I've long had a soft spot for the Jaguar F-Type. Launched with much fanfare in 2013, it's one of those sports cars I have always looked forward to driving — and I have driven them lots. The V6. The V6 S (my personal favourite). The V8 S and R and SVR. Heck, I've even spent time in the “entry-level” 2.0-litre (probably my second favourite). While power outputs differ hugely (from 221 to 423kW), all F-Type models are fun and engaging sportsters that still, nearly seven years after the fact, manage to reward the world's driving enthusiasts.
But now we have a problem. You see the bigwigs at Jaguar decided that the F-Type needed an update, a facelift. And in some areas it did. The infotainment system, for example, has long been criticised for being somewhat old-school and clunky. As such, it's now been given an upgrade and features full Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Nice. As is de rigueur in the car industry these days, the instrument cluster has also been made fully digital. I can live with that. Ditto the new software tweaks on the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission (for snappier shifts). What I can't, though, is the car's new visage.