Velar hits the road

We hitch a ride in classy new Range Rover at Goodwood

JAGUAR’S F-type sports car is about to get four-cylinder power to go along with its V6 and V8 motors – and Auto Express has been for a run in a late prototype driven by the firm’s top development driver, Mike Cross.

The four-cylinder turbo produces 296bhp and 400Nm of torque – and shaves 52kg from the F-type’s kerbweight. As Cross shows off the car, it’s clear that the engine’s shove is delivered in a linear fashion; indeed, as he revs it through to 6,500rpm, it feels more like a normally aspirated engine.

The V6’s howl has gone, of course, but there’s a shrill bark from the exhaust, enhanced by acoustic engineering through the car’s speaker system.

Interestingly, Cross spends most of our short time with the car in ‘Normal’ mode instead of ‘Dynamic’. “With the 2.0, there are no adaptive dampers,” he explains, “so you get better response from the engine and more aggressive gearshifts. But the suspension settings stay the same. I just like the fact that this is a car you can really thrash, even with UK speed limits.”

He’s not wrong. The 2.0 F-type never feels slow, but Cross is able to push it where the speedo on a V6 or a V8 would have been nudging past three figures.

Best of all, the F-type’s poise appears to be better than ever, as the four-cylinder car clips apexes with vigour. And on 19inch wheels, the ride is compliant, too.

We’ll get to try the car in a few weeks. But based on this short run, the cheapest model in the range looks like it could be one of the best F-types for UK roads.