There comes a time when a break is needed, like a serious break: a break from reality, a break from the chores, from the bills, from the chaos, from the hectic-ness that is everyday life, even a break from the ones we love (like our children).
That time came a few weeks ago for me. I was offered a few nights at a gorgeous hotel in Scarborough, ME called Blackpoint Inn. At first, I was to do the journey alone. I thought: Perfect opportunity for me to be alone with my thoughts, emotions, and tribulations… then I realized what that actually meant and quickly invited one of my girlfriends along for the getaway.
With over 500km to trek in one direction (roughly a 6-hour drive if all speed limits are obeyed and not counting the border-crossing time), I wanted to have a comfortable, fun-to-drive vehicle.
Enter the 2015 Jaguar F-Type S AWD convertible.
Bright red outside and in, the F-Type is a showstopper. Stunning to behold, my friend and I were as smitten with its look from the beginning and decided I’d made an amazing decision… until we opened the trunk. I could have possibly thought it through a bit better in terms of trunk space, but we packed light (and there’s a nifty little shelf area back there that’s ideal for wine… just saying).
My mind wasn’t anywhere near the size of the trunk when I thought about the F-Type and driving down to Maine for a few days. No, my mind was on the rolling, green-lined highways through Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. And as the sun beat down on us on day one, we set out with the top down, our hair free, the sport exhaust button activated, and the tunes blaring. Pure and utter bliss.
Along the way, my friend brought up a valid point: She turned to me and said that road trips would never be the same again. I blushed and thought, aw, she likes me! Then I realized what she actually meant: She’s done plenty road-tripping in her day, but mostly in her Nissan Sentra or another friend’s Mazda3. Not quite the same. The car you choose to take with you for those many kilometres can completely change the outcome of a road trip -- this we learned most definitely while road-tripping in the F-Type.
Along the way, we stopped in a little town called Littleton (ha ha) in New Hampshire. As we parked the F-Type, pick-ups, SUVs, and a few econoboxes slowly crept by us, windows down, passengers and drivers eyeballing the bright red jewel of a Jag, suspiciously.
Almost immediately after exiting the Jaguar, an elderly townsperson in jean overalls ambled his way over to the car and us and started up a conversation. It went something like this:
“Is that there a Jag-u-ar?”
“Yessir, it is,” said I as politely as I could, large smile plastered on my face.
Scowl from said overall-wearing elderly gentleman.
“It’s a new one, huh?” grunted he.
“Yup. 2015 model,” I chirped cheerfully.
Silence for a moment as he surveyed the rear.
“This here might be the first and only Jag-u-ar we’ve ever had in this here town. We don’t see many of ‘em European kinds ‘round here. You’re likely to see a GT-R before you see one of ‘em,” he said matter-of-factly as he waved a hand and continued on his way.
As my friend and I giggled at the encounter and quickly chose to put the top up on the F-Type before grabbing a coffee at a stellar little coffee shop (which we made sure to stop at on the way home, too), we were reminded what road-tripping is all about: the experience.
For a few moments we (well, the F-Type) were celebrities in Littleton, NH, and we relished in the moment, in the experience.
The 2015 Jaguar F-Type S AWD convertible truly elevated our experience to another level for those few days we journeyed south and to the seaside to the sleepy little inn by the beach. Just far enough outside Portland that it felt secluded, the F-Type took us there in style, while the resort helped us clear our minds of all the hectic clutter we so desperately wanted to escape.