Jaguar F-Type P450 V8 could be coming to Australia next year

Jaguar could be about to replace its current supercharged V6 F-Type with a V8 model called the P450 here in Australia.

The new P450 has already replaced the P300 turbo four-cylinder and P380 supercharged V6 F-Types in the USA for the 2022 line-up – making the V8 P450 RWD coupe the base-model F-Type as listed on Jaguar USA's website.

A spokesperson for Jaguar Land Rover Australia confirmed the P450 is currently being evaluated for the Australian market, but could not say whether it would serve as a direct replacement for the current P300 four-cylinder and P380 supercharged V6 as it has in the US.

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In US trim, the P450 uses a detuned version of the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 currently found in the top range F-Type R, developing 331kW (444hp, hence the name P450) and 580Nm, and US buyers can choose from convertible or coupe body styles as well as rear or all-wheel drive layouts.

The power increase for the new P450 is significant over the V6's 280kW, and is therefore closer to the top of the range R’s 423kW.

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Jaguar F-Type R

Jaguar claims the P450 performance figures as 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 285km/h in both AWD and RWD layouts.

The current V6 will do the same dash in 4.9 seconds with a top speed of 275km/h, while the top range R claims 3.7 seconds for 0-100km/h sprint.

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Jaguar Australia was unable to confirm an Australian launch date for the P450, saying it is not yet at a stage to finalise spec, timing or pricing.

In the US, replacing the four and six-cylinder F-Types with a base model V8 has made getting a bent-eight F-Type a whole lot easier, with prices starting at US$71,050 (AU$91,772).

That means the buy-in price for a V8 F-Type is around US$30k (AU$38,744) less than it was when the four-cylinder was the base model, so Australian buyers should be hopeful of a much cheaper way into a V8 F-Type if the P450 lands locally.

The P450 is available to order in the US now, with deliveries taking place in July, so if the V8 does come Down Under we could expect it to arrive in the next 12 months.