Jaguar F-Type Spied Testing With 4-Cylinder Engine

Jaguar is hopping on the four-cylinder bandwagon and has been spied testing an F-Type powered by a turbo four.

This spied F-Type is said to be a new entry-level model that will bring the fight to Porsche’s new line of turbocharged four-cylinder-powered 718 Caymans and Boxsters. Our spy photographers noted that this F-Type prototype had a very different sound and when they checked into it, they discovered that the test car was registered with a 2.0-liter engine, which indicates that a four-cylinder is lurking under the hood.

Jaguar already makes a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine for its XE sedan. In that 3 Series competitor, it puts out 240 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque. It’s very likely that this engine is the one powering this prototype, but it will likely be tuned to be closer the 718’s 300-hp, 280-lb-ft output.

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One of the biggest giveaways that this is a new F-Type model is a squared-off center-mounted exhaust — the V6-powered F-Type has two center-mounted circular pipes and the V8 has quad pipes. There are a few other cues that make us believe this is an entry-level F-Type: the prototype has smaller wheels and it appears that the retractable rear spoiler is missing. We can also decipher slightly different front and rear bumpers hiding under the camouflage.

We knew that Jaguar is working on a refreshed F-Type, as it has also been spied recently, but this news of a four-cylinder model certainly makes things more interesting. One of the best features of the V6 and V8-powered F-Types is their incredible sound, so it will be interesting to see if a four-cylinder Jaguar F-Type will still be appealing to the ears.

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