Jaguar unveiled the F-type Coupe at the LA Motor Show. Jaguar calls it the most dynamically capable, performance-focused production car it has ever built.
The car will go on sale next March internationally, with Jaguar putting the main focus on the R Coupe, which, the company says, takes the best advantage of the car's torsional rigidity of 33,000 Nm/degree - the best figure yet for a production Jaguar.
The Coupe gets its rigidity from the single-piece aluminium pressing that encompasses the Coupe's body side. To enable a low roofline with no B-pillars, a high-strength, hydroformed aluminium beam runs over each door. The bonded-in roof panel is available as either aluminium or as panoramic glass, and neither option alters the car's rigidity.
The entry-level Coupe and Coupe S are similar in performance when compared to the V6 roadster. It is the top-of-the line F-type R Coupe that changes the game. It comes powered by the 542bhp supercharged 5.0-litre V8 used in the XKR-S and XFR-S, as well as the Project 7 concept. The R Coupe pounces from 0-100km/h in 4 seconds.
The R coupe's performance is marshalled by two new pieces of technology: a second-generation Electronic Active Differential (EAD) that works with 'torque vectoring by braking', pioneered on the new Range Rover Sport, to enhance handling.
The EAD is more like an advanced version of a limited-slip differential. Operating with the torque vectoring system, it reacts to deliver any setting, in just 200 milliseconds. Jaguar says it "works at a subtle level" to finely adjust the car's trajectory and improve handling feel and balance. Neither EAD nor torque vectoring is available on the F-type and F-type S models.
As on the convertible, drivers have the option of selecting a Dynamic mode, which firms damper rates, increases steering weighting, allows faster gear changes and sharpens throttle response.
Carbon-ceramic brakes are available as an option on the R Coupe and S Coupe models, which in turn saves 21kg, and sees a rise in performance.
The eight-speed Quickshift transmission, found on the F-type roadster, makes its way into the Coupe but the R Coupe's software has been re-calibrated to suit the greater engine outputs. Jaguar's switchable active sports exhaust is also standard on the R Coupe.
It's brilliant and we can't wait to get behind the wheel of this one!
