The engineering attention brought to bear on developing the aluminium underbody of the F-TYPE has ensured the best possible basis for offering the connected feel, agility and rewarding driving experience expected of a Jaguar sports car. Every response from the steering to the gearchange, throttle, brakes and suspension has been finely honed to be as connected, accurate and involving as possible.

“Fundamentally, a great sports car is one you’ll look forward to driving because it’s fun, and the F-TYPE definitely delivers on that score. We’ve worked hard to make sure that responses to steering, throttle and brakes are absolutely immediate, a task made far easier by the rigid aluminium structure at the car’s base. It’s precise and exciting, a car that you’ll want to drive for the sake of driving alone – and it sounds fantastic!”

Mike Cross, Chief Engineer, Vehicle Integrity, Jaguar

The new structural alloys used in the F-TYPE’s construction result in greatly increased rigidity, which in turn provides the best possible basis for a finely tuned suspension system to deliver an unrivalled feeling of connectivity to the driver.

The F-TYPE’s overall torsional rigidity is 10 per cent greater than for the acclaimed all-aluminium XKR-S, but of greater significance are increases in local point mobilities. Using detailed Computer Aided Engineering programmes, gains of up to 30 per cent have been achieved in lateral stiffness in key areas such as the front suspension mounting points. The stiffer the underlying structure, the greater the precision with which the suspension can be optimised for agility, connectivity and fidelity of response.

For a planted, wheel-at-each corner stance and greater stability to instil a sense of absolute confidence in the driver, the F-TYPE utilises double wishbone suspension all-round, with a wheelbase of 2622mm and front and rear tracks of 1585mm and 1627mm.

Reducing the front and rear overhangs also helps in concentrating the mass within the wheelbase, reducing the moment of inertia and making the car much more immediate to turn in. To gain the greatest benefit from this, Jaguar’s engineers paid particular attention to optimising front to rear weight distribution. Evidence of this obsession with balanced masses comes from the fact that not just the battery but even the washer fluid reservoir has been placed in the boot rather than under the bonnet.

The steering provides the most immediate and obvious communication link between car and driver. In order to maximise connected feel, the F-TYPE uses an alloy front subframe which reduces front end weighting, while a stiffer front knuckle, also in aluminium, provides the greatest accuracy in steering response and feedback. This has allowed the fitment of the quickest steering rack ever on a Jaguar. This offers outstanding response while informing the driver of exactly what the front wheels are doing.

Every Jaguar is engineered and tuned to achieve an unparalled balance between ride and handling. In the F-TYPE that balance naturally tips in favour of involving, exploitable handling but never allows the ride to deteriorate into harshness. The Dynamic Mode fitted to the F-TYPE enables the driver – at the push of a button – to emphasise the sporting character of the car still further. It does so by sharpening throttle response, increasing steering weighting, performing gear changes more quickly and higher up the rev range and by allowing a greater level of slip before the stability control intervenes. Selecting Dynamic mode also prevents automatic upshifts when the gearbox is used in manual mode.

Additionally, the F-TYPE S and V8 S models are fitted with Jaguar’s Adaptive Dynamics system that actively controls vertical body movement, roll and pitch rates. The system continuously monitors driver inputs and the attitude of the F-TYPE on the road, adjusting damper rates accordingly up to 500 times a second to optimise stability and agility. The presence of the Adaptive Dynamics system also allows the F-TYPE S and V8 S to offer a Dynamic Mode with greater functionality for even more focused driving, as in these models it also offers enhanced body control through firmer damping rates.

A Configurable Dynamics option is another first for a Jaguar. This allows the driver to select which elements of the Dynamic Mode are required so, for instance, the steering weight and throttle response can be sharpened while allowing the ride to remain unchanged.

Configurable Dynamics also adds functionality to the central touch screen aimed at track use of the car. The system allows drivers to record lap and split times and will provide information on throttle and brake inputs and even G-forces generated.

Be sure to check out more images from the F-TYPE in our full gallery HERE.