2018 Jaguar F-Type Becomes A Tamer Kitty With New 2.0-Liter Engine

Never have I ever driven a Jaguar F-Type and thought, "I wish this car has less power," but for anyone who did have that dream, there's now a solution. The 2018 F-Type adds a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four base engine, bringing the total number of powertrain options for the sports car to 10 for this model year, with a total of 24 model variants.

It had long been rumored that Jaguar would launch a four-cylinder engine at the bottom of the F-Type range, so this addition isn't too surprising. Available only with rear-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission, the mill produces 296 horsepower (221 kilowatts) and 295 pound-feet (400 Newton-meters) of torque, the latter delivered from 1,500 right up to 4,500 rpm. That will get the car to 60 miles per hour in 5.4 seconds and on to a limited top speed of 155 mph.

Other F-Type powertrains comprise a 3.0-liter supercharged V6, which can be had in 340-, 380-, and 400-hp states of tune; and a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 with 550 or 575 hp.

The 2.0-liter is part of Jaguar's Ingenium engine family and has electronic valve-lift control instead of a throttle plate. The twin-scroll turbocharger also marks Jaguar's first use of ceramic ball bearings for a turbo, aimed at reducing lag.

2018 Jaguar F-Type four-cylinder engine 2018 Jaguar F-Type four-cylinder engine

The 2.0-liter version will also be the lightest F-Type, at 3,360 pounds (1,524 kilograms) compared to 3,455-3,814 pounds for the other models. Jaguar says most of that weight less is over the front axle, thanks to the engine's smaller size, so the electric power steering has been retuned. The front and rear spring rates drop four and three percent, respectively, in deference to the lower weight, and the shock absorbers have also been retuned for the four-cylinder car.

Along with the engine upgrade, all versions of the 2018 Jaguar F-Type receive various equipment and visual upgrades. There are new front fascia designs, mildly reshaped LED taillights, new lightweight seats that save 17 pounds, full-LED headlights, a self-parallel-park function, and Jaguar's InControl Touch Pro infotainment system becomes standard. And GoPro fans can use the ReRun app to combine their video footage with overlaid data from the car's computers.

There are also two new trim packages. The first, the F-Type 400 Sport Special Edition (left, above), will exist only for 2018. It builds on the regular F-Type S but upgrades its 380-hp engine to a full 400 hp. The car also has upgraded brakes, 20-inch dark gray wheels, and various other Sport 400 badging and yellow trim. The other, R-Dynamic (right, above), builds on the 380-hp F-Type S with visual enhancements only, comprising gloss-black exterior trim pieces and 20-inch dark gray wheels.

Though exact trim levels have not been priced, Jaguar says overall pricing for the 2018 F-Type will run from $59,900 to $125,000, before destination in the U.S. That means the 2.0-liter model should slightly undercut the previous base F-Type, which for 2017 lists from $61,400.