Jaguar F-Type V6 P380 R-Dynamic 2018 UK first drive

This handsome devil? Why it’s the 2019 model year update of the Jaguar F-Type. And if you’re thinking that it looks remarkably similar to the last Jaguar F-Type you came across – bar the very fetching (and very expensive, at £3,500) new Madagascar Orange paint – then you’d be absolutely right.

Because, cosmetically, this F-Type is unchanged from previously. If it ain’t broke, after all...

Instead, the latest revision to Jag’s sports car focuses elsewhere; the styling has been bob on since day dot, with some other areas less convincing. So for 2019 the F-Type now receives JLR’s latest 10-inch InControl Touch Pro infotainment system, a new range of colours and wheel designs, standard torque vectoring for all models and a refresh of the naming structure: the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder car is now the P300, the entry-level V6 the P340 and the car that was the V6 S – and as tested here – is now to be referred to as P380.

It was tested in R-Dynamic guise, the only derivative of more powerful V6 on offer, though there is the choice between coupe and convertible bodystyles, manual or automatic gearboxes, plus rear- or four-wheel drive powertrains.

Nobody will be surprised to learn that, given the modest overhaul that the F-Type has been subjected to, the car still feels broadly similar to the F-Type we’ve come to know and (mostly) love. It’s very far from a new car now though, having first been launched in the summer of 2013, and even in isolation there are a few flaws apparent.

Chief among those is the F-Type’s sheer size; combined with less-than-perfect visibility it remains a tricky car to place on the road. And how does a car this physically large boast such mediocre interior space?

Furthermore, despite precise, satisfying steering and largely impressive body control, there’s no escaping the considerable weight the Jaguar has to contain. It does a good job, but even a quick drive in a four-cylinder car shows what potential there is for a more enthralling F-Type with a few kilos lost. It’s no coincidence that our favourite sports cars at this price point, cars like the Alpine A110 and Porsche 718 Cayman, are considerably lighter.

That said, although age isn’t exactly on its side, the F-Type still makes for entirely pleasant and agreeable company on the right road. Words like ‘charismatic’ and ‘charming’ are typically euphemistic terms for flawed yet exciting cars, though they’re hard to avoid with the big Jag. Top down in the autumnal sunshine, heaters on and exhaust blaring, there aren’t many more enjoyable sports car experiences.