The 2018 Model Year Jaguar F‑TYPE features visual enhancements to give the sports car an even more powerful presence. Redesigned bumpers, together with optional full LED headlights enhance the F‑TYPE’s award‑winning design and provide greater differentiation between each model in the range.

At the rear the four‑cylinder model features a unique single tailpipe finisher to distinguish it from the twin central exhausts and quad outboard exhausts of the V6 and V8 models. Lightweight 18‑inch wheels also identify the latest addition to the line‑up, and help to minimise unsprung mass, contributing to the enhanced ride and handling.

The changes to the F‑TYPE’s interior, including lightweight slimline seats, Touch Pro infotainment system and new chrome and aluminium trim finishers, heighten the driver‑focused feel. A sleek frameless rearview mirror adds another contemporary touch.

The new F‑TYPE range also offers a wider range of advanced driver assistance systems underpinned by the integration of a highly sophisticated forward‑facing stereo camera. These systems help to improve safety and reduce driver workload, and include Autonomous Emergency Braking and Lane Departure Warning as standard, and optional Lane Keep Assist, Traffic Sign Recognition, Adaptive Speed Limiter and Driver Condition Monitor.

The new F‑TYPE range consists of:

F‑TYPE Coupé and Convertible:
300PS 2.0‑litre four‑cylinder; Quickshift RWD
340PS 3.0‑litre V6; Quickshift RWD/ manual RWD
380PS 3.0‑litre V6; Quickshift; RWD/ AWD, manual RWD

F‑TYPE R‑Dynamic Coupé and Convertible:
300PS 2.0‑litre four‑cylinder; Quickshift RWD
340PS 3.0‑litre V6; Quickshift RWD/ manual RWD
380PS 3.0‑litre V6; Quickshift; RWD/ AWD, manual RWD

F‑TYPE 400 SPORT Coupé and Convertible:
400PS 3.0‑litre V6; Quickshift RWD/ AWD

F‑TYPE R Coupé and Convertible:
550PS 5.0‑litre V8; Quickshift AWD

F‑TYPE SVR Coupé and Convertible:
575PS 5.0‑litre V8; Quickshift AWD

POWERTRAIN

Jaguar Land Rover’s new 2.0‑litre 300PS Ingenium petrol engine is the most powerful four‑cylinder engine that the company has ever produced. Featuring a suite of state‑of‑the‑art technologies, it delivers exceptional performance, refinement and efficiency

The powerful all‑aluminium Ingenium petrol engine is the perfect match for the all‑aluminium F‑TYPE, and expands the powertrain line‑up from 300PS four‑cylinder up to 575PS V8 – a breadth of performance unrivalled in the sports car segment.

Just like the supercharged six‑ and eight‑cylinder engines, the turbocharged four‑cylinder delivers the driving experience promised by the F‑TYPE’s award‑winning design, but with new levels of efficiency. Generating 150PS per litre, it has the highest specific power output of any engine in the new F‑TYPE range.

Offered exclusively with rear‑wheel drive and a specifically‑optimised eight‑speed Quickshift transmission, the four‑cylinder enables fuel consumption and CO2 emissions on the European combined cycle of 39.2mpg (7.2‑litres/100km) and 163g/km respectively.

Neatly integrated into the cylinder head is a state‑of‑the‑art electrohydraulic valvetrain featuring patented control algorithms developed in‑house. This technology enables fully variable control of intake valve lift for optimum efficiency, power and torque throughout the engine’s operating range.

Most petrol engines use a throttle valve for load control, but this method increases pumping losses and therefore increases fuel consumption. And, it takes time for the charge air to fill the intake manifold: this delay means that ignition timing must be retarded accordingly to improve response, with a negative impact on response and efficiency.

Ingenium petrol engines use a different approach: load control is managed primarily by the intake valves themselves by varying the amount of lift, and the duration for which they are open. To achieve this, the intake cams no longer operate the valves directly: instead they actuate compact hydraulic pumps via low‑friction roller finger followers. The oil pressure generated in these pumps is then used to open and close the intake valves.

