We already know the 2016 Jaguar F-Type will get all-wheel drive and a manual transmission option for certain trim levels, but it could get a dose of extra horsepower at the top of the range too. The current F-Type R isn’t exactly lacking in straight-line performance. With a 5.0-liter, 550 horsepower V-8, it’ll do 0 to 60 in four seconds and tops out at 186 mph.
Speaking with our friends at AutoGuide, group sales operations director for Jaguar->ke39 Land Rover,->ke46 Andy Goss, says we can expect to see even faster F-Types in the near future. “We’ve taken the F-Type so far but we’ll take it a lot further,” Goss told AutoGuide. “We’ll dial in more performance without a shadow of a doubt.”
Goss envisions the F-Type not as a product, but as a range of products. Just don’t compare it to the Porsche 911,->ke282 which currently boasts 20 different configurations. Goss continued, “We’re not aping Porsche.->ke1 We were in this market before they were in this market.”
So, when can we expect to see these faster F-Types, and how much faster will they be? Goss didn’t go into specifics, but mentioned Jaguar Land Rover is planning to reveal 50 new or updated products over the next five years, 12 of which will be introduced this year. It might not be in the cards this year, but a harder, faster F-Type seems likely. I’ll take mine with a manual transmission and rear-wheel drive, please and thank you.
AutoGuide
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If I’m going to predict where the F-Type is headed, it might help to look to the current XK, which is approaching the end of its lifespan. The XKR->ke1725 was always the go-fast iteration, but beyond that was the faster and meaner XKR-S and the bewinged XKR-S GT—a barely tamed road racer of which only 40 were ever built.
Expect the F-Type to follow the same path, but in bigger numbers. We know Jaguar hates the Porsche 911 comparisons, but the similarities are hard to ignore. A lighter, meaner F-Type R-S could play a pretty good spoiler to the 911 GT3, and it’s not all that hard to imagine.
We’re thinking a slightly more powerful V-8 with around 575 horsepower channeling power exclusively to the rear wheels to maximize steering feel and reduce weight. The outside would get subtly wider fenders, a deeper front fascia with a functional splitter and fixed rear wing. A carbon-fiber panel in place of the panoramic sunroof would be nice too. So would an optional roll cage and racing buckets, but we won’t get picky.