2014 Jaguar F-Type Roadster
The F-Type Jaguar is the successor to the E-Type which was last produced in 1974. It was announced in April and was recently revealed at the Paris Motor Show. This sports car will feature supercharged V-6 or V-8 power depending on the trim and will first debut as a roadster, but a coupe version will follow soon.
The F-Type will come with three different engine specs: The base F-Type has 340 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque; the F-Type S will come with 380 hp and 339 lb-torque. The top model is the V-8 S, which is able to produce an astonishing 495 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. With all of that power and a body made almost entirely of aluminum to reduce the weight to 3,521 lbs, this Jag is more than likely able to beat the estimated 0 – 60 time of 4.2 seconds. The base model has an estimated 0 – 60 of 5.1 seconds while the upgraded V-6 is expected to do the deed 0.3 seconds quicker.
All three engines send their power to the rear wheels but they'll only do it through an 8-speed automatic transmission. Later down the road there will be an R version which will come will a proper manual gearbox, but until then you'll have to live with downshifts from the orange paddle shifters mounted on the steering column.
Superior handling will also be a huge part of the equation. The F-Type has an all-aluminum double-wishbone suspension at each corner and the quickest steering rack Jaguar has ever used in a production car. The S model of the Jag will also get adaptive dampers that can be adjusted by the driver who can also adjust throttle response, shift speed, and steering weight.
18-inch wheels will come standard on the base F-Type, while the upgrade V-6 will get 19-inch wheels, and the top of the line model will receive the premium 20-inch wheels. The interior design of the F-Type is very driver focused; Jaguar refers to it as a “1+1”. Jaguar uses their signature all-digital screen based gauge clusters, but also included physical dials in the F-Type because they feel it seemed right for this sports car. The interior also includes orange paddle shifters and another orange button that puts the car in a more aggressive "Dynamic" mode. According to the designers, they really wanted to highlight the controls that bring this Jag to life. As for the rest of the interior the color, trim, and materials for the cabin are very refined and what one might expect from a 2014 Jaguar.
Jaguar plans to price the F-Type between the Porsche Boxster and Porsche 911 at around a base price of $65,000. This will put the F-Type right in line with its competitors in price. With the F-Type, Jaguar has given consumers a very desirable alternative to an area of the market that has been dominated by Porsche for many years.
