FRESH from the rave reception extended to the F-Type Convertible, Jaguar has wasted no time in following up with the fixed-roof Coupe
Shown in the metal for the first time at this week’s Los Angeles Motor Show, the new car will be available in the UK at prices between £51,253 and £85,000 – quite a bit cheaper than the open-topped model.
At the upper end there’s a hard-edged R-badged Coupe with a 550PS 5.0-litre V8
The company is aiming high with the F-Type Coupe, which it describes as “the most dynamically capable, performance-focused, production Jaguar ever”.
Like the Convertible, the Coupe is based on Jaguar’s aluminium bodywork architecture, and the two cars also share two engine options – 3.0-litre V6s producing 340 and 380 horsepower.
At the upper end, though, there’s a hard-edged R-badged Coupe with a 550PS 5.0-litre V8 that’s sportier than the V8 S model that tops the Convertible line-up – at least for the time being.
Even the slowest Jaguar F-Type Coupe is good for 161mph and a 0-60mph sprint in 5.1 seconds, while the V8-engined R gets to sixty in four seconds dead and tops out at (an artificially limited) 186mph. The V8 emits a distinctly company-car-tax-unfriendly 259g/km – although that needs to be seen in the context of its strong performance.
The Coupe also addresses one of the few significant criticisms of the Convertible – a lack of luggage space. Thanks to its hatchback layout, Jaguar has managed to find 407 litres of stowage, almost as much as you’d find in a mid-sized saloon car.