Jaguar F-Type officially launched in Malaysia
The legendary Jaguar E-Type finally has a successor. Introducing the all-new Jaguar F-Type, inspired by the C-X16 concept that was showcased in 2011, and now officially available in Malaysia. Local Jaguar distributors Sisma Auto has just held a special press preview of the stunning new vehicle, which will be on display in the Jaguar Showroom in Pavilion from 14 to 17 March.
Front engined and rear-wheel driven, the F-Type is Jaguar’s all-new two-seater convertible sports car built on the most advanced knowledge of lightweight aluminium technology at Jaguar’s disposal. Refining techniques developed for the XK platform designed to simultaneously provide strength and lightness, Jaguar engineers were able to keep the F-Type’s weight down to just 1,597kg, which is very light for the kind of performance at its disposal.
Engine options start with a 3.0-litre supercharged V6 tuned to produce 335hp/450Nm in the standard F-Type and bumped up to 375hp/460Nm in the F-Type S. This all-alloy engine is fed by spray-guided fuel injection that delivers precisely metered amounts of fuel into the combustion cycle at up to 150 bar injection pressure. Sitting in between the V6’s two banks of three cylinders is a Roots-type twin-vortex supercharger with a Bosch-operated boost control system.
In its 335hp state, the F-Type sprints from rest to 100kph in 5.3 seconds and maxes out at a top speed of 260kph. The 375hp version, which boasts the highest specific power output of any Jaguar engine ever, propels to 100kph from rest in 4.9 seconds and tops out at 275kph. In terms of emissions, the F-Type and F-Type S breathes out 209 and 213 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre traveled respectively.
The range-topping F-Type V8 S model gets a 5.0-litre supercharged V8, from which the aforementioned 3.0 V6 was developed. Tuned to provide 488hp and 625Nm in this application, the F-Type S completes the century dash in 4.3 seconds and has to be electronically limited to a top speed of 300kph. CO2 emissions are 259g/km.
To deliver an added dose of aural drama, both the V6 and V8 S models are fitted with an Active Exhaust system as standard and optional on the base V6. Using electronically-controlled bypass valves that open under throttle loads, the system re-routes exhaust gases to a straight flow setup for a louder sportier note at the upper reaches of the rev range. The bypass valve fully opens at all times when Dynamic Mode is selected by the Jaguar Drive Controller.
All variants send power to their wheels via a close-ratio 8-speed automatic transmission with Quickshift manual override. Operating parameters of the transmission are determined by the adaptive shift strategy pre-programmed with 25 shifting maps. Corner Recognition senses when the car is negotiating a bend, the transmission holding its ratio to ensure the correct gear for the exit. In collaboration with the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) at the University of Southampton, Jaguar was also able to determine how sound and motion influences the perception of a responsive drive, and used those findings to deliver a shift quality that feels responsive and engaging to most drivers.
Subject to confirmation, pricing for the three F-Type variants start at RM888,888 for the base 3.0 V6 supercharged, going on to RM988,888 and RM1,098,888 for the more powerful F-Type S and F-Type V8 S variants respectively. Deliveries will commence in the second half of 2013, but Sisma Auto personnel has indicated that stocks will be limited, so latecomers might end up disappointed.
