Jaguar gives the F-TYPE its most important update yet, including a new 444bhp supercharged V8 engine
F-TYPE REINVENTED
Citing a more aggressive look, a refreshed interior with more driver-focused technology, a recalibrated gearbox and an impressive new powerplant, Jaguar says the new F-TYPE offers ‘a more engaging driving experience.’
As the definitive Jaguar sports car, the new F-TYPE continues to set the benchmark for design purity, driver engagement and reward, along with a truly visceral driving experience.
When the new car was unveiled at the London Design Museum in December 2019, Jaguar’s design director, Julian Thomson, explained to all present that although Jaguar felt the original had aged very well, “There were a few things we wanted to change.”
External improvements have mainly concentrated on the front, to achieve a more cohesive look. Says Thomson, “The front end didn’t look as low or as hunched down as we’d have liked.”
To make the car look wider and its bonnet appear more impressive, the new F-TYPE now boasts a redesigned bumper and a deeper grille, plus super-slim pixel LED headlights with subtly updated signature Calligraphy J daytime running lights. Continues Thomson, “It’s still an F-TYPE, but with a more aggressive stance.”
Jaguar always considered the back end to be strong, so the rear only features updated slender lights with the Chicane signature detail, similar to that of the I-PACE. “There wasn’t too much wrong at the back, but the slimmer lights emphasise the car’s width,” says Thomson.
Inside, a 12.3in reconfigurable interactive driver display replaces the twin-cowled dials of the original. It now offers a choice of different display modes, including a full map. As befits a true sports car, the default mode is characterised by the large central rev counter. New contemporary materials include Windsor leather and satin-finish chrome, while beautiful details such as monogram stitch patterns in the seats and door trims, Jaguar leaper motifs in the headrests, and subtle ‘Jaguar Est.1935’ markings on the centre console finisher, glovebox release button surround and seatbelt guides grace the interior.
The new F-TYPE brings more driver-focused technology in the form of a reconfigurable high-definition 12.3in interactive driver display, Touch Pro infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, plus software-over-the-air functionality so that future software updates can be made at the customer’s convenience, instead of requiring a visit to a retailer. Sound reproduction is enhanced by two superb Meridian systems.
The exciting news, though, is the introduction of a 450PS (444bhp) supercharged V8 to replace the V6s. Sitting above the existing 300PS turbocharged four-cylinder, it has been developed to offer exploitable and rewarding performance – its maximum torque of 428lb ft being generated from just 2,500rpm.
The new F-TYPE is offered with a choice of all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive, both of which have the ability to accelerate from 0-60mph in just 4.4 seconds, and reach a maximum speed of 177mph.
In the all-wheel-drive F-TYPE R, a 575PS version of the supercharged V8 replaces the outgoing 550PS model to deliver truly outstanding performance: the 0-60mph dash takes just 3.5 seconds, and maximum speed is an electronically limited 186mph.
The F-TYPE R’s increased power is matched to a comprehensively uprated chassis, wider, 20in, ten-spoke wheels in gloss black with diamond-turned finish, plus new adaptive dampers, springs, anti-roll bars and stiffer rear knuckles and ball-joints to deliver even greater agility and responsiveness.
Drawing on learning accrued from the development of the limited-edition 200mph XE SV Project 8, the Quickshift transmissions in both the new F-TYPE R and the 450PS V8 models have been recalibrated to offer ‘a more engaging driving experience’. The new F-TYPE R specifically offers even faster, crisper gear changes when the driver commands shifts manually via the steering wheel mounted paddles or the SportShift gear selector. Both upshifts and downshifts are more immediate and give an even more connected and responsive feel.
Early customers have the option of the exclusive F-TYPE First Edition for the first model year only. Based on the R-Dynamic models, the First Edition features the exterior design pack in Dorchester Grey, and five-spoke, 20in wheels in gloss technical grey with contrast diamond-turned finish complementing the choice of Santorini Black, Eiger Grey or Fuji White paint.
Its interior features 12-way Windsor leather seats in Ebony with Light Oyster stitching, or Mars with Flame Red stitching. Other highlights include the instrument cluster being wrapped in Alcantara with monogram embossing, aluminium gearshift paddles, an engine spin centre console finisher with First Edition branding, and an ebony suedecloth headliner.
Alan Volkaerts, vehicle line director for the F-TYPE, says, “It makes every journey extraordinary.”
À The new F-TYPE is now on sale, starting at £54,060 in the UK
