Jaguar first revealed the latest take on the much-loved E-Type in 2012. The event was the international motor show in Paris and the production F-Type was a considered product preventing any retro references to its predecessor while still commemorating its spirit. And it was a sensation for the marque. Jaguar Land Rover was just been purchased by Tata Motors and the new F-Type, with its bold sporty surfaces, made a clear statement as to what to expect from the marque.
Seven years after and Jaguar reveals a new F-Type. This is the first production car to be introduced under the design directorship of Julian Thomson, who replaced from Ian Callum previously this year. “Jaguar has been making sports cars for over 70 years and that rich heritage has inspired the team to create something truly extraordinary,” he states of the new car. It is, he feels, “more dramatic than ever, with even greater clarity of purpose in every line, surface, and feature, and embodies true Jaguar design DNA.”
There are no shocking statements being made with the 2020 F-Type, though. Instead, the whole design theme remains nearly unmodified, with the more visibly sculpted surfaces and new clamshell bonnet bringing a little visual length to the vehicle. There are flush, deployable door handles and air vents; the grille has been made bigger to include the logo and hexagonal cell design with gloss black facings and satin finish inner surfaces. Visual width is also improved through a new clear front bumper design and slender rear LEDs, which come after a similar style to the electric I-Pace.
Exterior design director, Adam Hatton, describes that his task was more about refining the present car. “Our aim was to make the car more contemporary, more purposeful and even more dramatic,” he states.
The driver-focused interior provides the combination of premium sporty materials you would expect of a modern Jaguar and with some more details, including monogram stitching on the seats and door trim. There are lightweight slimline seats – available in sport and performance design – modified 12.3-inch interactive driver display, Meridian audio, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto.
Sportier R-Dynamic models receive a little extra attention: layered J aero-blades, which nod to the racing influence, but also assist to guide the airflow more cleanly around the front of the vehicle. They showcase gloss black bezels around the apertures, making the car attractive while aero strakes serve to further decrease drag. The apertures showcase a mesh pattern matched to the cells in the grille on all F-Types.
There is a new 450ps supercharged V8 model revealed here on rear-and all-wheel drive cars, including the three engine – 300ps turbocharged four-cylinder and 450ps and 575ps V8s – all include active exhaust systems, which are switchable either as an alternative or as standard. The distinctive F-Type “crackle-and-pop” has been retained, but is tuned to suit the range of four and eight-cylinder engines. The two more powerful V8s take advantage of the “quiet start” function: the electrically-actuated bypass valves in the rear silencer are still closed until they automatically open up under load on the open road.
The new Jaguar F-Type will be available in 2020 and is going to cost from £54,000 ($71,000).
