Vincent Harry
The engine used in this model is a 296 horsepower 2.0-liter engine, the older Jaguar F-Type entry-level model featuring the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine that produced 340bhp – but the top-spec versions back then used Jag’s 5.0-liter V8.
This model got its first facelift in 2017 when Jaguar also fitted a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine for the first time.
Now the V6 has the chop, but the V8s with either 444 bhp or 567 bhp (both supercharged) are still available.
As is the 296 bhp 2.0-liter engine which is in the coupe we’re testing.
At 70.800 USD, it’s the cheapest F-Type you can buy. And one of the nicest.
Of course, you don’t get the V8’s firepower or its car chase sound effects, but you do get a car quick enough for the road and cheaper to run and buy.
And one, thanks to a saving of 120kg, that handles better too.
The designers have taken a knife to the Jag’s front – but the cosmetic work is quite subtle even though a few things have changed.
A bonnet is the new addition to this car and has more of a clamshell shape to its edges – and the headlamps are slimmer allowing a wider and deeper front intake.
The effect of the changes is to make the car look longer and wider even though it isn’t.
Inside, there’s not been a drastic change either. The 10-inch infotainment screen is Jaguar’s latest system and there’s a new 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
As infotainment goes, the system isn’t the easiest or clearest to use but at least you get old-fashioned knobs for adjusting heating and ventilation.
In the interior, we find seats and covers made out of good enough materials for a 70.800 USD car, but you’d start to moan if you’d paid 127.400 USD for the top-of-the-range version.
Most of the hard plastics are hidden out of sight and certainly out of reach.
The test car used was fitted with 12-way heated seats at an extra 1.755 USD which are supremely comfy.
The four-cylinder engine doesn’t sound brilliant and the eight-speed automatic gearbox (you can’t buy a manual F-Type any more) is a bit clunky at times. There’s plenty of power though and torque with it.
You get these drives sometimes where everything just falls into place, you’re in the right mood and in this case, in the right car.
But the fat end of 72 grand is still too much as that puts the F-Type dangerously into Porsche Cayman territory. The options on buying such a beast are either paying up-front or getting a lease on it.
Early cars are about to break into the teens and probably will have done so after the next few troubled months.
2021 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe – Photo Gallery
