As far as good-looking cars go, Jaguar has got the proportions just right with the F-TYPE. With sweeping fastback looks balancing the traditional extended bonnet on a shortened XK Convertible frame, the car has a timeless, classic look – and now you can buy it in the UK from £49,900 with a 2-litre, 300PS 4-cylinder petrol engine.
The new engine sits alongside the 3-litre V6 engines and the 5-litre V8 with 550PS available with the F-TYPE R version. The V8 will provide blistering acceleration of 0-60 in just 3.9 seconds, while the more sedate 2-litre will get you there in 5.4 seconds.
In these frugal times, it’s probably worth comparing the combined fuel consumption figures for the basic 2-litre Coupé and the V8 F-TYPE R as well. While the 2-litre will give you 39.2mpg, the R will reduce that to 25mpg. Though that probably won’t concern you too much if you are one of those people that can stump up the £90,860 for the R version.
Jaguar’s most powerful 4-cylinder unit ever
The 2-litre engine has its stand-alone plus points too of course; it is the most powerful 4-cylinder unit used in a production Jaguar so far. Jaguar has even addressed the potential elephant in the room, that Jaguar exhaust sound, by tuning the exhaust system to give it a recognisable F-TYPE sound.
Transmission for the rear-wheel drive F-TYPE will be an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The V6 supercharged 3-litre (which you can pick up for a couple of grand more) has a 6-speed manual gearbox.
While purists will demand nothing but a V6 or a V8 to power their Jaguar, the 2-litre powered F-TYPE is certainly no slouch. The smaller engined car will give a top speed of 155mph (electronically limited), and 400Nm of torque. And naturally enough, you will save some decent cash the more you drive it, as fuel consumption is reduced (according to official Jaguar figures) substantially. If you drive on clear motorways much of your time, you can, with a favourable wind, hope for around 45mpg.
Additional specs
The new engine is the big news, but it should also be noted that this 2018 year version (named so even though it’s on sale now) has the option of full LED headlights, an improved touchscreen and nice redesigned bumpers. The exhaust too will look different for the 2-litre, being a large, single rectangular unit centrally placed. The car will also come with 18-inch alloys as standard with the option of 19 inch or 20 inch rims.
The 2-litre engine will be available in the base F-TYPE and the F-TYPE R Dynamic (£53,600 for the Coupé) – if you go the specific Jaguar F-TYPE page, they try and make it all as clear as possible for what is becoming quite a complicated range to navigate.
One thing remains the same across the range though, and that is the simple fact that this is one of the best looking sports cars on the market, with classic looks that aren’t just specific to Jaguar, but echo the pleasing profile of a classic Aston Martin as well I think.
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