Photo: Andrei Nedelea/Jaguar for autoevolution
Mercedes-Benz has the four-door AMG GT 4-Door, Aston Martin makes the Rapide and Porsche has the Panamera, so why shouldn’t Jaguar have such a model of its own.
And the recently refreshed F-Type seems like a good starting point, at least from a design standpoint. Unlike the Mercedes-AMG and the Porsche, though, this four-door coupe Jag would probably just be a stretched version of the two-door model, which is what Aston Martin chose to do when it created the Rapide.
In fact, the Rapide is quite unique in that it is built on the stretched underpinnings of the DB11, whereas other coupe-like four-door models from other manufacturers are the same underneath as more run of the mill offerings (just wrapped in sexier sheet metal). And since Jaguar is also a British automaker, it could go down the same path.
But the way I see it, it would be wise if the automaker represented by the leaping big cat logo could add its own twist to the formula. Instead of making its four-door F-Type-based offering a sedan, it could make it more of a fastback or shooting brake body style - only Porsche offers such a model right now, so there’s definitely room for competition.
With this in mind, I proceeded to stretch the facelifted F-Type by around 50 centimeters and I stretched the roof all the way to the rear. My initial plan was to make it a sedan-like model, but after comparing that version with the one you see in the gallery, I went for the latter because there are fewer such models for sale and it also looked better in my book.
Jaguar uses the D6a all-aluminum platform to underpin the F-Type, and it can be stretched to accommodate a different (and longer) body. The same platform underpins the David Brown Speedback, an Aston Martin-inspired grand tourer that actually has a longer wheelbase than the F-Type and this translates into a considerably longer vehicle (partly due to its larger front and rear overhangs).
It would therefore make sense to make this four-door model on the same underpinnings to keep it feeling like a sports car. Being behind the wheel of the F-Type certainly feels more special than being behind the wheel of an XE or an XF. Sure, it would probably be easier for Jaguar to engineer a more rakish body around the D7a platform (that underpins everything from the XE to the Range Rover Velar), but this F-Type-based approach would result in a cooler car.
As of 2015, the F-Type became available with all-wheel drive, and I think this further validates using this platform instead of the sedan one (because you expect a car like this to have all-wheel drive). Regarding engine choices, I think this four-door F-Type could come with all the same engines, except for the weakest of them all, the four-cylinder.
Now I’m not sure Jaguar has ever considered making such a model, but it would certainly end up selling more F-Types if it launched it. And since other manufacturers have deemed it a worthy effort to go about creating one, then there clearly is a market for such cars.
Would you like Jaguar to build a four-door fastback F-Type? I certainly would, and if it did, that car would immediately shoot close to the top of my automotive wishlist. Just the idea of having a coupe-like four-door from Jaguar is an enticing prospect for me - even more so than owning the F-Type coupe, because this four-door would add a whole lot more practicality to the package.
You’d fold down the rear seats, throw a couple of mountain bikes in the back, then drive up some twisty mountain road to reach your desired bike riding destination. You would not only have fun doing so, but you’d also look good in the process.
In fact, the Rapide is quite unique in that it is built on the stretched underpinnings of the DB11, whereas other coupe-like four-door models from other manufacturers are the same underneath as more run of the mill offerings (just wrapped in sexier sheet metal). And since Jaguar is also a British automaker, it could go down the same path.
But the way I see it, it would be wise if the automaker represented by the leaping big cat logo could add its own twist to the formula. Instead of making its four-door F-Type-based offering a sedan, it could make it more of a fastback or shooting brake body style - only Porsche offers such a model right now, so there’s definitely room for competition.
With this in mind, I proceeded to stretch the facelifted F-Type by around 50 centimeters and I stretched the roof all the way to the rear. My initial plan was to make it a sedan-like model, but after comparing that version with the one you see in the gallery, I went for the latter because there are fewer such models for sale and it also looked better in my book.
Jaguar uses the D6a all-aluminum platform to underpin the F-Type, and it can be stretched to accommodate a different (and longer) body. The same platform underpins the David Brown Speedback, an Aston Martin-inspired grand tourer that actually has a longer wheelbase than the F-Type and this translates into a considerably longer vehicle (partly due to its larger front and rear overhangs).
It would therefore make sense to make this four-door model on the same underpinnings to keep it feeling like a sports car. Being behind the wheel of the F-Type certainly feels more special than being behind the wheel of an XE or an XF. Sure, it would probably be easier for Jaguar to engineer a more rakish body around the D7a platform (that underpins everything from the XE to the Range Rover Velar), but this F-Type-based approach would result in a cooler car.
As of 2015, the F-Type became available with all-wheel drive, and I think this further validates using this platform instead of the sedan one (because you expect a car like this to have all-wheel drive). Regarding engine choices, I think this four-door F-Type could come with all the same engines, except for the weakest of them all, the four-cylinder.
Now I’m not sure Jaguar has ever considered making such a model, but it would certainly end up selling more F-Types if it launched it. And since other manufacturers have deemed it a worthy effort to go about creating one, then there clearly is a market for such cars.
Would you like Jaguar to build a four-door fastback F-Type? I certainly would, and if it did, that car would immediately shoot close to the top of my automotive wishlist. Just the idea of having a coupe-like four-door from Jaguar is an enticing prospect for me - even more so than owning the F-Type coupe, because this four-door would add a whole lot more practicality to the package.
You’d fold down the rear seats, throw a couple of mountain bikes in the back, then drive up some twisty mountain road to reach your desired bike riding destination. You would not only have fun doing so, but you’d also look good in the process.
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