Jaguar has just revealed the revised F-Type, which underwent some nip and tuck to compete against the younger sports cars coming out of Japan, Germany or America.
Immediately, we want to say that the facelift is amazing. We might not be dealing with the lightest or fastest 2-seater in the world, but it triggers a fantastic emotional response. If the Toyota Supra is too fussy for you and mid-engined machines aren't phallic enough (as in the hood is too short), the new F-Type should be on your Christmas list.
But what's so new about it? Well, let's start with the face. Its headlights have turned into narrow slits through which LED light now shines at standard, whereas the old model had a sort of geometric teardrop flowing onto the wing. Optionally, you can have matrix LED lights that won't dazzle oncoming drivers, another first for the model.
The grille is now wider and has a different patter, while the side intakes have been revised as well. Jaguar has also changed the shape of the vents in the hood, at least on this hardcore R model. Around the rear, they've done very little with the bumper, but made the taillights more geometric.
The details make this facelift so nice. Fans of the brand will notice the leaper integrated into the side badges, the monogram pattern in both sets of lights or the etched exhaust.
Like the headlights, the interior will remind a few folks of Audi. That's because the new 12.3-inch digital instruments have a few menus with a hint of TT or R8. Of course, the Germans don't have a claim on round rev counters in the middle with info on either side, but they brought it out about... four or five years ago. Right?
The center stack now sports new 10.2-inch infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, but the rest of the cabin is largely unchanged. So what about the engines? Well, there's much less stuff happening on that front.
The base unit is still a 2-liter inline-4 turbo with 300 hp (292-hp in America or 296bhp) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. This can get you to 100 km/h (62mph) in 5.4 seconds.
Things get complicated after that as, in Europe, the V6 engines have all been killed off while the 5-liter supercharged V8 lives on. The F-Type R now makes 575 hp (566bhp) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque, the same as the old but more expensive SVR and able to do 100 km/h in about 3.5 seconds. New to the range is the P450 with as much power as the name implies from a de-tuned 5-liter engine.
America, meanwhile, won't get the P450 but will instead have a P380 with the supercharged V6 and standard AWD. The P340 is gone and won't be missed.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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