Jaguar F-type 2.0 R-dynamic Coupé
Downsizing reaches Jag’s svelte coupé — but it’s more appetising than it sounds
ROAD TEST
Since its arrival in 2013, two attributes have come to define the F-type: its sublime aluminium bodywork and the way it sounds. Its appearance can’t be said to be in jeopardy, Jaguar’s coupé this year having received only a judicious nip and tuck to its much loved curves, but the soundtrack has changed immeasurably of late because you can now buy an F-type with just four turbocharged cylinders.
Yes, downsizing has claimed another unlikely victim, although not – as has been the case for Porsche’s most recent iterations of the Boxster and Cayman – at the expense of choice. Rest assured, you can still get an F-type with a supercharged V6 or V8 motor. What this new Ingeniumengined model means, however, is that you can also get an F-type that costs about £50,000 new, can surpass 40mpg at a cruise and – for better or worse – doesn’t wake the dead on a cold start.
This delicately yet fundamentally alters the F-type proposition. In four-cylinder guise, no longer can this be considered a dyed-in-thewool grand tourer whose various dynamic shortfalls are to be forgiven on account of its effortless large-capacity gait and elegant demeanour. What it retains of those characteristics will stand this junior offering in good stead – a classically good-looking car with a classically sporting layout will always hold strong appeal – but agility and precision are the order of the day when all of a sudden your chief rivals are bona fide sports cars in the mould of the aforementioned Porsche duo and Audi’s TT RS.
Ascertaining the extent to which Jaguar has succeeded in honing this lighter F-type into a dynamic match for those cars is reason enough for it to be the subject of an eight-page road test. Prospective owners will also want to know where this car draws the line between the two automotive spheres it now straddles. DESIGN AND ENGINEERING There will be some for whom a four-cylinder engine has no place in the nose of a Jaguar coupé, but just consider what it means. This car weighs 52kg less than the richly sonorous V6 F-type, with most of that heft lifted from its long nose. As such, not only is there little discrepancy in terms of power to weight – the junior F-type boasting 194bhp per tonne to its bigger brother’s 210bhp per tonne – but agility and ride comfort are also said to be improved.
With 296bhp, this 2.0-litre engine is the most highly tuned of all the firm’s four-cylinder Ingenium units and it features a new electrohydraulic valvetrain with variable lift control. The designs of the twin-scroll turbocharger and exhaust manifold have also been devised to mitigate pulsation, reducing turbo lag to the extent that it’s “almost non-existent”, according to Jaguar. Factor in 295lb ft at just 1500rpm, too, and you’d expect this car to perform impressively. Officially at least, it does, with a 0-60mph time of 5.4sec claimed by Jaguar. The sole transmission is the