Yahoo Autos Jaguar Is Reportedly Testing an F-Type With a 2.0-Liter Engine
After 20 years in production, Porsche abandoned the naturally aspirated flat-six that defined the Boxster, in favor of a pair of turbocharged flat-fours. Jaguar might do the same with it's Boxster/Cayman rival, the F-Type, or, that's what some recently surfaced spy shots seem to indicate.
AutoGuide posted photos Friday of a heavily-camouflaged F-Type Coupe testing, but interestingly, it claims that the car in question has a 2.0-liter engine. The spy photographers who captured the car apparently said it had a different sound than other F-Types, had a different exhaust design, and a registration check confirmed it had a 2.0-liter. Since it isn't likely that Jaguar's developing a 2.0-liter six- or eight-cylinder, it seems as though this F-Type has a four-cylinder.
Specifically, it's likely the turbocharged Ingenium four-cylinder found in the XE sedan and other Jaguar Land Rover products. In the XE, that engine makes 240 horsepower and 251 lb-ft of torque, which is significantly less than the base, 340-horse V6 currently used in the F-Type. Perhaps Jaguar is developing a lower-cost F-Type, or it could have a much more powerful version of the turbo four.
Jaguar's ubiquitous V6 is on its way out, possibly to be replaced by a straight-six from the same family as the Ingenium inline-four. The new straight-six is rumored to start appearing in Jaguar cars as soon as next year, but not the F-Type. If Jaguar is killing its V6, it might need a replacement engine for the non-V8 F-Type, but maybe a longer straight-six wouldn't fit.
Of course, Jaguar could be using an F-Type simply as a test bed for a new engine, without any intention to put a four-cylinder sports car on the market.
Though the V6 in the F-Type is old and of a bizarre design, it still suits the car very well. We're very curious to see how a four-cylinder would work in this application, but it's possible we'll never get that opportunity.
