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2018 Jaguar F-Type Brings 4-Cylinder Engine to Nurburgring, Prototype Sounds Meh

April 2017 will forever be remembered as the month when the Jaguar F-Type went down the four-cylinder route. And, despite Coventry having already unveiled the turbo-four incarnation of its sportscar, a prototype has been spotted testing on the Nurburgring earlier this week.
2018 Jaguar F-Type turbo-four on Nurburgring 4 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
2018 Jaguar F-Type turbo-four on Nurburgring2018 Jaguar F-Type turbo-four on Nurburgring2018 Jaguar F-Type turbo-four on Nurburgring
Naturally, anybody coming across the footage of the turbo-four Jag running around non-naked (the camo is still on) on the Ring will want to put the popcorn down and pay attention to the soundtrack of the thing.

We'll have to throw a spoiler at you and mention that we weren't kidding in the title - the prototype really does sound "meh".

However, it's too early to fret, as we should wait for the first real-world video (think: no Jaguar production involved) of the new entry-level 2018 Jaguar F-Type before jumping to conclusions.

For one thing, the newcomer sounds considerably meaner in the official clip that sees the sportscar turning to shenanigans inside the factory.

And, if we factor in the menacing growl of any F-Type derivative in the line-up, be it a V6 or a V8 animal, we're expecting a sweet aural experience from the production version of the four-banger - Jaguar has no reason to miss the chance of adding dB make-up.

As most of you already know, the new Ingenium 2.0-liter turbo-four is quite a potent mill, delivering 300 ponies and 295 lb-ft of twist. The unit is able to push the car to 60 mph in the same 5.4s time as the 340 hp base version of the supercharged 3.0-liter V6, while its top speed is just 7 mph lower than that of the V model.

The explanation comes from that that the peak torque of the four-cylinder powerplant is delivered at 1,500 rpm, while the heart surgery has made the machine a massive 115 lbs lighter, while boosting official efficiency numbers by 16 percent.

Now that the original turbo-four diesel Ingenium engine has been joined by the gas mill discussed above, we're looking forward to the straight-six members of the family.

You see, Jaguar's supercharged V6s were built by removing two cylinders from the company's aging V8 engine design, so the new inline-sixes can't come soon enough.

If the rumors are true, Jaguar will borrow Mercedes-Benz's yet-unrevealed straight-six gas units, while possible engine deal could also see the Big Cat introducing the three-pointed star's 2.9-liter straight-six diesels, which have debuted on the 2018 S-Class.

Fortunately, we should get to find out if the rumors are true by the end of the year.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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