By Bennett Oghifo
Purposeful, beautiful and timeless: the new Jaguar F-TYPE looks more dramatic than ever and embodies Jaguar design DNA in its purest form.
The perfect proportions are instantly recognisable, but the new F-TYPE looks even more focused and assertive, and references the beautiful flowing forms from Jaguar’s rich sports car heritage.
Super-slim pixel LED headlights with subtly updated ‘Calligraphy’ J signature daytime running lights and sweeping direction indicators blend perfectly into the ‘liquid metal’ surfacing of the new clamshell bonnet. The new front bumpers and subtly enlarged grille deliver even more visual impact and presence.
The rear haunches enhance the F-TYPE’s inherently dramatic, purposeful form, and sweep downwards to the slender rear LED lights with ‘Chicane’ signature inspired by the all-electric
I-PACE Performance SUV.
Inside, the driver-focused ‘1+1’ cabin envelops the occupants with luxurious materials such as Sienna Tan Windsor Leather, Suedecloth, Alcantara, and satin-finish Noble Chrome, while Jaguar’s craftsmanship is embodied in beautiful details such as monogram stitching on the seats and door trim. These touches blend seamlessly with the new 12.3-inch reconfigurable HD TFT instrument cluster and Touch Pro infotainment system.
Form follows function, and one of a Jaguar’s functions is to look beautiful. Evolved from its predecessor’s World Car Design-winning form, the new F-TYPE’s breath-taking looks are characterised by the super-slim Pixel LED headlights, which enhance the car’s purposeful, confident stance.
Jaguar’s Signature J daytime running lights now feature a calligraphy graphic: slim along the horizontal element of the light guide, and then widening as it sweeps upwards – as if a stroke from an art brush. Running along the J is an exquisitely-detailed monogram pattern, inspired by Jaguar’s heritage logo. The light graphic accentuates the car’s visual width and hints at its performance potential.
Inside the light cluster are four LED modules, each resembling a perfectly-crafted gemstone. Again, form follows function: Pixel technology intelligently links the windscreen-mounted stereo camera to the lights’ controller. This allows every LED to be switched off or dimmed to produce a high beam which masks out oncoming vehicles to avoid dazzling other drivers, while allowing excellent illumination of the road ahead.
A subtly enlarged grille accentuates the new F-TYPE’s visual presence. The proportions of the classic form remain, but it is now wider and deeper and with a new hexagonal mesh pattern, each cell gloss black at the front and satin black on the inner surfaces. The surround is finished as standard in Noble Chrome, or gloss black when the Black Pack or Black Design Pack is specified.
The bumpers are new, and introduce bolder surfaces with discreet signature graphics to enhance the overall design and provide greater differentiation across the model range, from F-TYPE to F-TYPE R-Dynamic to F-TYPE R.
For the core F-TYPE models, the look is clean and sculptural. R-Dynamic models gain layered J aero-blades, which, as well as referencing a racing influence, also help to guide the airflow more cleanly around the front of the car. R models feature gloss black bezels around the apertures, making the car look even more assertive, while aerodynamically-optimised strakes serve to further reduce drag. On all models, the apertures feature a mesh pattern matched to the cells in the grille.
A new clamshell bonnet design sweeps elegantly back from the slimline LED headlights. The surfaces are softer and more organic than before, as if they were liquid metal – inspired by the beautiful flowing forms of models from Jaguar’s rich 84-year history, such as the C-type and D-type. The air vents are positioned further forward for greater efficiency, and blend perfectly into the sculpted aluminium that surrounds them. Further back, the fender vents now proudly feature the Jaguar Leaper.
Adam Hatton, Exterior Design Director, Jaguar, said: “F-TYPE has always had great proportions and stance, and our latest design is all about enhancing those key Jaguar values. Our aim was to make the car more contemporary, more purposeful, and even more dramatic. The super-sleek pixel LED headlamps and the larger front grille give a more assertive presence on the road. We’ve re-designed the exotic clamshell bonnet to enhance the purity of form and accentuate its length. The beautiful flowing surfaces subtly reference great Jaguar cars of the past, while the new vents blend perfectly into the sculpted aluminium around them.
