What We Like
The tasteful good looks
Feels light and agile on its feet
Provides a very rewarding drive the harder you push it
Clean and modern cabin
2.0-litre engine is a gem
What We Dislike
It will cost similar to the Porsche 718 Cayman when it arrives in the first quarter of next year
If pictures were to turn up on the Internet showing that Jaguar's halo car, the F-TYPE, has a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine underneath its bonnet, you'd be forced to think that the management team who came up with this idea should be shot twice in the head.
The existing V6 and V8 Jaguar F-TYPE cars, as many will agree, are an obnoxious bunch in the supercar realm and that Jaguar should keep it that way. Unsociably loud cars, after all, should be equipped with aggressively proud engines. You either go big with the F-TYPE, or you don't go with it at all.
But it seems we could all be wrong here.
What are you trying to say?
Jaguar will now have a downsized turbocharged 2.0-litre Ingenium in-line four engine for its F-TYPE. This move follows the footsteps of the car's direct rival - Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster.
According to Jaguar Land Rover, it's the most powerful 2.0-litre engine the carmaker has ever created, producing a healthy dose of 300bhp and 400Nm of torque right from the get-go via an eight-speed ZF torque converter auto. This allows the Jag to pierce through the air and smash the century sprint timing in just 5.4 seconds.
While the timing is half a second slower than the Porsche 718 Cayman, it's the fun-loving character of the F-TYPE that makes it so enjoyable to drive.
Happy-go-lucky
If anything, the F-TYPE that you see here is even more fun compared to its bigger siblings. This has largely to do with its drop in weight, an accurate steering and a crisp throttle response.
There is never a moment when you're uncertain if you're too close to the divider on your left or the grass patch to your right because the wide, low-slung sports car is so easy to place accurately on the road. More amusingly, the car responds to your every flick of the steering and every squeeze of your right foot, making every turn-in a joyous occasion.
The existing V6 and V8 Jaguar F-TYPE cars, as many will agree, are an obnoxious bunch in the supercar realm and that Jaguar should keep it that way. Unsociably loud cars, after all, should be equipped with aggressively proud engines. You either go big with the F-TYPE, or you don't go with it at all.
But it seems we could all be wrong here.
What are you trying to say?
Jaguar will now have a downsized turbocharged 2.0-litre Ingenium in-line four engine for its F-TYPE. This move follows the footsteps of the car's direct rival - Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster.
According to Jaguar Land Rover, it's the most powerful 2.0-litre engine the carmaker has ever created, producing a healthy dose of 300bhp and 400Nm of torque right from the get-go via an eight-speed ZF torque converter auto. This allows the Jag to pierce through the air and smash the century sprint timing in just 5.4 seconds.
While the timing is half a second slower than the Porsche 718 Cayman, it's the fun-loving character of the F-TYPE that makes it so enjoyable to drive.
Happy-go-lucky
If anything, the F-TYPE that you see here is even more fun compared to its bigger siblings. This has largely to do with its drop in weight, an accurate steering and a crisp throttle response.
There is never a moment when you're uncertain if you're too close to the divider on your left or the grass patch to your right because the wide, low-slung sports car is so easy to place accurately on the road. More amusingly, the car responds to your every flick of the steering and every squeeze of your right foot, making every turn-in a joyous occasion.
It's the sweet spot of the car's responsiveness to throttle inputs that makes the downsized F-TYPE such a blast, methinks. Unlike the 5.0-litre V8 variant, you'll never feel like there's a need to restrain your foot in fear of losing control of the car or breaking the law by breaching the speed limit within seconds.
Is the engine the only update?
Nope. The car sports refreshed looks with redesigned bumpers, full LED headlamps, and a new rectangular central exhaust tip - a design that's exclusive only for the 2.0-litre model. The bigger 5.0-litre and 3.0-litre variants sport quad exhausts and twin central exhausts respectively.
You're not being biased, are you?
Apart from being gorgeous, we'll be drop-dead honest here. We aren't being biased about the F-TYPE. The car isn't without its flaws, especially when you bring the Porsche 718 Cayman into the picture.
While the Jaguar lacks the delicacy and even the intimacy of a Porsche, it's the F-TYPE that somehow manages to offer more fun behind the wheel. It's like driving a no-nonsense, back to basics, characterful kind of car that sets it apart from pricier cars that offer more show than go.
We can also try and see things from a different point of view, whereby the 2.0-litre Ingenium engine in the F-TYPE was designed with efficiency as its main priority, without having to compromise on performance. And to an extent, Jaguar has succeeded because the car did not fail to put a smile on our faces.
This car will be available in Singapore in the first quarter of next year and it'll cost approximately $260k (excluding COE and options).
Is the engine the only update?
Nope. The car sports refreshed looks with redesigned bumpers, full LED headlamps, and a new rectangular central exhaust tip - a design that's exclusive only for the 2.0-litre model. The bigger 5.0-litre and 3.0-litre variants sport quad exhausts and twin central exhausts respectively.
You're not being biased, are you?
Apart from being gorgeous, we'll be drop-dead honest here. We aren't being biased about the F-TYPE. The car isn't without its flaws, especially when you bring the Porsche 718 Cayman into the picture.
While the Jaguar lacks the delicacy and even the intimacy of a Porsche, it's the F-TYPE that somehow manages to offer more fun behind the wheel. It's like driving a no-nonsense, back to basics, characterful kind of car that sets it apart from pricier cars that offer more show than go.
We can also try and see things from a different point of view, whereby the 2.0-litre Ingenium engine in the F-TYPE was designed with efficiency as its main priority, without having to compromise on performance. And to an extent, Jaguar has succeeded because the car did not fail to put a smile on our faces.
This car will be available in Singapore in the first quarter of next year and it'll cost approximately $260k (excluding COE and options).
