2015 JAGUAR F-TYPE COUPE

Jaguars have always been something else in automotive industry, very distinctive and often a subject of that love-it-or-hate-it story, just with far more people who love them. The same goes for the new F-Type Coupe. Still, times have changed for everyone and Jaguar needed to comply. The XJ220 from the beginning of the nineties was one of the first steps in the modernizing direction and it turned heads of the entire industry. From then on, the Jaguars have become more and more acceptable for larger groups of consumers with their design and price alike.

Jaguar F-Type Coupe

Today, even sports cars from Jaguar follow the same route. They are not as distinctive as they used to be and they follow the modernized design route, but they have managed to perform the transition perfectly. The modern Jags are not like the old ones, but they are absolutely lovely. Their 2011 hybrid concept called the C-X16 is the proof of this. The following year they announced that the design of the C-X16 will be basis for the non-hybrid F-Type. The same year they presented the 2013 F-Type Convertible and the 2013 LA Auto Show was the setting for the first unveiling of the 2015 model F-Type Coupe.

The design             

Now, the convertible is pretty cool. Sleek and powerful looking, it is a great car to enjoy on a sunny day, but the simple addition of a roof for the Coupe model changed the appeal of the whole car. And this for the better. The roof made the car seem more robust – not that the convertible seemed fragile, mind you – and it added a wonderful roof line and rear windows.

Jaguar F-Type Convertible

The Coupe side view

The rear windows, though small, make a huge difference in the side view of the new F-Type. They lead the roof line towards the rear of the car, making the roof seamlessly connect the front and the rear, and the ascending line at the windows’ bottom, that abruptly rises after the door window ends, strongly accentuates the muscular nature of the section above the rear wheels. Relative lack of B pillars makes all the glass surfaces at the side seem unified.

The roof facilitates an impeccable transition from the front to the rear. The car is highest just above the seats and the curve rapidly brings the roof down as it reaches the rear where it connects with the ascending line of the rear window. The back of the car, looking from the side, seems abruptly cut but this just adds to the aggressive looks.

Coupe with the aluminum roof

From the front, you can see the large grille at the centre at whose sides there are four air intakes in total. Above the intakes sit the headlights which are placed widely apart which leaves lots of room for the hood that seems massive.

The back starts off with a narrowed top and spreads as the view goes down ending with four round exhausts and a prominent diffuser.

F-Type Coupe back view

Interior

First the roof again. There are aluminum and glass versions and both provide identical rigidity.

The steering wheel is covered in leather and filled with easy to use buttons near the place where your thumbs should be. The round central part with the horn, airbag and the Jaguar logo is somewhat strangely lowered making the instrument cluster very visible, but also creating an unusual effect that some may not like.

The central console is large, easy to operate and tastefully designed. It is dominated by a large screen and three dials which lead the view towards the transmission stick.

With top materials, great finish and clean design, the interior looks like a cockpit where the driver is the main guy and everything revolves around him. Even the separating bar that hugs the transmission stick hiding it from the passenger bluntly shows this. The leather seats are comfortable and they provide great support in bends.

Under the hood

There are no compromises with the Coupe. Jaguar puts great amount of trust into this car calling it “the fastest, sportiest Jaguar road car in history” in a very tough competition. This might come as a surprise having in mind the mentioned XJ220 with the top speed of 217mph, and the Coupe does not run that fast. But, it actually beat the XJ220’s Nurburgring lap of 7 min 25 sec by six seconds.

Just like with the Convertible, there are three engine options. The most powerful one is the 5l V8 that goes inside the Coupe R and it is a beefed up version of the one from the Convertible. It produces 550hp at 4,500rpm and 502lb-ft of torque from 2,500 to 5,500rpm all of which make the Coupe run to 60mph in 4 seconds and reach the top speed of 186mph. The weaker options are the 3l V6 ones with 340hp for the Coupe and 380hp for the Coupe S. These versions have the 0-60mph time of 5.1 and 4.8 seconds and top speeds of 161 and 171mph respectively.

All engines are paired up with the ZF ‘Quickshift’ eight-speed automatic transmission and you run through them using paddle shifters.

The handling is aided by the improved Electronic Active Differential and new torque vectoring system, modified spring rates, adaptive dumping and probably optional ceramic brakes with amazing pre-fill feature that increases pressure when you release the throttle thus making breaks more responsive when driving more aggressively. All of these features make the Coupe a lot more precise, responsive and fun to drive than the Convertible.

Final word

The Coupe is definitely a greatly improved Convertible. It is so much better that it actually presents a capable competition for the leaders in the market such as the Porsche 911 Carrera S. It has more power, more torque and a similar price, but it is about 550lb heavier as well. Having in mind that the new Carrera is a misleadingly smooth beast, some might even prefer the more energetic F-Type Coupe R. Speaking of price, the starting MSRPs of the Coupe, Coupe S and Coupe R are $65,000, $77,000 and $99,000 respectively.

Photos: www.jaguarusa.com