New York Motor Show: Jaguar F-Type four-cylinder unleashed with $107K Oz price

DO you desperately want to get your hands on Jaguar’s sultry and drool-worthy F-Type, but can’t quite stump up the almost $120,000 price for the entry-level V6 model?

Fret not, for the British manufacturer has your back. A new four-cylinder variant with a more palatable $107,300 price tag has been revealed in New York overnight, ahead of its arrival in the fourth quarter of 2017

The F-Type’s 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine is also the first application of Jaguar Land Rover’s Ingenium petrol engine in the low-slung sportscar. It sends 221Kw and 400Nm to the rear wheels via an 8-speed automatic gearbox. That’s appreciably close the current base model F-Type V6’s 250kW and 450Nm outputs.

The loss of two cylinders compared to the entry-level V6 doesn’t hurt performance, with the sleek cat launching to 100km/h in an identical 5.7 seconds, before topping out at an impressive 249km/h.

“Performance from an engine of this size is remarkable and is balanced with improved fuel efficiency and affordability, making the F-Type experience more accessible than ever before,” Ian Hoban, vehicle line director for the F-Type, said.

The Ingenium engine is the current jewel in JLR’s crown, with a state-of-the-art valvetrain integrated into the cylinder head. The tech in the engine allows “fully variable control of intake valve lift for optimum power, torque and efficiency”.

The four-cylinder Ingenium engine was developed in-house and manufactured in the UK at JLR’s Engine Manufacturing Centre. There are also 147kW, 184KW petrol, and 132kW and 177kW diesel four cylinders within the engine family.

The lightweight engine adds to the F-Type’s dynamic ability, with 52kg being cleaved off the car's nose compared to the V6.

“Most of the weight reduction is over the front axle, making the car beautifully balanced and really agile to drive – as you’d expect, the car is really at home on beautiful twisty roads,” Erol Mustafa, Chief Product Engineer, Jaguar Sports Cars, said.

“Couple that with a four-cylinder exhaust note and this particular F-TYPE has a character all of its own. I like to think of it as the feisty younger brother of the V6 and V8 models.”

The four-cylinder F-Type will be available in either coupe or convertible bodystyles, both of which were penned by Jaguar’s director of design, Ian Callum.