Each pump is actuated by a solenoid valve, and highly sophisticated software is used to control the solenoids. When the solenoids are fully open, there’s no valve lift; when they’re closed, full lift is achieved. Varying the solenoid’s state delivers fully variable valve lift – anywhere between 0 and 11mm – for optimised intake air flow throughout the engine’s full operating range.

Ingenium’s electrohydraulic technology is fast enough to deliver cycle‑by‑cycle control of the combustion process, and, combined with phasers on the intake and exhaust cams delivers even greater flexibility.

Late intake valve opening is used during engine start‑up: the combination of low valve lift and short duration provides precise control of the exact amount of air required, especially during cold starts.

At very low speeds and loads, the flexibility of the valvetrain enables the so‑called composite mode – a combination of early intake valve closing and late intake valve opening – which delivers enhanced charge motion and therefore more complete and efficient combustion.

At part‑load conditions, such as low‑speed driving in urban areas or when cruising on the motorway, the valvetrain operates an early intake valve closing strategy combined with a later exhaust valve opening, which delivers optimum efficiency due to the increased expansion ratio. Dual independent cam phasing allows optimal residual gas control with minimal frictional losses. The combination of turbocharging and the highly efficient watercooled charge air cooler means that the charge density remains high, maintaining torque output and ensuring that the engine can always respond immediately to the driver’s demands.

Under full load the system delivers full valve lift and longer duration, combined with an earlier exhaust valve opening to enable maximum air flow, allowing the engine to provide full performance.

Performance, response and efficiency: advanced turbocharger technology

In a first for Jaguar Land Rover, the exhaust manifold is integrated into the cylinder head casting. Coolant flowing through ducts in the manifold reduces warm‑up times and therefore reduces fuel consumption and emissions.

The integrated exhaust manifold can also reduce maximum exhaust gas temperatures and therefore the need for enrichment at high load, delivering further efficiency improvements – not only on the official test cycle but also in real‑world driving.

The manifold is carefully matched to a twin‑scroll turbocharger. For maximum efficiency the duct inside the water‑cooled turbine housing is divided in two, with one fed by exhaust gas from cylinders one and three, the other by cylinders two and four.

This arrangement prevents exhaust gas pulsation interference, ensuring that the turbine wheel responds far more quickly: boost pressure is delivered near‑instantaneously, making turbo lag almost non‑existent, providing the responsiveness so familiar to the F‑TYPE driving experience.

To ensure the best possible launch performance and transient response while still enabling the engine to develop its high peak power output, the turbocharger features ceramic ball bearings – a first for a Jaguar Land Rover petrol engine. These deliver the lowest possible bearing friction, especially from cold starts.

Cleaner combustion: inherently low emissions

The Ingenium engine also features a new 200bar direct injection system. The injectors are centrally‑mounted: together with optimised spray patterns this configuration helps to minimise fuel impingement on the cylinder walls and the piston crown, improving efficiency and reducing emissions.

The inlet ports deliver high levels of charge motion which, together with the enhancements made to the direct injection system, further reduces wall wetting and promotes greater mixing of the fuel and air for more efficient combustion.

Efficient by design

All Ingenium engines deliver benchmark low levels of friction, contributing to inherently good efficiency and refinement. Design features which contribute to this are cylinder bores offset by 12mm to reduce tangential forces acting on the cylinder walls, and needle roller bearings for the twin balancer shafts and camshafts.

The map‑controlled oil pump matches flow rate according to engine speed, load and temperature, and the switchable piston cooling jets only spray oil onto the underside of the piston crowns when required, further reducing load on the lubrication system.

The split cooling system with map‑controlled electric coolant pump ensures rapid engine warm‑up by only circulating coolant through the block once the engine comes up to temperature. As well as reducing fuel consumption this also improves passenger comfort because the heater can warm the
F‑TYPE’s cabin more quickly.

CHASSIS

The four‑cylinder F‑TYPE shares the dynamics DNA of the V6 and V8 models but the introduction of the Ingenium engine together with a bespoke chassis tune make it the lightest and most agile yet

From day one the F‑TYPE was engineered to provide outstanding agility and response without compromising the day‑to‑day usability and ride comfort expected from all Jaguar cars.

