Jaguar’s F-Type first appeared here with a trio of supercharged engines in mid-2013. What was surprising to many enthusiasts was that Jaguar chose to launch the F-Type first as a convertible, and not a coupe as it had done with the car’s famous ancestor, the E-Type.
Sales-wise, however, that proved to be the right decision from Jaguar, and over the next two years the F-Type was South Africa’s top-selling sports car. Given their popularity and their lengthy sales run, there are many quality F-Types for sale on our site. Click on New and Used Jaguar F-Type to check out some 70 examples on AutoTrader.
The coupe version debuted in 2014 and was again a big hit. Jaguar claimed that its body shell was some 80 per cent stiffer than that on the roadster, which in fact had been acclaimed for its rigidity in early road tests, despite lacking the additional stiffening of a steel roof.
The F-Type engine evolution
Jaguar already had an existing formidable line-up of perol engines to use in the F-Type sports car, with these having been configured for duty in the XF and XJ sedans and also in the Gran Turismo XK. At launch in 2013, the engines ranged from the 250 kW supercharged V6 in standard form to a 280 kW V6 in S form. Then there was the V8 S, with a 5,0-litre supercharged V8 producing 364 kW and 625 Nm.
Hairy V8 power for the top F-Types
The following year, in 2014, Jaguar’s coupe was launched, and the V8 engine in the new closed-top car saw its power rise to 405 kW in the F-Type R Coupe. Not all enthusiasts welcomed this big hike in power (up some 41 kW from the V8 used in the V8 S convertible). There was a feeling then that the 280 kW V6 F-type had the best balance of power-to-road-grip, and that things could already get a bit hairy in the 364 kW V8 S.
Perhaps in line with this thinking, Jaguar’s next trick was to launch the all-wheel-drive SVR model with an increase in power to 423 kW (not to mention some 700 Nm of torque). The all-wheel-drive system could now contain all that V8 muscle in the SVR. And since then, all-wheel-drive has been introduced on V6 models too.
Back to basics with a 4-cylinder version
Sensibly, Jaguar hasn’t continued to try and top its German sports car rivals in an endless horsepower race. Perhaps being mindful that the original more modestly-powered V6 was largely responsible for the F-Type’s initial acceptance as a sports car rather than a supercar wannabe, in 2018 Jaguar announced a new entry-level model available in both convertible and coupe format. This new entry-level model uses the excellent 221 kW turbocharged 4-cylinder Ingenium engine, measuring 2,0-litres. What we discovered at the launch is that the lighter engine imparts a fantastic handling balance to the car. For a good read check out our Review: Jaguar F-Type Coupé 221 kW.
Which engine is best?
Deciding which engine is best will depend on what sort of enthusiast you are. If care-free sports car motoring and handling balance top your priorities, then you should probably look no further than the 4-cylinder model. It has more than enough grunt, delivering a sub-6-second 0-100 km/h time and a 250 km/h top speed, so it can hardly be called pedestrian. The 4-cylinder models are designated as the P300 versions in the latest Jaguar line-up
But if engine-sound quality is important to you, then you will enjoy the soulful internal-combustion music that is the province of the V6 version, now known as the P380 in the recently-rationalised Jaguar F-Type line up. There are many enthusiasts who rate the V6 sound above that of a V8, and with 280 kW on tap in the P380 version, a 0-100 km/h time of under 5-seconds is on the cards. It is also worth bearing in mind that Jaguar now also offers the P380 with all-wheel-drive.
No rear-wheel-drive V8s available in the latest line-up
The V8 versions are no longer available in rear-wheel-drive form. It seems customer feedback made Jaguar re-think its V8 models, which were always on the hairy side without the stability provided by power-sharing between the front and rear axles.
In the latest simplified model line-up, the supercharged V8 comes only in 423 kW form in the R P575 Coupe or R P575 Convertible, and both these cars have all-wheel-drive. The R P575 Coupe boasts a 3,7-second 0-100 km/h time and a top speed of 300 km/h.
As for the engine, well, there is a Godzilla-like quality to a raucous V8 that one never gets tired of. If you are the type who likes to live right on the edge, and announce your intentions in the loudest voice, the V8 takes some beating.
Our choice?
Considering all the pros and cons, we would probably go for the V6 in P380 rear-wheel-drive form (this was essentially the original F-Type V6 S 280 kW configuration). It’s plenty fast enough, it sounds wonderful, and the 280 kW output doesn’t actually need all-wheel-drive to keep it on the straight and narrow. What’s more it’s still reasonably priced in the F-Type scheme of things.
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