Jaguar F-Type four-cylinder expected

The Ingenium engine line-up will include a variety of different powerplants, including a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel that the brand spoke about at the launch of the all-new Jaguar XE sedan, and a 2.0-litre turbo petrol unit expected to debut in the car mid-2015.

CarAdvice has previously reported that a four-cylinder petrol turbo was expected, and such a model would make for an ideal entry point into the F-Type sports car range. Jaguar’s chief engineer of the Ingenium engine family, Paul Whitwood, didn’t rule out such a car when asked.

“[Ingenium] is modular. It will go in [the F-Type],” he said. “The world is [our] oyster, really.

“You know what else is out there. You’ve only got to see some of the high-performance options that are around with four cylinders. Having four cylinders is not a barrier to making very high-performance vehicles anymore,” he said.

Whitwood was obviously alluding to high-output four-pot engines such as those seen in the Mercedes-Benz A45, CLA45 and GLA45 AMG models with 265kW of power, and the 228kW 2.0-litre offering in the Audi TT S.

“With boosting technology and fuel injection technology, you can get to some pretty high horsepower levels,” Whitwood said.

An F-Type four-cylinder would likely slot in below the current V6 entry point, which is priced at $119,900 for the Coupe and $138,645 for the Convertible.