- Stunning exterior design
- Ride and handling balance
- Raucous V-6 and V-8 available
- Better tech as standard
- Relative rarity on the road
- Very expensive, very fast
- Turbo-4 sounds less refined
- Interior showing its age
- All-wheel drive only on V-8s
BUYING TIP
- Look for deals on 2020 models or leftover 2019 F-Types, as a heavily updated version is due next year.
The 2020 Jaguar F-Type is gorgeous, fun, and available in a wide range of personalities.
The 2020 Jaguar F-Type is a sleek, sexy sports car with a wide range of personalities. Available as a convertible or coupe, with an automatic or manual transmission, and with three different engines, we give it 6.8 out of 10 for its hot-streak performance and head-turning looks.
A restyled 2021 model is on the way soon with a lower and sleeker front end, but the 2020 model bridges the gap until then with a new Checkered Flag limited edition, adding unique black wheels, interior details, and badging.
Despite being slated for a new look next year, the current F-Type is the pinnacle of modern sports car design, with excellent proportions, a businesslike interior, and just the right amount of raciness in certain trims. While its cabin is aging in terms of design and materials, we’re willing to give it a pass for how good the body looks.
The F-Type is available with a wide range of powertrain options, from a light and punchy turbo-4 to an all-wheel-drive supercharged V-8 monster. Unfortunately for fans of three pedals, the manual transmission is gone for 2020.
In P300, P340, and P380 form, the F-Type features either a 296-horsepower turbo-4, or a 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 available with either 340 or 380 hp as the badge would suggest. Rear-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is available on the V-6 model with the more powerful engine. The F-Type R and SVR feature a supercharged V-8 with either 550 or 575 horsepower, with varying levels of performance-oriented features based on which you choose. While other sports cars like the Porsche 911 are a bit more dynamic, the F-Type handles well in all forms, and features a wide range of characters from gentleman’s roadster to hardcore near-supercar.
With nearly a $70,000 difference between the bottom- and top-end models, the F-Type can be had in nearly any level of luxury or performance you’re willing to pay for. An excellent 5-year/60,000-mile warranty with complimentary scheduled service takes an edge off the sticker shock. Base models feature leather, standard infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, and power seats. The top-tier SVR comes with standard sports seats, finer details like contrast stitching and Alcantara, and available performance features like carbon ceramic brakes.
Despite its age, the F-Type remains one of the best sports cars to drive, and arguably the best to look at.
Styling
We can all only hope to age as gracefully as the 2020 Jaguar F-Type.
Some things age gracefully. Count the 2020 Jaguar F-Type among them, as this perfectly proportioned sports car earns 8 out of 10 here, with two extra points for its sensual bod and one for its cockpit.
The F-Type is everything we want from a sports car design: long hood, low stance, wide at the hips, and enough curves for intrigue but not so many that it looks cartoonish. A revised version is due in 2021, but with minimal tweaks since its debut in 2013, the F-Type still turns heads today. If only we could all age that well.
While the driver-centered cockpit is similarly sleek, it’s less sexy than the sheet metal and details like the seats, gauge cluster, and steering wheel are showing their age after being left alone for 7 years.
Performance
The 2020 Jaguar F-Type loses its manual transmission option but is still balanced and downright brutal at the top end.
The 2020 Jaguar F-Type is almost three different sports cars in one, ranging from a light and tossable roadster to a supercharged V-8 heavyweight. We give it 8 out of 10 for its sharp handling, composed ride (in most forms), and wide selection of powertrains, based on the most common V-6 version.
Standard F-Type models come in multiple forms. The base model makes use of a 2.0-liter turbo-4 making 296 horsepower and is thus named the P300 (because that sounds better than P296). An 8-speed automatic transmission handles the shifting on every model, while the optional manual transmission has been axed this year for slow sales. It will be missed.
Rear-wheel drive is also standard on the base engine, though the more powerful powerplants are all available or standard with all-wheel drive.
Stepping up to the P340 yields a 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 with—you guessed it—340 hp, while the R-Dynamic P380 squeezes 40 more ponies from the same engine. The raucous F-Type R sports a supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 with 550 horsepower, while the racy SVR model manages 575 hp with spoilers, cooling ducts, and go-fast goodies galore. The V-6s are a good starting point for anyone falling headlong into lust with the F-Type; the turbo-4’s too raucous for our tastes and while we think unclean thoughts about the V-8, its lusty crackling exhaust can get tiring on public roads. (Live on a track? That’s next-level thinking.)
