Jaguar F-Type 2.0 Review
Far from being underpowered, this could be the best-balanced F
By Shahzad Sheikh
Click below now to watch my Jaguar F-Type 2.0 Review
This is the 2018 Jaguar F-Type in 2.0-litre guise – but don’t you dare grown and click off the page! I get it, it’s not a V6 or a V8, but you’d be missing out big time if you dismissed this car.
First of all – just look at it. It’s gorgeous. Nicely proportioned, realistic every day dimensions, classic coupe profile, sexy curves and a premium presence. Put a sub 1.0-litre three-cylinder in this and it’ll still look the business.
In fact this has got 300bhp turbocharged engine under that bonnet – let’s put that into some context, that’s more than the 6.0-litre V12 that sat in the old Jaguar XJS.
And with an all-aluminum chassis the F-Type 2.0’s weight at 1525kg is about 200kg lighter.
The F-Type also has 259lb ft of torque and it good for 0-100kph in 5.7 seconds which is only about half a second slower than the next model up – the 340bhp V6.
It’s rear-wheel with an open differential and brake torque vectoring. An 8-speed ZF auto with paddleshifts looks after the ratios.
It’s priced from AED245,805 ($67k) but as ever this press car was optioned up to the gills and weighs in at AED309,540.
A fixed rear spoiler, keyless entry, parking sensors and rear camera, dual climate control and air quality sensor, panoramic sunroof, driver’s aid package and SVR-style body design pack helps add to that.
And frankly you want some of those options. I would. So either prepare to stump up the extra or – top tip – wait till it hits the approved pre-owned programme and buy it through that!
Fortunately standard kit includes LED headlights, rear parking sensors, power seats, cruise control, stop/start, electronic brake-force distribution, 6 airbags and 8-inch infotainment screen.
This was finished in Ultra Blue with, get this, ‘Jet Interior with Suede Cloth / Bond Grain Trim’ and 20-inch diamond turned alloy wheels.
Forget all that though, what you really want to know is what’s it like to drive? Well let’s sum it up right here at the beginning by putting it into context against its brothers.
Put it this way, if the V8 is a mad musclecar, and the V6 is a sublime grand tourer, then this four cylinder is a sportscar.
That becomes apparent the moment you set off on it. The roarty motor, especially in sports mode, barks and screams as you slam your foot, and then crackles and pops as you suddenly lift off again realising that you didn’t need to give it everything.
As it rips down the road, you feel it – it’s lighter. And that translates to eagerness, a sense of agility and less apprehension at manhandling too much mass at speed.
You get to work at it. Focus on the torque and the gear changes, keep the momentum up, it’s no slouch but you can’t rely on power and torque like more muscular cars.
On the other hand you get to dig deep into that Ingenium motor’s heart and find its true metal.
In this lithe body, that means the power neither underwhelms nor overwhelms the chassis or the driver, it’s perfectly judged, and lends the car a usable balance that perhaps even its mightier siblings can’t promise.
What that means is that you can really play with this car, chuck it around hard, knowing that the turn-in will be sharp but the rear will grip – although if you provoke it, there is enough force here to break traction at your command – if you’ve pressed the right buttons first of course.
So take it to your favourite challenging road and you’ll be giggling by the end of your run, and won’t have frightened yourself either!
Around town, it’s equally satisfying. It not in-yer-face, it’s not too loud or brash, it gets admiring glances, it earns respect, it doesn’t annoy and it makes you feel good.
Plus it’s got ideal city-slicking dimensions for a sports car – slightly wider and taller than a Porsche 911, the Jag is actually shorter.
Plus of course, if you wish, you can drive it economically and exploit the very handy 7.9L/100km fuel economy it can achieve according to manufacturer figures.
Quite frankly then, this Jag – life most of them – will win you over with its obvious attributes and sheer charm.
It’s a delightful and desirable coupe, and in a market where there isn’t a huge choice of glamorous two-doors, that puts it in a strong position.
Few will really know whether you’ve got a V8, V6 or the four-pot, and you’ll simply not care. I’d have one for sure.
See also Jaguar F-Type convertible V6 S review here
See also Jaguar F-Type V6 340bhp review here
