62 EDITION 198 JAGUAR MAGAZINE
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EVERY JAGUAR ENGINEER AND AUTHORISED FACTORY DRIVER WE
have spoken to has told us the four and six cylinder F-Types are their favourite
version of that svelte Jaguar sports car.
That is without exception, and the question was asked at various places and of
different people. To a person, and without prompting, each one concluded the
lighter engine makes for a better balanced performance specific model. Sure you
won't get the same wild punch in the back as an ultimate SVO F-Type, and we all
get a little giddy hearing that alluring supercharged V8 roar. It comes at a price, of
course, and to be honest, if we owned one we would never treat it like a racing car.
When James Scrimshaw at Jaguar told us he was sending a new P360 four cylinder
F-Type Coupé, we didn't come close to anticipating what the model would deliver.
Additionally, it is quite astounding value for money - and few out there will realise it
is the best priced F-Type in the range! Read that as 'cheapest'.
Okay, our press car had brutishly handsome 20" wheels and glistening metallic
paintwork, but even without those it is difficult to separate its looks from the SVO - to
innocent observers anyway.
Money no object? Get an AWD V8. The SVR is undoubtedly the maddest, most
exciting F-Type of all, but the similar R has nice subtle styling with the SVR’s huge
wing removed.
But there isn’t a bad F-Type. The V8s sound is its point of addiction, the V6s are
more precise to drive, and the four-cylinder is as approachable and trustworthy as
F-Types get. There’s an alluring novelty to driving a big wide four cylinder Jaguar as
hard as you can push this one.
The F-Type’s dashboard layout has resisted ageing well. Six years on from its
debut, its cowled dials, joystick gear selector and fancy air conditioner dials are all as
much fun to look at and operate as they were at launch. Jaguar’s continued product
improvement - each model gets a light technical up-date every year - means the
touchscreen system is now intuitive and class competitive.
The Coupé is probably a better ownership proposition for us than the Convertible,
especially if it is your only car. No longer will you have to strategically pack for a
trip away. There’s much more usable boot space, and how often would you have the
roof down anyway?
One of the prettiest cars on sale is also one of the most charismatic. If you love
the looks, this would be a brilliant everyday sports car. Especially if you spec it with
all-wheel drive.
It’s now a Jaguar with broader appeal than ever, rivalling everything from a'WHEN JAMES SCRIMSHAW AT JAGUAR TOLD
US HE WAS SENDING A NEW P360 FOUR
CYLINDER F-TYPE COUPÉ, WE DIDN'T COME
CLOSE TO ANTICIPATING WHAT THE MODEL
WOULD DELIVER'02
03
01
01 The F-Type Coupé is a stand-out in terms of looks and has
improved with age. 02 Our Road Test Editor at work - tough job!
03 We believe this is the best angle to view the Coupé, but it is
hard to capture the size of the rear mudguards with a camera.