British luxury carmaker Jaguar unveiled the F-Type at the 2012 Paris Motor Show and it went on sale in 2014. The F-Type was available in V6 and V8 engine options and these cars are available in India at an exorbitant price, so it was highly inaccessible. So, the manufacturer made the sportscar a bit affordable by plonking in a 4-cylinder engine under the hood.
Exteriors – The F-Type is a great looking sports car and is surely a head turner. The silhouette of the car remains the same but gets some revisions. The bumpers have been reworked, the lights of the car are all LED, the door handles smoothen out with the door and pop-out when unlocked, the car sits on a smaller set of wheels, it gets P300 badging on the boot lid and has single exhaust unit in the centre at the rear.
Interiors – The Jaguar F-Type P300’s dashboard is driver-oriented but the car lacks many features. It misses out on the all-digital instrument cluster and heads-up display. The new Touch Pro infotainment system is user-friendly. The seats have been scooped out to make space for the taller passenger, moreover, the seats are 6-way adjustable and there is an option for 12-way also. The trunk capacity of the car is decent but it’s of no use as there is a spare wheel in it.
Performance – The engine on this car is a 2.0-litre Ingenium motor which produces 296.4 BHP and 400 Nm of torque. This is the same motor which comes in many other Jaguar and Land Rover cars. The car is able to do a 0-100 km/hr run in just 5.7 seconds and can reach the speeds of 250 km/hr. To put these power figures into perspective, the V8-powered F-Type churns out 567.3 BHP and 700 Nm of torque.
When you floor the pedal, the car gains pace but not very rapidly and there is no aural drama either. The engine is good but it is not meant for flat-out driving. The 8-speed automatic ZF gearbox is lightning quick and one can change gears manually with the help of paddle shifters or the Tiptronic function on the gear-lever. It also comes equipped with dynamic launch control and once the car crosses the mark of 120 km/hr the rear spoiler is deployed to keep the car glued to the road.
The F-Type P300 has an aluminium engine with a turbocharger which is 52 kgs lighter than the supercharged V8 unit. Despite being a turbocharged engine there is no lag at the initial rev band and it feels peppy throughout the rev band. The turbo petrol engine redlines at 6500 RPM. The test car was an R-Dynamic version so it featured a button for active exhausts which makes the exhaust more vocal.
Driving Dynamics – The Jaguar F-Type P300 weighs just 1500 kgs and the reduction in weight is mainly because of the lightweight engine. The handling has been improved and attacking corners is fun in this car. One can step out the rear of the car by slight moderation on throttle along with traction control in off position. Due to the front-engine rear-wheel-drive layout, the car understeers a bit. The car has enough ground clearance and manages around Indian speed breakers.
The suspension setup is towards the softer side in terms of the sports car but it is well suited for our Indian road conditions. The steering is on the heavier side but offers great feel and feedback. The car's balanced weight distribution works perfectly around the bends.
Verdict – The Jaguar F-Type is a great looking car but a 2.0-litre engine doesn’t justify the car's aggressive look. The powerful V8 powered F-Type is expensive and this smaller version is Rs. 2 crores cheaper. So, the F-Type P300 is an apt choice as it retains its beautiful design and feels great to drive, offering excellent body control and handling prowess.
