This improved model gets a smarter front end, upgraded infotainment, an extra four cylinder engine option and a clever ‘ReRun’ app that gives owners high quality video with real-time performance data. Let’s check this car out in convertible form.
There are now three main engines available to power the F-TYPE, a 2.0-litre four cylinder unit with 300PS, a 3.0-litre supercharged V6 and a 5.0-litre V8.
Even the 2.0-litre variant has quite a turn of speed, managing 60mph in just 5.4s en route to 155mph. Many though, will continue to desire the silky roar of the supercharged V6, these days available with either 340, 380 or 400PS.
The 380 and 400PS models get the option of AWD. With the 340 and 380PS variants, buyers can choose between manual and quickshift auto transmission; with the ‘400 Sport’, its quickshift only. You’ll also be limited to the auto ‘box if you opt for one of the 5.0-litre V8 models – and these potent variants only come with AWD.
The F-TYPE R gets this powerplant in 550PS form, while the flagship SVR derivative uses this engine with 575PS on tap. Got all that? I’ll be asking questions later.
You’re going to want to lower the fabric roof to better hear these engines of course – a process that can be accomplished in just 12s at speeds of up to 30mph – but once you do, you won’t be disappointed.
Personally, I usually like my automotive sound effects to come from the engine rather than, as here, the tailpipes at the back, but even I have to admit that this car hums an addictive tune.
Whichever variant you choose, performance is striking. Even the feeblest 340PS model makes 62mph from rest in just 5.7s, while the V8 F-TYPE R covers that sprint in just 4.2s.
As before, the 380PS F-TYPE variant most buyers choose gets a mechanical limited-slip differential, while the V8 gets an electronic item.
Across the range, you get an all-aluminium chassis, double wishbone front suspension and a multi-link-suspended rear.
The visual changes made to this improved model are small, but significant, centring mostly on a front end now embellished by full-LED headlights that sit above a re-styled bumper.
Jaguar’s distinctive J-Blade daytime running lights are retained, and these now double as the direction indicators, with the lamp’s ‘eyelid’ indexing with the bonnet’s cutline to further accentuate the lights’ multi-layered graphics.
Otherwise, it’s as you were. Aesthetically, there are some lovely details, such as the pop-out door handles and the single flying buttress that swoops down from one side of the centre console. Then there’s the neatly- styled gear selector, the giant TFT display in the dash and the deep-set driving position.
The roof is a multi-layered fabric affair with a thick Thinsulate lining and doesn’t need a panel or a tonneau cover to smooth it over when stowed. Instead, the top section of the roof itself keeps everything looking tidy.
Unlike a metal top of course, it doesn’t rob you of bootspace when it’s down. Which is just as well, because there isn’t much. The 196-litre boot is one of the relatively few things that might make you think twice about this car.
This Convertible F-TYPE bodystyle commands a premium of around £5,500 over its Coupe counterpart, which seems a bit steep. That means that prices start at around £57,000 for the base 340PS model, but you’ll need a budget of around £66,000 if you want the pokier 380PS powerplant. There’s a premium of around £1,700 if you want quickshift automatic transmission. The auto-only F-TYPE R Convertible models start at around £92,000 and if you want the top SVR variant, think in terms of around £115,000.
All F-TYPE models now get full-LED headlights, plus a more sophisticated ‘Touch Pro’ infotainment system which includes online services such as real-time traffic and live weather reports.
Even the entry-level variant gets sports suspension, 18-inch alloy wheels and sports seats with leather and suede-cloth. And buyers can also expect features like USB, auxiliary and iPod connections, a rear parking aid, climate control, six-way electrically adjustable sports seats, Bluetooth, a DAB radio and Jaguar’s clever Pedestrian Contact System.
When it comes to economy and emissions, the automatic 2.0-litre 300PS RWD F-TYPE records 39.2mpg on the combined cycle and emits 163g/km of carbon dioxide. With the 340PS V6, the figures are 33.6mpg and 199g/km. Go for a manual model and those figures are significantly worse, at 28.8mpg and 234g/km respectively.
Jaguar is a company that has, in the past, demonstrated an uncanny ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
When we first drove the F-TYPE, we wondered how they’d manage to shoot themselves in the foot with base material that good. But they didn’t. The pricing was well-judged, the promotion spot-on and the car has, fingers crossed, appeared well screwed together. It’s a case study in doing things right and the latest models only serve to underscore that fact.
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