Jaguar F-Type 2.0

Greater agility for less money, with the two-litre four-cylinder turbo. Too good to be true?

FIRST IT WAS THE HATCHBACK, which we gave the thumbs up to because they're the best sellers in our country, bought by those who value fuel economy over anything else. Then they crept up in regular sedans and again the promise of better fuel efficiency kept us all happy. But now the evil force of downsizing has come for the sports car and there's nobody left to hear our pain. But is it a bad thing? Times to sample the baby F-Type on roads that were ripped open by the V8 F-Type a few monsoons ago.

Porsche's decision to move the 718-generation of the Boxster and Cayman from the flat-six to a turbocharged flatfour could be justified by the brand's long association with smaller engines. Jaguar has no such history. The new 2.0-litre ‘base model' marks the first time the iconic British brand has produced a sports car with fewer than six cylinders. The powerplant in question is Jaguar Land Rover's newly developed Ingenium turbocharged in-line four, which we have seen in most JLR cars and SUVs. While it may be short on cylinders and displacement this engine still puts out a more than healthy 296 horses. Which when put in perspective is slightly more than the Jaguar XJ-S made from a 5.3-litre V12 in the early 1990s!

At the intersection of two desires Some people drive cars for the thrill of it. The mind, body and machine connect, the adrenaline rush that accompanies all that