Jaguar F-TYPE 2.0 Convertible 2019 Review

Jaguar’s flagship sportscar wowed us in coupe form thanks to a thundering V8 supercharged variant that is still the closest thing on four-wheels to a Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX.

The company toned down things a little for the cabrio version of the F-TYPE but was still fixated on supercharged sixes and eights.

More recently, the Jaguar F-TYPE 2.0 changed the focus of the British marque’s all-alloy roadster – installing a 221kW/400Nm version of the company’s Ingenium turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol into the same engine bay into which once was shoehorned 5.0-litres of fire and brimstone.

But for once, here is a case in which less isn’t simply less.

It takes just a short drive to appreciate the turbo four delivers a much livelier and finessed feel to the F-TYPE Convertible at what is also a substantial saving.

The F-TYPE Coupe and Convertible range is headed by the 423kW-plus all-wheel drive F-TYPE SVR that will set you back around $340K including on-road costs – if you can get one.

Introduced in late 2017 and refreshed for 2019, the four-cylinder rear-drive F-TYPEs are much cheaper – the 2.0 Convertible we tested is priced from $130,778.

Still, you’ll need to add in a fair swag of options to get it up to snuff. At this price category you should not have to pay more for a rear camera ($1060) and keyless entry ($1200) or even electric memory seats ($2150). But in the F-TYPE you do – so we did…

With an active exhaust and some other bits and pieces, our test car totalled $141,088 before on-road costs. Not quite the extra $60K of boxes ticked we’ve seen on some four-cylinder Porsches, but still far from small change.

Although the brand has a chequered history in terms of aftersales performance Down Under, the modern crop of Jaguar Land Rover models have comparable reliability and warranty coverage to their counterparts in other brands.

JLR offers a three-year/100,000km warranty – about par for the luxury course but a far cry from the seven-year/unlimited kilometres some mass market brands deliver. Sweetening the deal, Jaguar F-TYPE and XJ owners benefit from a five-year/130,000km free scheduled servicing program. Only “wear and tear” items are excluded.

The joy of the 2.0-litre F-TYPE is how balanced and lively it feels. While some cabrios are dull in terms of their dynamic performance, the four-cylinder F-TYPE is anything but. In fact we’d go so far as to suggest that four is the sweetest number for the open-top Jaguar.

There’s a real poise and panache to the way this car handles. Performance from the lively four-cylinder engine is easily accessed thanks to an excellent eight-speed automatic transmission and Jaguar’s ‘Dynamic’ mode sufficiently energises the powertrain to make the steering wheel paddles almost superfluous.

It’s also a very fine looking car in the metal – whether the top is up or down. There’s all the traditional roadster elements represented – a long bonnet, shapely hips and low stance.

I wasn’t a fan of the black-on-black colour scheme of the test car, but the sensible sized 18-inch alloys made a nice change (and no doubt helped the ride).

The Jaguar F-TYPE 2.0 range was first launched in late 2017. The car’s specification was tweaked during 2018 and as tested is defined as a MY19.5 model.

There’s some question marks over the future of the F-TYTPE range with some pundits tipping Jaguar will replace the car with an all-electric roadster. Even hints of that replacement are not on the horizon yet, so we’d expect the current model to soldier on for a couple years more.

The F-TYPE Convertible is a true two-seater (no rear seats or storage at all) but there’s decent room for you and your passenger. The electrically-operated top can be dropped or raised in around 12sec while moving (we tried it at speeds up to 50km/h or so) and when down, even at highway pace, buffeting is minimal – in part because you sit quite low.

The boot capacity is limited but I did fit a full size golf bag in – even if I did have to load the drivers separately. One good point is that the boot capacity is not affected by the roof position.

Our car was fitted with a mixed cloth-leather seat that offered decent comfort but is probably a little lacking in lateral support if you up the pace. That’s not exactly what this F-TYPE is about, however – it’s more a cruiser than a racer.

To be frank the cabin’s showing its age too. It’s okay, but far from trendsetting. Again the monotone nature of this trim level plays a part here. It may need a little bling…

The Jaguar F-TYPE 2.0 Convertible is never going to set the sales charts alight. Jaguar Land Rover Australia sold an even 100 F-TYPEs (coupes and cabrios) in 2018, so it’s a car that’s unlikely to be parked in by its stablemates at the local eatery.

By way of comparison Porsche sold five times as many 911s and three times and many Cayman and Boxsters.

The mention of Porsche is quite deliberate. The German brand’s trio of models are seen as direct or close rivals for the F-TYPE across its various price segments.

As a card carrying Porsche fan, I can still see value and merit in the F-TYPE. The Convertible is arguably a little more ‘grown up’ than the Boxster.

It will be interesting to see how the new BMW Z4 fares in this small and fickle marketplace. I suspect, like most ‘personal cars’, owners falling in and out of love with particular models has more relevance than any hard edged spec or feature comparison.

The Jaguar F-TYPE 2.0 is a thoroughly capable, comfortable and comely convertible. It’s no powerhouse but with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 5.7sec, nor is it a pretender. There’s an edge to the 2.0-litre four’s power delivery and soundtrack that is endearing.

It’s also great to look at and wonderfully light on its feet.

Whether these attributes are enough to offset some of the traditional barriers to Jaguar ownership (depreciation being one) requires a more personal search.

Even though the Jag pulls at the heartstrings, it’s difficult to recommend stepping away from the hard-headed efficiency and bank vault retained values of the Jag’s German competitors.

How much does the 2019 Jaguar F-TYPE cost?
Priced from: $130,788 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 221kW/400Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 200g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: N/A