Jaguar has revealed its anticipated four-cylinder F-Type, debuting as the new entry engine in the recently updated Coupe and Convertible lines.

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The new engine option will come to Australia in the fourth quarter of 2017, available in basic F-Type and up-spec R-Dynamic grades for both body styles. Full pricing is still to be revealed, but if you'd been hoping for a sub-$100k figure, you're out of luck: Jaguar has confirmed a $107,300 starting point, before on-road costs. Although still a hefty sum, that number cuts just over $12,000 from the price of entry into the current range, which begins with the 250kW/450Nm supercharged six-cylinder F-Type. Now, to the details.

No surprise, given the state of the four-cylinder performance market these days, the F-Type's smallest new engine is no slouch. Indeed, this newest turbocharged petrol member of the Ingenium engine family is the most powerful four-pot engine Jaguar has ever offered. Revealed in September last year, the new petrol engine debuted in 147kW and 184kW forms earlier this year for the XE, XF and F-Pace lines. For the F-Type, Jaguar has rightly turned the wick up, the twin-scroll single-turbo and direct-injected engine producing 221kW and 400Nm to deliver a claimed 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds. Maximum speed is listed at 249km/h. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a ZF-sourced eight-speed 'Quickshift' torque-converter auto. Yes, the four-pot joins the V8 in skipping the option of a manual transmission, again leaving rowers with a V6-only menu.

Fuel consumption is a relatively low 7.2L/100km on the European combined cycle, with emissions listed at 163g/km. Australia-specific numbers are still to come. "Not only is this the most powerful four-cylinder ever offered in a production Jaguar, it also develops the highest specific power and torque ratings of any engine in the F-Type range. It's a natural fit for a Jaguar sports car," says Ron Lee, powertrain chief at Jaguar Land Rover. Adopting a four-cylinder engine makes this variant of the F-Type some 52kg lighter than the V6 model, which starts at 1567kg - depending on specification. As a result, and for those who value the finer details, the change in weight distribution sees balance move one percentage point to the rear. Jaguar claims an already dreamy 50:50 split for the V6, so the change could be tricky to detect. (We'll give it a proper go, obviously.)

Along with the requisite chassis tune, the four-cylinder F-Type models get their own 18-inch wheel design, themselves helping to reduce unsprung mass. Of course, as an entry model, there's also a single tailpipe finisher at the rear, setting it apart from the V6's twin-central tips and the V8's quad outboard design. With the addition of the four-cylinder model, the F-Type range will look like this: F-TYPE Coupe and Convertible 221kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder; Quickshift RWD

250kW 3.0-litre V6; Quickshift RWD/ manual RWD

280kW 3.0-litre V6; Quickshift; RWD/ AWD, manual RWD

F-TYPE R-Dynamic Coupe and Convertible 221kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder; Quickshift RWD

250kW 3.0-litre V6; Quickshift RWD/ manual RWD

280kW 3.0-litre V6; Quickshift; RWD/ AWD, manual RWD F-TYPE 400 SPORT Coupe and Convertible 294kW 3.0-litre V6; Quickshift RWD/ AWD F-TYPE R Coupe and Convertible

404kW 5.0-litre V8; Quickshift AWD F-TYPE SVR Coupe and Convertible 423kW 5.0-litre V8; Quickshift AWD Watch for the four-cylinder F-Type model to land in Australia later this year, following the confirmed May launch of the V6 and V8 lines.