Comparison: new Jaguar F-type R coupe vs. Porsche 911 Turbo S

Admittedly it does this flawlessly. There is more of a whip-crack to the dual-shift PDK’s downshifts than is found in the Jaguar’s ZF-supplied eight-speed automatic, and despite featuring exhaust gas-dependent turbochargers, it spools up more immediately too. For the most part it also rides immaculately, simmering intimately on the softest setting of its adaptive dampers.

Read our full road test of the Porsche 911 Turbo here.

Only by striking a nasty seam or a swollen cat’s eye does the suspension’s tight-rope act become noticeable; the apparently small-scale collision rippling through the Turbo’s tightly-wound chassis and into the driver’s seat. It’s this kind of intrusion which the F-Type – even in wound-up R format – does so well to avoid. Jaguar’s restless Adaptive Dynamics system defaults into the kind of accommodating lope that simply doesn’t include the concussive twang ordinarily indicative of a serious sports car.

There is more body movement as a result (notably, the R actually rides better in ‘Dynamic’ mode than it does in its standard setting) but, correspondingly, there is a broader opportunity to relax into its stride. Where you tend to drive the Porsche with the set jaw and locked arms its determination warrants, the Jaguar elopes with your easygoing side; making every mile markedly less of an effort.

In many ways, the dynamic switches places on a more challenging road. The 911’s iron-willed attitude to forward progress means its lateral grip is as forceful as its straight-line thrust. Its colossal footprint and the weightiness of its steering encourage increasingly huge inputs, meaning you begin to lean on its immense traction almost senselessly.

By mid-corner, with the torque already dramatically vectored, the Turbo will be sending as much power forward as it does rear – meaning any half sane, road-bound effort to get better acquainted with its limits tends to result in understeer. Even with a damp, empty moor laid on, adjustability and playfulness are secondary concerns.

Watch our video review of the Porsche 911 Turbo S.

No one could accuse the F-Type of such bloodlessness. Where moistures persists, the Jaguar retains a less tenacious hold on the road without a driven front axle to share the torque burden, and such traction shortfall is occasionally obvious. But, in contrast to the open-top, there’s a kernel of firm confidence in everything that the new coupé does.

 Its unremitting power delivery no longer seems daunting. Flooring the convertible could feel like a dicey exercise, but in the R coupé, for all its wheel-spinning potential, the even higher output seems tailor-made and keenly deployable. The lightly fettled steering is more responsive than the roadster’s, too, and sitting, as you do, just forward of the F-type’s rear axle, such accuracy is essential to allow you to position the long nose that bit more sweetly. 

From there, in almost any corner imaginable, the chassis takes over. Best experienced on the road with some of the electronic shackles loosened (the TracDSC readily obliges), the R flaunts its sublime front-engined, rear-drive balance at every opportunity, clamping you to an apex only for as long as you want before a slither of extra throttle changes the back end’s attitude. 

If that sounds like the playfulness you’d find in any grunty rear-drive car, think again. The subtlety and obedience of the breakaway isn’t far short of astounding. And as the R is so good at telegraphing its whereabouts, you’re free to dip in and out of the excess as much as you like.

Click here to read a review of the entry-level Jaguar F-type coupé.

That choice is at the heart of what makes the car so special. Unlike the all-wheel-drive 911, you never stop wanting to interact with it. The Turbo wants to be the ultimate salve to the modern headache of A to B; as easy to drive as a hot hatch, supercar fast in all weathers and as cleverly refined as a luxury saloon. The 991, particularly in its vastly expensive Turbo S guise, covers these bases expertly – and is no less giddying when driven fast. 

But the F-Type’s effervescence serves to underline what’s missing from the Porsche’s repertoire. Its huge, atmospheric pace and rousing handling at one end would be less remarkable were they not mingled so keenly with a sense of genuine companionability at the other.