I recently spent a week with the Jaguar F-Type S convertible and came away incredibly impressed. Of course driving a car for a week and putting some 350 (ish) miles on it doesn't make you an expert on it in any way. Still, that was enough time in the driver's seat to be able to make a list of the five things you must do behind the wheel of the F-Type S convertible. None of these experiences require you to be an expert driver but one of them does require you to be able to get a date which is tough enough on its own.
No. 1 – Valet It At A Hotel: I never had a reason to valet a car at a hotel before I drove the F-Type S. That's because I never drove a car worth stealing to a hotel, and because the prices for valet services frightened my wallet. But the Jag was a different story. I actually did spend two nights at a nice hotel for a work trip and valeted the F-Type S both nights. It felt pretty damn good to call down and ask the valet to bring up the British Racing Green (I just said green) convertible Jaguar. What felt even better was firing up the car in front of guests who were piling into rental cars. Usually I'm the guy behind the wheel of the $40/day econobox parked on the street, but not this time.
No. 2 – Take It On A Date: While I hate guys who use fast cars to make up for a lack of personality I will admit that taking a date for a ride in the Jag felt pretty damn cool. Luckily my date loved fast cars, but even someone who cares nothing for what's under the hood can't help but be seduced by the speed and roar of the engine. The fact that it was a convertible also played well. Just remember to explain that the car isn't really yours (should it be a loaner), otherwise your second date will be quite awkward.
No. 3 – Take It For A Top-Down Tunnel Run: The supercharged V6 in the F-Type S sounds great with the top up at highway speeds. But it sounds even better with the top down during a breathless sprint through a tunnel. Try and do your tunnel run at night to ensure that you'll have plenty of runway. If you're the only driver in the tunnel consider yourself obligated to hammer the throttle through the entire thing. Your ears will thank you.
No. 4 – Axe The Driver's Aids: One of the things I really liked about the F-Type S was that it didn't come with a ton of electronic driving aids. That being said it does come with Driver Stability Control (DSC) and a limited-slip differential. While you can't remove the LSD you can turn off DSC. This makes it a bit easier to slip and slide, which in turn requires you to be on your toes heading into and out of corners. The Jaguar F-Type S isn't exactly a widowmaker in its purest form but things do get just a bit dicier once DSC is disabled.
No. 5 – Embrace Being The Villain: I got a lot of dirty looks while driving the Jaguar. People just automatically assumed I was a rich Chad and didn't like me. At first it bothered me but then I realized that there was nothing I could do. So instead of feeling guilty I embraced the hate. I drove aggressively and acted like I owned the road because that's what people expected of me. I'm not sorry about my bad behavior either. When you're behind the wheel of a car you genuinely enjoy driving you don't really have the time or patience to wait at a stop light or watch someone select the ideal parking spot.