F-Type's Skill Set

As is typical for a two-seat sports car, the Jaguar F-Type is not known for its utility. While the cabin feels spacious, there's not much storage room. There is a small space under the armrest, and the standard glove box has enough capacity for a pair of gloves, perhaps. The cupholders in the center console double as a place to stash a phone, house keys, and little more.

The F-Type convertible's trunk space measures just 7.3 cubic-feet. I fit a small carry-on bag and a backpack, but that was a tight fit. The F-Type coupe has a hatchback design that almost doubles the cargo space of the convertible at 14.4 cu-ft.

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Jaguar's Infotainment System Feels Outdated

The weakest attribute of the 2024 Jaguar F-Type is its infotainment system. While it received an update just a few years ago, it seems pretty dated and relatively basic. Nevertheless, it provides a 10.1-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth connectivity, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a navigation system.

Connecting my Samsung Galaxy S23+ was quick and easy. When I tried to run Android Auto, the system told me I needed to connect my phone via a USB cable. As directed, I plugged into the USB port in the center console, but the system would not recognize the phone, continuing to tell me to plug it in. I tried multiple times to get the connection to work but to no avail. Android Auto would not work.

However, the Bluetooth connection functioned fine, and I could still stream music and make calls through the infotainment system. But this still required direct interaction with the touchscreen as the Jaguar had no voice control — surprising in a car with a six-figure price tag. There is a button on the steering wheel with the familiar voice-activation symbol, but it only muted the audio system in my test car.

My other issue with the infotainment screen is more of a physical problem. With the placement and angle of the screen, when the sun shines in — which often happens in a convertible with the top down — the screen might as well be blank as it is unreadable.

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Digital Gauges Add a Modern Touch

As part of its most recent update, the Jaguar F-Type replaced its analog gauges with a configurable 12.3-inch digital display.

While the screen can show a classic speedometer and tachometer, you can change the display to just the speedometer or a digital speed readout. There's even the option to show the full navigation map overlaid with pertinent driving information, freeing up the center display to show other information.

Like the infotainment system, the instrument panel's configuration setup seems dated, with clunky controls and confusing menu navigation. Ultimately, I settled on showing the trip information with the classic gauges.

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F-Type's Suite of Driver Assistance Tech Lacks a Few Modern Conveniences

Jaguar equips every 2024 F-Type with many of the advanced driver assistance systems I expected, but adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assist are unavailable for this car. I realize the F-Type is in its last year of production, but that's no excuse for missing features commonly available on much less expensive vehicles.

The top limits visibility when raised, but the standard blind-spot monitoring system worked well to keep track of vehicles out of view. In addition, the high-resolution backup camera and rear cross-traffic alert system were helpful when attempting to reverse out of a tight parking space.

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The Last of the Jaguar V8 Engines

Jaguar equips the F-Type R75 with a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine generating a plentiful 575 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. A quick-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission is standard, as is full-time all-wheel drive.

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Thrilling Experience on the Road

The F-Type is imperfect. But you can easily forgive its flaws after a few minutes behind the R75 convertible's steering wheel.

With 575 horses on tap and the grip of all-wheel drive, the F-Type eagerly launches from a stop. Jaguar claims the car will sprint to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds, and my experience gives me no reason to argue with this figure. Given enough space (and courage), Jaguar says the F-Type will eventually reach 186 mph. That's a lot of wind in your hair.

I found that triple-digit speeds were not necessary to experience a breezy cabin. Many convertible sports cars such as the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Porsche 911 Cabriolet do an excellent job keeping the cabin calm with the top down. The atmosphere within the Jag can be turbulent, even at slower speeds. That was more noticeable since my drive was during chilly fall weather in Michigan, but it would be difficult to carry on a conversation at highway speeds no matter the season, even with the windows up.

Aside from the windy cabin, the Jaguar's ride is comfortable when cruising on the freeway, and bumpy pavement doesn't upset the suspension, providing a confident drive. There's never a lack of power, and acceleration remains relentless at freeway speeds.

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As a performance car, the Jaguar F-Type R75 is an absolute joy. When driving twisty back roads, the F-Type feels quick and agile. The responsive steering, adaptive damping suspension, and all-wheel drive deliver excellent handling, and the brakes provide strong and consistent stopping power. Of course, there's also plenty of available power to accelerate hard out of the corners.

One of my favorite features was the active exhaust system, which can enhance and deepen the exhaust note by pushing a button on the center console. The result is a lovely burble while idling that becomes a mighty roar as the engine revs.

When the tachometer surpasses 3,500 rpm, the exhaust note goes to the next level. A cross between a scream and a growl emanates from the quad outlets, an evil sound that could easily scare small children or, in this case, make a driver's heart race. I'm sure I won't be the only one who misses this fantastic soundtrack when Jaguar goes electric.

While I'm sad to see Jaguar retire this supercharged V8, future performance vehicles from the company will undoubtedly be more efficient than this F-Type. The EPA rates the F-Type R75 at 16/24/18 mpg in city/highway/combined driving. During my time in this sports car, the trip computer indicated a 19-mpg average, which aligns with the EPA's estimates.

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A Proper Goodbye to the Jaguar V8

There's no question the 2024 Jaguar F-Type has dated technology. Still, the alluring design, elegant interior, and thrilling performance have helped Jag's latest sports car to age gracefully. With a big supercharged V8 snarling from under its long hood, impressive handling, and an intoxicating exhaust note, the 2024 F-Type R75 is a fitting tribute to the long history of Jaguar sports cars.