For the 2018 model year, the front end look becomes clearer and more powerful, with LED headlights adding a technological edge. Inside, lightweight slimline seats deliver more style, more room and greater comfort. A harmonious selection of new interior finishes and materials give the F-TYPE a more exotic feel
A key aim of the design process was to establish a stronger, purer statement for the F-TYPE’s front-end form, while also providing clearer visual differentiation between the different models. The addition of full LED headlights and slimline seats make the car’s aesthetics even more striking and significantly enhance the driving experience.
The F-TYPE’s grille shape and graphic are unchanged, remaining – as ever – key elements in the sports car’s design DNA. However, for the 2018 model year, designers paid particular attention to the bumpers, introducing bolder surfaces and simpler forms with discreet signature features subtly enhancing the front end form, providing greater differentiation across the model range, from the F-TYPE up to the F-TYPE SVR.
In place of its predecessor’s double ‘shark gill’ apertures, the new F-TYPE features large, powerful single apertures with a lozenge mesh design. Building on this design theme, the F-TYPE R-Dynamic model gains Gloss Black bezels.
Reflecting the step up in power and performance, the 550PS V8 R features larger, wider apertures with a distinctive horizontal blade to further accentuate the car’s visual width. The 575PS V8 SVR’s 200mph potential is clearly expressed through unique apertures designed to offer the maximum possible airflow and aerodynamic efficiency.
The new full-LED headlights help to signal the greater clarity in the F-TYPE’s design language. Jaguar’s distinctive J-Blade daytime running lights are retained, and these now double as the direction indicators, with the lamp’s ‘eyelid’ indexing with the bonnet’s cutline to further accentuate the lights’ multi-layered graphics.
The improved aesthetics are more than matched by performance and functionality: light from the LEDs has a colour temperature of 5,500-6,000K, making it similar to natural daylight. Putting a higher-quality light on the road improves visibility, helps to alleviate fatigue on long drives and makes it easier for drivers to spot hazards earlier.
The Adaptive Front Lighting system makes the new LED headlights even more effective. Networking them to the vehicle’s suite of sensors enables them to switch intelligently between four main driving modes: City, Country, Motorway and Bad Weather.
In normal conditions at up to 30mph (48km/h), City Mode provides a wide-angle low beam setting that helps the driver see pedestrians and side roads more easily in built-up areas. To aid progress in heavy rain, Bad Weather mode activates at speeds of up to 40mph (64km/h).
When the F-TYPE accelerates above 30mph (48km/h), Country Mode activates, providing a narrower, longer beam to improve distance visibility. At speeds beyond 56mph (90km/h), Motorway Mode sets its focus further down the road to enable the driver to see even further.
The LED rear light clusters have been subtly updated too. The characteristic light graphic of a horizontal line intersecting a roundel – a feature inherited from the iconic Jaguar E-type – is now accentuated by darker lenses to give the car an even more purposeful appearance.