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Yeah I kind of agree about the 4 banger. Feels a bit weird in an exclusive semi-GT car like the F-Type and is a type of engine that belongs more in other classes of cars like cheaper sports cars like a Miata or Audi TT, or in hatchbacks like the VW Golf, BMW 1 series, Merc A class etc. I've driven two P300 F-Types and it's actually a pretty good engine that works pretty well in the F-Type except that it totally lacks the soul and drama of the V6/V8. Anyway I can understand that some people are happy with the engine.
It definitely makes sense tax wise in some countries. There are huge differences among the European countries but as said there are some where taxes are crazy on bigger engines. I guess Jaguar were also trying to come up with new ways of selling more F-Types because they weren't selling enough of them and it was maybe also about emissions. Back when they popped the four banger into the F-Type it was also in line with their now miserably failed strategy to build volumes through dumbed downed cheaper models.
Yeah, what you’ve written here is basically more detail on the thoughts going through my head.
Think putting a 4 cylinder engine in an Aston Martin Vantage, or a C8 Corvette. On the surface it just doesn’t feel right. The faithful would not be happy about it, in the same way that I’m not happy about it for the F-type.
I think at the end of the day it was Jaguar’s scaling aspirations that made them do it, as was said above. I doubt they really wanted to do that.
It’s a shame they didn’t do much with the Ingenium straight 6, which could have been turbo and/or supercharged. I understand it didn’t fit in the F-type.
It’s a shame they didn’t do much with the Ingenium straight 6, which could have been turbo and/or supercharged. I understand it didn’t fit in the F-type.
I also thought a straight 6 would have been fitting, and with the turbo could have put out pretty good power.
The JLR Ingenium 6 cylinder (AJ300) is turbocharged and mild hybrid (48 volt system) as standard.
Single twin scroll turbo on all I think.
The top version puts out 510 PS which just happens to be the same as the mid-range AJ133 V8 SC as fitted to the 2009 - 2015 XFR, XKR XJR etc, and it has 700 Nm of torque which is a handy amount more than the 625 Nm of that version of the AJ133. So plenty enough for decent performance.
Pity they didn't try to fit it into the F-Type as it seems to me that it would have fitted with just some minor revisions to the engine bay layout.
I *think* JLR didn't try because it would have cost a packet to get such a car crash certified.
Snap. As above, my girlfriend now runs the Supra (it was mine) but ultimately I just missed having a convertible too much and don't like the look of the Z4. The Supra is the better drivers car on every front, but the F-Type just sounds and feels so special, every drive is an event, especially with the roof down. Supra gets 10x more attention, never had a car like it.
As for the 4 cylinder. I just can’t accept that engine in a car like the F-Type. This might not be well received, but I don’t think that engine should have ever been green lighted. It brings the car down as far as I’m concerned. There’s all kinds of cheaper 4 cylinder options on the market. Why did they do it? Budget play only. I tend to think very few people would go for that engine in a car like this, other than for budget reasons. That’s how I genuinely feel about it.
Budget, for me, was totally irrelevant in my choice of the lightest, most agile F-Type, the turbo four. This excerpt from "Top Gear's" March 2021 review explains how I feel, as a driver who'd never trade arguably excessive muscle for nimbler, more classic sportscarlike handling in the twisties:
"...Lesser powered F-Types are more satisfying to drive because less of your brain capacity is directed to fretting the maths about road coefficient of grip vs tyre coefficient of power vs throttle position...To drive, the P300 is objectively the best F-Type of all: a bit less power makes it a car you can drive far harder, far more of the time. Unlike the V8, you need never be cautious with the throttle, as the rear axle is rarely (if ever) overburdened. It’s a faithful car that gets closer to the capabilities of a Boxster or Cayman than ever..."
Budget, for me, was totally irrelevant in my choice of the lightest, most agile F-Type, the turbo four. This excerpt from "Top Gear's" March 2021 review explains how I feel, as a driver who'd never trade arguably excessive muscle for nimbler, more classic sportscarlike handling in the twisties:
"...Lesser powered F-Types are more satisfying to drive because less of your brain capacity is directed to fretting the maths about road coefficient of grip vs tyre coefficient of power vs throttle position...To drive, the P300 is objectively the best F-Type of all: a bit less power makes it a car you can drive far harder, far more of the time. Unlike the V8, you need never be cautious with the throttle, as the rear axle is rarely (if ever) overburdened. It’s a faithful car that gets closer to the capabilities of a Boxster or Cayman than ever..."
I can relate to the idea that less power = more enjoyment especially if you like to push the F-type on the twisties to the limit while staying in control. I don't subscribe to engine snobbery but I'd suggest people agreeing with this perspective to check out the base V6 which gives plenty of torque and decent HP stock and can be taken to 420hp+ with a simple tune.
In a detailed engineering comparison I reviewed, the 2.0 petrol (AJ200p) was evaluated as the least problematic F-Type engine historically, not only because it has no Y-pipe cooling issue nor just because its turbocharger has proven more durable than the supercharger. This highest horsepower-per-cylinder motor Jag ever built was also described by JLR as the "most advanced and efficient engine ever found in an F-Type."
Also, the 2.0 w/AT is faster 0-60 than the V6 340hp F-Type w/stick (per JLR).
Ive owned a 2015 S V6 AWD and now a 2020 R both convertibles. The V6 did feel a bit lighter but as I drive exclusively on road and in an area that unfortunately doesn’t have enough twisties I much prefer the R. The sound, looks of the quad exhaust and gobs of V8 torque and HP.
Perhaps I would feel different if I tracked it or lived close to the Dragon because driving any car spirited on the road you risk some serious fines around here. The push into the seat accompanied by the sound track is perfect for me. Add in the beautiful look on a sunny day with the top down is my idea of heaven.
The cool thing is that we have these pretty different flavors of the F-Type, all with their different pros and cons, which appeal to us in different ways depending on what we prioritize and expect of an F-Type. Even if I think that a RWD V6 with around 400 horses is the quintessential F-Type version and the only version they ever should have produced, the world would be a more boring place and there would be fewer of us F-Type enthusiasts if the F-Type only came in that one perfect flavor. :P
I thought that as much as Jag likes producing special editions, they should have done a lightweight P300 - lose 100lbs (or more), and squeeze a few more HP out of the Ingenium.
I think Jag must already have squeezed as much weight as possible out of the lightest F-Type. I'm not sure where more would come from without sacrificing sound dampening, chassis integrity, etc.
Trying to get more HP from the already optimized 2.0 is probably a stress-inducing, durability -shortening risk JLR wouldn't take.
My view is “the best engine” is the one that fills all the squares that the customers wants filled. I’m tired of seeing all this banter about which is better.
It.only.matters.to.each.individual. Period.
i grew up with five 426 hemis in the garage. I like big motors and I like raw, savage horsepower. I also like it when that big motor is coupled with refined luxury. Put those together and you get why I love this F-type R.
If having the smallest of the F-type motors works for you, I’m all for you and welcome to the F-type family. If the V8 is your cup of tea, spot on and equally welcome to the family. I don’t need a magazine article to tell me whether I chose correctly or which engine is “optimally” matched for the car…my ears, my heart and my butt cheeks have already given me that information, thanks.
Enjoy these beautiful specimens of machinery while we can, I know I am.
