While most automakers launch a coupe first and then a convertible, Jaguar did the opposite.
Introduced at the 2013 Los Angeles Motor Show, the Jaguar F-TYPE Coupe is the next chapter in the British marque's sports car renaissance, following less than a year after the successful debut of its convertible version.
We spent some quality time with the F-TYPE Convertible last year, and while that car in both V6 S and V8 S flavours delivered some pretty divine open-top motoring that sought to define future Jaguar cars, we were anxious to get behind the wheel of a F-TYPE Coupe to see if the hard-top's added rigidity will translate to a substantially more capable car.
Exterior
If the F-TYPE Coupe was female, it would quite possibly take the crown of the most beautiful and vivacious woman of 2014.
Taking nothing away from the lovely F-TYPE Convertible, the coupe's plunging roofline - accentuated by the beautifully drawn rear glass - and flared hips offer a testosterone boost.
Thanks to a nifty piece of engineering work that makes the roof pillars structural, the F-TYPE Coupe also gets a beautiful unbroken profile.
Complemented by delicate and ravishing lines, this car is extremely capable of grabbing anyone's attention, be it rolling to a stop at the lights or cruising along the streets.
Measuring 4,470mm x 2,042mm x 1,321mm (L x W x H), the range-topping F-TYPE Coupe R here is 119mm wider and 13mm taller than its equivalent soft-top brethren.
The added dimensions allow the coupe to look more muscular and aggressive yet elegant at the same time, achieving more road presence than the convertible.
Interior
Anyone who has been in the convertible will find the cabin of the coupe instantly familiar.
The interior is as well-appointed as it is cosseting, offering a real sense of occasion - with sumptuous performance seats and soft double-stitched premium leather as well as other high-quality materials lining everything from the doors to the dash and headlining.
Although the cabin's all typical F-TYPE, the fixed roof of the coupe makes you feel cocooned and more compact compared to the convertible. But thanks to a driver-oriented design, visibility is still excellent and access to all the user-friendly controls on the centre console is uncomplicated.
Anyone who has been in the convertible will find the cabin of the coupe instantly familiar.
The interior is as well-appointed as it is cosseting, offering a real sense of occasion - with sumptuous performance seats and soft double-stitched premium leather as well as other high-quality materials lining everything from the doors to the dash and headlining.
Although the cabin's all typical F-TYPE, the fixed roof of the coupe makes you feel cocooned and more compact compared to the convertible. But thanks to a driver-oriented design, visibility is still excellent and access to all the user-friendly controls on the centre console is uncomplicated.
But more importantly, what the cockpit does best is to allow both the driver and passenger to feel at ease as they settle in, making this sports car an everyday companion.
Not having to store a soft-top also allows for additional boot space in the F-TYPE Coupe and if a road trip has been planned, the 407-litre cargo area is large enough for a couple of luggage.
The Drive
Underneath the F-TYPE Coupe R's beautifully sculpted bodywork sits a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine in charge of sending all its might - 543bhp and 680Nm of torque - to the rear wheels.
The engine's partner in crime is none other than Jaguar's eight-speed automatic transmission. It's silky smooth in automatic mode and works exceptionally well in semi-automatic mode too, which helps to fully showcase the ability of the powerplant.
The combination also results in a car that accelerates with staggering ferocity. Using half throttle is frightening enough and a full-blooded acceleration in this car is quite impossible to achieve, given the traffic conditions and rules on this little red dot of ours.
Aside from its speed and its looks, another standout feature of the car is its sound. But as coupes are naturally better insulated than their drop-top siblings, you may have to wind down the windows to get the best deal.
What is similar though is that on the outside, you will be able to hear the car from almost a HDB block away. In addition, the noise the F-TYPE Coupe R makes on the overrun can sound like a series of gunshots and can potentially frighten pedestrians and other motorists (a Halloween car maybe?).
Underneath the F-TYPE Coupe R's beautifully sculpted bodywork sits a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine in charge of sending all its might - 543bhp and 680Nm of torque - to the rear wheels.
The engine's partner in crime is none other than Jaguar's eight-speed automatic transmission. It's silky smooth in automatic mode and works exceptionally well in semi-automatic mode too, which helps to fully showcase the ability of the powerplant.
The combination also results in a car that accelerates with staggering ferocity. Using half throttle is frightening enough and a full-blooded acceleration in this car is quite impossible to achieve, given the traffic conditions and rules on this little red dot of ours.
Aside from its speed and its looks, another standout feature of the car is its sound. But as coupes are naturally better insulated than their drop-top siblings, you may have to wind down the windows to get the best deal.
What is similar though is that on the outside, you will be able to hear the car from almost a HDB block away. In addition, the noise the F-TYPE Coupe R makes on the overrun can sound like a series of gunshots and can potentially frighten pedestrians and other motorists (a Halloween car maybe?).
On the roads, the F-TYPE Coupe R feels composed and incredibly light on its feet - seemingly more agile and lighter than its equivalent convertible counterpart, despite weighing just 15kg less.
While the drop-top was a super drive, the F-TYPE Coupe R takes things to another level. It's a staggering 80 percent stiffer than the F-TYPE Convertible and turns in and handles better as a result.
Conclusion
The F-TYPE Coupe R is a bona fide head-turner and gives up nothing in terms of charm for the sake of a hard-top silhouette. At the same time, it features a tantalising blend of being a beastly beauty with scary speed.
With the F-TYPE Coupe, Jaguar's renaissance accelerates into hyperdrive and if the F-TYPE Convertible was the car that will define Jaguar in years to come, this is the one that will redefine it all over again.