“Enhanced wheel designs, and a fresh look for the side-vent using the Jaguar ‘Leaper’ detail add to the F-TYPE’s modernity. The powerful rear design has new slim, elegant lamps incorporating latest LED technology and our Jaguar ‘Chicane’ rear signature graphic with intricate monogram pattern. And everywhere you look, you’ll find relentless attention to detail – each is a work of art in itself.”
The LED rear light clusters have been subtly updated too. Now slimmer, to match the headlights, they feature a bolder, ‘Chicane’ light graphic introduced by the all-electric I-PACE performance SUV. Beneath is a fine pinstripe detail and, like the headlights, an intricate pattern formed of the heritage monogram. Instead of the predecessor’s stepped form, the outer lenses are now smooth, integrating even more harmoniously into the sweep of the rear deck.
Reversing the taper formed by the rear number plate recess, together with the reprofiled bumper, draws the eye downwards to enhance visual width and give the car an even more purposeful, planted stance. In a first for Jaguar, the rear badges gain a contemporary gloss black finish when the Black Pack or Black Design Pack is specified.
Powertrain-specific exhaust pipes emerge from the rear diffuser, clearly signalling the new
F-TYPE’s performance intent. The 221kW four-cylinder features a single, central, quadrilateral finisher, while the 280kW V6 is distinguished by its two large round tailpipes. The 423kW V8 is identified by quad, outboard exhausts with R branding.
Whichever model customers choose, all can be made even more exclusive by specifying one of the 16 paints in the SVO Premium Palette: Ligurian Black, Ethereal Silver, Ionian Silver, Sunset Gold, Petrolix Blue, Velocity Blue, Tourmaline Brown, Desire, Sanguinello Orange, Atacama Orange, Sorrento Yellow, Constellation, Icy White, Flux Grey, Malachite Green and Amethyst. Each is available with the choice of gloss or satin, resulting in an exceptionally smooth finish and dramatic depth of colour.
The new F-TYPE’s driver-focussed interior, like the exterior, has evolved into a purer expression of the car’s elegance and performance. By concentrating on further refining the traditionally British Jaguar craftsmanship and adding discreet, beautiful details, the sense of luxury and sportiness has been heightened.
The 1+1 cockpit now features a 12.3-inch reconfigurable HD TFT instrument cluster, with graphics unique to F-TYPE. This offers a choice of display themes, including full map but, as befits a true sports car, the default mode is characterised by the large central rev-counter.
This feature and the gearshift light subtly convey the F-TYPE’s character and performance potential, digitally enhancing the mechanical theatre of the pulsing red ‘heartbeat’ of the start button and the deployable centre air vents. The responsive, intuitive Touch Pro infotainment system’s 10-inch touchscreen, matched to three tactile rotary controllers, offers the perfect balance of analogue and digital driver controls.
Alister Whelan, Interior Design Director, Jaguar, said: “A Jaguar interior should always look and feel special, and none more so than a sports car, and that’s why we’ve focused our attention on beautiful details and refining still further the choice of rich materials and finishes, and adding to the sense of theatre that F-TYPE has always possessed.
“The high-definition virtual instrument cluster and new colourways including Mars with Flame Red stitch deepen the driver-focused character, as do the aluminium gearshift paddles and Engine Spin console finisher in the First Edition model. We’ve also proudly referenced our heritage in the precision-stamped Jaguar lettering on the seat belt guides and glovebox release – understated details like these are a fundamental part of Jaguar design DNA.”
Lightweight slimline seats combine an ergonomically-optimised form with outstanding comfort, further enhanced by heating and cooling options. The seats come in two forms: Sport and Performance. The F-TYPE and F-TYPE R-Dynamic models come with the purest Sports version as standard. The Performance seat has more pronounced support at shoulder height, and is standard on the R and First Edition models.
Rich materials such as Windsor leather add a further touch of luxury, complemented by details such as the beautifully-crafted monogram stitch pattern – repeated in the door trim – and Jaguar Leaper and R motifs in the headrests. The seat belt guides are finished with discreet ‘Jaguar Est. 1935 markings’, which are proudly repeated on the glovebox release button surround. This subtle reference signifies the year the Jaguar name was first used by company founder Sir William Lyons to brand one of his beautiful, cars.
* Pixel LED headlights are exclusively available on the new F-TYPE R