The stiff, light aluminium bodystructure and all‑round aluminium double wishbone suspension have always been fundamental to delivering that duality of character. Now, the development team has meticulously tuned the chassis to take full advantage of the additional weight savings offered by the new four‑cylinder engine.

Weighing 52kg less than the equivalent model powered by the 340PS V6, this is the lightest F‑TYPE yet. The majority of this mass reduction is located over the front axle, delivering maximum benefit to vehicle dynamics, and improved weight distribution – the balance moves one percentage point to the rear.

The front and rear spring rates have been reduced by four and three per cent respectively to suit the reduction in corner weights. The valving of the monotube dampers incorporates learning from the
F‑TYPE SVR programme: meticulous tuning delivers enhanced ride comfort while maintaining the required handling character.

The F‑TYPE’s electric power‑assisted steering system – already a benchmark for feel and response – has a unique calibration for the four‑cylinder model to extract the full benefit of the weight savings and delivers improved tactility and feedback. Together with the Torque Vectoring system – which can apply precisely‑controlled braking of the inner wheels during cornering to mitigate understeer – the changes make the F‑TYPE even more engaging and enjoyable to drive.

The entry‑level four‑cylinder models are equipped as standard with new, lightweight 18‑inch wheels fitted with 245/45/R18 tyres at the front axle and 275/40/R18 tyres at the rear: these help to reduce unsprung mass, further improving responsiveness and control.

The R‑Dynamic models have 19‑inch wheels as standard with 245/40/R19 and 275/35/R19 tyres front and rear respectively. All four‑cylinder F‑TYPE models can be specified with a range of optional 19‑ and 20‑inch wheel designs.

As standard, the braking system on all four‑cylinder models has 355mm and 325mm discs at the front and rear respectively and provides impressive stopping power. As an option, all four‑cylinder models fitted with 19‑ and 20‑inch wheels can be upgraded to the Jaguar Super Performance Braking System which features 380mm and 376mm discs.

ADVANCED DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYTEMS

The new F‑TYPE offers a suite of technologies designed to help and support the driver and make every journey easier, safer and more enjoyable

The new F‑TYPE is the latest Jaguar to feature a forward‑facing stereo camera: this state‑of‑the‑art vision sensor is at the heart of its new advanced driver assistance systems. One of the most important is the standardised Autonomous Emergency Braking system: if the system’s controller determines that a collision with the vehicle ahead is imminent, full braking is initiated automatically, helping to avoid the collision, or to mitigate its effects.

The stereo camera also provides the intelligence for the Lane Departure Warning (LDW ‑ standard) and Lane Keep Assist (LKA ‑ optional) systems. By monitoring the vehicle’s position relative to lane markings either side, LDW can help to prevent drivers from inadvertently leaving their lane by triggering a visual warning in the instrument cluster and a haptic warning through the steering wheel rim.

LKA provides the next level of assistance and can guide the driver back towards the centre of their lane by applying a small amount of counter‑steering through the electric power‑assisted steering system. The torque applied to the steering wheel can be easily over‑ridden, making the system intuitive in operation.

The optional Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) system uses the stereo camera to keep the driver informed of the speed limit – including temporary limits which apply in road works, for example – and the variable limits used on some motorways. The limit is displayed in the instrument cluster, and camera data is always cross‑referenced against GPS data for maximum robustness.

Further support for the driver comes from the optional Adaptive Speed Limiter (ASL). This intelligent system uses TSR system data to adjust the set point and can automatically increase or decrease the vehicle's maximum speed while the accelerator pedal is pressed. If the TSR system recognises a higher speed limit ahead, ASL notifies the driver and can smoothly accelerate the vehicle up to the new limit. If the speed limit is lower, the vehicle can coast down accordingly.

Driver fatigue is a common cause of vehicles drifting out of lane. The F‑TYPE’s optional Driver Condition Monitor system can recognise patterns typical of driving when tired, including periods of little or no steering activity followed by sudden or excessive inputs, and can show a multi‑stage warning in the instrument cluster and give audible warnings to prompt the driver to take a break.

TECHNICAL DATA                         

Manufacturer’s figures; correct at time of going to press