All F-Types handle well, but we prefer the ride comfort of base models on their smaller wheels and softer springs. The R and SVR can be downright harsh on poor roads. A smaller, lighter engine also helps improve the handling balance, so skip the bigger mills for a purer sports car experience if you can endure its noises.
All-wheel drive helps improve grip on the track and in poor weather, but we can’t help but yearn for a rear-wheel-drive V-8 model like when the F-Type was launched for tire-melting fun.
Comfort & Quality
The 2020 Jaguar F-Type is plenty comfortable for two passengers, some small luggage, and not much else.
The 2020 Jaguar F-Type makes the experience comfortable enough for two passengers, but that’s about it. We give it 5 out of 10 here, par for the course for two-seat sports cars.
Leather upholstery is standard and finer options like contrast stitching, sports seats, and Alcantara are available, but the F-Type is a comfortable place for both driver and passenger regardless of trim. The front seats are firm and offer good support even without choosing the racier buckets, but they are very low to the ground.
No rear seat is available, and coupe models offer just 14.4 cubic feet of cargo space, while on the convertible that shrinks to just 7.3 cubes.
While material quality is generally good, some spots are starting to show their age, especially compared to other premium sports cars like the new Porsche 911.
Safety
The 2020 Jaguar F-Type lacks crash test data, but offers all the modern safety tech goodies.
The 2020 Jaguar F-Type lacks a safety record due to its very low sales volume, so we’re unable to give it a score in this category.
At the very least, the F-Type is available with all the safety equipment one would expect from a high-end sports car, including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitors, and a suite of airbags. Active lane control is also standard on every F-Type, and both the R and SVR models offer very expensive but very powerful carbon ceramic brakes, if you can consider that a safety feature. We do.
Features
The 2020 Jaguar F-Type’s list of trims and options is nearly as long as its hood.
The 2020 Jaguar F-Type has a feature list that’s nearly as long as its hood, but we’ll break it down for you here. We give it 9 out of 10 for its standard gear, good infotainment, extensive options, and extensive warranty.
To start, all F-Types get 10-inch touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, leather upholstery, power seats, Meridian audio, LED headlights, and more for $62,625 including destination charge for the P300 coupe, and $65,725 for the convertible.
The P340 comes with a supercharged V-6 and 44 more horsepower than the turbo-4 and carries a price of $72,125 (coupe) or $75,225 (convertible). P380 R-Dynamic models get an additional 40 horsepower on top of that and come with rear-wheel drive for $85,325 (coupe) or $88,425 (convertible). All-wheel drive is available on this model for an additional $3,000. These would be our choice, if we had any restraints on purchase price.
A new Checkered Flag edition is available on both the base turbo-4 and P380 V-6, and includes unique wheels, badging, and upholstery for $72,925 (P300 coupe), $75,325 (P300 convertible), $95,525 (P380 coupe), or $97,925 (P380 convertible), the latter two of which include all-wheel drive.
All of the models in this standard range include options like upgraded wheels, upholstery, and more.
Our real favorite in the F-Type family has a V-8 under the hood. The F-Type R and SVR both make use of a snorting 5.0-liter V-8 in different states of tune and with different levels of racy equipment. The R model gets unique badges, seats, styling, and 550 horsepower for $102,825 (coupe) or $105,925 (convertible), while the SVR offers even more hardcore performance and 25 more horsepower for $124,625 (coupe) or $127,725 (convertible). Big money options like the aforementioned carbon ceramic brakes push the price up thousands more, but even with its rorty V-8 and plenty of grip, there are many enticing options at the $130,000+ range that might suit your fancy better.
For peace of mind, Jaguar offers a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty that includes complimentary scheduled service.
Fuel Economy
The 2020 Jaguar F-Type is reasonably efficient to start, but wildly thirsty with a big supercharged V-8.
With a range of powerful engines, the 2020 Jaguar F-Type is only fuel efficient if driven gently, and you won’t want to. We give it 4 out of 10 here, based on the V-6 cars.
Bear with us here, because the F-Type has a whopping 10 different body style and powertrain combinations, though coupe and convertible models get identical fuel economy ratings at each level.
The base P300 turbo-4 makes an impressive 23 mpg city, 30 highway, 26 combined, while the P340 V-6 model manages 20/28/23 mpg. Stepping up in horsepower to the P380 R-Dynamic V-6 trim yields 19/27/22 mpg with rear-wheel drive and 18/26/21 mpg with all-wheel drive.
The supercharged V-8 R makes just 16/24/18 mpg, but we’re not particularly surprised, and as far as we can tell there’s no penalty for stepping up to the SVR model from there.
All F-Types require premium fuel, and the average annual fuel cost ranges from $1,850 to $2,700 according to the EPA.
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