New Jaguar F-Type gets sharper, sleeker 2020 facelift
Jaguar's F-Type is sharpening up its act with a facelift in preparation for a renewed attack on the global sports car market in 2020
Jaguar has revealed its new F-Type sports car for 2020. Sporting a heavily reworked front-end, a range of four- and eight-cylinder engines and a tweaked interior, it’s on sale now from a whisker over £54,000.
Much like the refreshed XE saloon unveiled earlier this year, Jaguar has updated the F-Type Coupe and Convertible to keep it fresh in the face of newer competition, like the Porsche 911. Moreover, the facelift is designed to extend the car’s life before an all-new version – potentially an all-electric model – arrives in 2022.
This update is the biggest the F-Type has seen since it was launched in 2013 and it’s the front of the car that bears the brunt of the changes. The previous F-Type’s smooth E-Type-inspired styling has been replaced with one more alike Jaguar’s all-electric I-Pace SUV, with a lower and squarer look.
The grille is larger than before and has a lozenge pattern that harks back to the original Jaguar logo of the 1940s and fifties. The old F-Type’s visible bumper bar has gone, with the number plate now sitting within the grille. Wide air intakes sit either side and the new bumper has a subtle lower lip apparently inspired by the limited-run Jaguar F-Type Project 7.
The headlamps are the biggest visual change, however. The old car’s high-set, wing-mounted lights have been replaced with much thinner units that sit lower down within the bumper. Basic F-Types have LED headlights, ‘J-blade’ day-running lights and sweeping indicators, while range-topping R versions gets ‘Pixel’ lights. Four LED ‘cubes’ adapt to prevent dazzling oncoming drivers, and work in a similar fashion to Audi’s ‘Matrix’ lights.
The front-end’s changes are topped off with a new vented clamshell bonnet and a new black pack is available giving black badges and body trim. Along the sides, the air vents in the front wings now have the firm’s leaper logo embossed in them rather the Jaguar name, while at the rear there are new light clusters.
Gone are the E-Type-inspired ‘roundel’ designed day-running lights and in comes the E-Pace’s more geometric ‘chicane’ DRLs. Look really closely and the tailgate around the number plate has been reprofiled, but overall the changes are subtle to say the least.
In contrast to the updated XE, the F-Type’s interior remains largely unchanged. The centre console still features a large grab handle and air vents that rise when the climate control is activated, but the interior’s general fit-and-finish has improved. There are more tactile plastics and the sports seats are trimmed in softer, more expensive feeling leather. The doors and seats now also sport lozenge-designed stitching, the Jaguar leaper is embossed in the headrests and ‘JaguarEst. 1935’ is dotted around the interior.
There’s a tech upgrade, too, with all F-Types now getting a 12.3-inch digital screen for the dials and the central infotainment screen now comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system also comes with over-the-air software updates for the first time. Jaguar has slimmed down the F-Type’s engine range with just four- and eight-cylinder units now on offer.
The entry-level P300, powered by a 296bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, remains, but the 3.0-litre V6 – previously available as a 335bhp and 375bhp – has been ditched.To compensate Jaguar’s 5.0-litre supercharged is carried over and is now available with 444bhp - badged P450 - and the choice of rear- or all-wheel drive. The F-Type R remains at the top of the range and now develops 566bhp and 700Nm of torque (up 24bhp and 20Nm) and only comes with all-wheel drive.
The flagship SVR model has also been dropped but the R model carries over a lot of that car’s chassis upgrades. It now gets new adaptive dampers, springs, anti-roll bars and stiffer rear knuckles and ball joints, as well as wider 20-inch wheels. Jaguar claims 0-60mph now takes 3.5 seconds.
All F-Types, whether 2.0- or 5.0-litre, only come with an eight-speed automatic gearbox – now tweaked to give quicker gear changes – with the V8 models getting a switchable active exhaust and a new ‘quiet start’ function.
The P300 2.0-litre Coupe is priced at £54,060 with the drop-top costing an extra £5,480. The mid-range P450 V8 starts at £69,990 and the R comes in at £97,280 for the Coupe, rising to £102,370 for the Convertible.
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