The Jaguar F-Type will aim to topple Porsche’s drop-top duo when it launches in Australia in August.
The iconic British car maker has long maintained its tactic was to price the F-Type somewhere between the Porsche Boxster and 911 Cabriolet.
Three variants of the Jaguar F-Type will launch in Australia – the F-Type, F-Type S and F-Type V8 S – with prices ranging from $139,000 for the base model to $202,300 for the range-topper. Unlike the Porsches, which come standard with manual transmissions, the entire Jaguar F-Type range will be equipped with an eight-speed ‘Quickshift’ automatic transmission, offering manual sequential control through the sportshift selector or steering wheel-mounted paddleshifters.
With comparable 0-100km/h performance to the 250kW Jaguar F-Type S, Porsche’s 232kW Boxster S with optional PDK dual-clutch transmission will represent stiff competition, undercutting the Big Cat by about $40K.
The top-end Jaguar F-Type V8 S should be an easier sell for the Brits, undercutting its open-top Carrera Cabriolet rival by more than $26K (even more if you add the PDK) and beating it by seven-tenths from 0-100km/h with its 4.3-second sprint ability.
The F-Type V8 S is also roughly $64K cheaper than Porsche’s $266,200 Carrera S Cabriolet – a closer performance match for the Jag than the standard Carrera.
Porsche will get the jump on Jaguar, however, with price cuts of up to 13 per cent across its two-door sports car and Cayenne SUV ranges (represented in the above figures) coming into effect in June, two months before the F-Type is scheduled to arrive in local showrooms.
Jaguar has a lot riding on the launch of the F-Type. It represents considerably more than just a new model for the luxury British car maker – it’s the rebirth of the classic Jaguar sports car, 50 years after its predecessor rolled out of production.
