New Jaguar F-Type Coupe revealed

This is the Jaguar F-type coupé, a car that its maker calls the most dynamically capable, performance-focused production car it has ever built. It also significantly undercuts the convertible version on price in base form.

The entry-level coupé and coupé S closely mirror the performance spec of the V6 roadster range, but the range-topping F-type R coupé is heavily modified. It is powered by the 542bhp supercharged 5.0-litre V8 used in the XKR-S and XFR-S, as well as the Project 7 concept seen at Goodwood this year. The R coupé accelerates from 0-100kph in 4.0sec. Its power-to-weight ratio is 325bhp per tonne.

The car will go on sale next March internationally, with Jaguar putting the main focus on the R coupé, which, the company says, takes best advantage of the car’s torsional rigidity of 33,000 Nm/degree — the best figure yet for a production Jaguar.  Jaguar dynamics Chief Mike Cross said: “It is the best expression of Jaguar’s core values of sweet and intuitive steering and a great blend of ride and handling.”

That rigidity owes much to the innovative single-piece aluminium pressing that encompasses the coupé’s body side. This eliminates the need for multiple panels and cosmetic joints. Jaguar claims that it is “probably the most extreme cold-formed aluminium body side in the automotive industry”.  To enable a low roofline with no B-pillars, a high-strength, hydroformed aluminium beam runs over each door opening from the bottom of the A-pillar to the back of the C-pillar.  The bonded-in roof panel is available as either aluminium or as panoramic glass, and neither option alters the 
car’s rigidity.

Interview: Jaguar chief engineer Mike Cross talks about the F-Type coupe

The R coupé’s performance is marshaled by two new pieces of technology: a second-generation Electronic Active Differential (EAD) that works with ‘torque vectoring by braking’, pioneered on the new Range Rover Sport, to enhance handling and make 
it more exploitable on the limit in all conditions.

EAD controls the amount of driveline torque fed to each wheel, operating like a more advanced version of a limited-slip differential. Operating with the torque vectoring system, it reacts to deliver any setting, from open to full locking, in just 200 milliseconds. Additionally, the torque vectoring system brakes inner wheels when it detects potential understeer. Jaguar says it “works at a subtle level” to finely adjust the car’s trajectory and improve handling feel and balance.

These new systems work in tandem with Jaguar’s Adaptive Dynamics System, which actively controls vertical body movement, roll and pitch rates by adjusting damper rates up to 500 times a second according to driver inputs and the attitude of the car on the road.  The R coupé’s spring rates have been increased by 4.3 per cent at the front and 3.7 per cent at the rear compared with those of the V8 S convertible. As on the convertible, drivers have the option of selecting a Dynamic mode, which firms damper rates, increases steering weighting, allows faster gear changes and sharpens throttle response.

Neither EAD nor torque vectoring is available on the F-type and F-type S models at present, although Cross emphasised that it was technologically possible. “It’s a matter of pricing, and giving the customers at each price point what they want,” he said.

The R coupé uses Jaguar’s so-called Super Performance braking system as standard, featuring 380mm front discs and 376mm rear discs. Carbon-ceramic brakes are available as an option on the R coupé and S coupé models, offering an unsprung weight saving of 21kg, as well as performance gains.

All coupé models utilise the eight-speed Quickshift transmission also found on the F-type roadster, but the R coupé’s software has been recalibrated to suit the greater engine outputs. Jaguar’s switchable active sports exhaust is also standard on the R coupé. The company says it takes “aural excitement to new levels”.

The styling of the coupé is almost identical to that of the Jaguar C-X16 concept first shown at the Frankfurt motor show in 2011. In order to keep that form, a rear spoiler rises automatically at 70mph, before lowering again when the speed drops below 50mph. The interior is also familiar, although the R coupé gets add-ons such as ‘Performance’ seats, which have side bolsters that inflate under heavy cornering. Boot space, heavily criticised on the roadster, is put at up to 407 litres. Jaguar says that’s enough for two golf bags.

Detailed high-resolution photo gallery