On the inside…
As you open the relatively light doors, the R-Dynamic moniker sits on the treadplates as a reminder of the variant being driven. In terms of the sports seats, which have a nice soft-to-touch leather and suedecloth covering, you sit in a fairly low-slung position. Nevertheless, they are extremely comfortable for long journeys, and can easily be adjusted thanks to the switches mounted on the sides of the doors.
The steering wheel, which comes complete with paddles, is also comfortable enough to grip for long periods, and there are controls within easy reach of your fingertips to activate the speed limiter to stop you from overstepping the mark, and to turn on the cruise control (non-adaptive).
The R-Dynamic spec with the Climate Pack (a £1,070 extra) as on our test car, equally includes the option to heat the steering wheel on cold winter days, whilst there are also buttons on the wheel to take calls and to navigate your way through the infotainment system.
The centre console features an intuitive ten-inch touchscreen which houses the interfaces for the satellite navigation, the DAB radio and smartphone connectivity, whilst also doubling up to show a clear picture from the rear camera when reversing. All audio in the car comes courtesy of the sublime Meridian entertainment system which uses a careful arrangement of 10 speakers and two subwoofers to create an almost concert hall-like experience.
Lifting the central armrest reveals a 12V power supply, HDMI port and a couple of handy USB sockets to charge any portable devices such as a smartphone, as well as a small storage compartment which has been moulded to accommodate a couple of water bottles (as the door pockets are relatively slim in shape). Still on the subject of the R-Dynamic-spec Delta Aluminium centre console, the switch to retract and raise the fabric roof sits behind the gear shifter, and it takes around 15 seconds to do so.
I personally think that the F-TYPE looks better with the roof down, but that’s just my opinion, and Coupé fans may beg to differ on this one. The pièces de résistance of the cabin are the twin central air vents which rise up from the top of the dashboard when the circular heating and ventilation dials are turned.
All-in-all, the F-TYPE cabin is a nice place to be, but all-round visibility when sitting in the cockpit of the F-TYPE isn’t its strong point. At the front, you can see to the tip of the vents before the bonnet sweeps down, and at the back, it’s a matter of remembering that there is more bodywork to go than that which appears at the base of the rear screen. There’s also no blind spot monitoring system mounted on the wing mirrors with the R-Dynamic, which means that, as your view is so concealed when turning your head to the right, you have to take particular care when pulling out or overtaking to avoid any unwanted dings.