Jaguar F-Type Coupe review

The inevitable comparison here is against the convertible and it’s a good place to start. The solid roof means there’s more strength in the chassis and the suspension has been lightly modified, too.

The end result is a car that’s more harmonious, better balanced and allows you to use more of its power, more of the time. It’s a bundle of fun to drive, maybe not quite as together as a Porsche 911, but arguably more entertaining – not least because of the epic soundtrack that continually erupts from the exhausts.

With many, many tunes of F-Type to choose from you get a different driving experience depending on your budget. To summarise, there are six different power outputs, two different gearboxes (an eight-speed auto is standard on most, but the V6s can be had with a six-speed manual) and two different transmissions (most are rear-drive, but the higher powered V6s and the V8s can be had with all-wheel drive).

Money no object? Get an AWD V8. The SVR is undoubtedly the maddest, most exciting F of all, but doesn’t justify its cost premium over the starkly similar R. And the R has nice subtle styling, with the SVR’s mad wing removed.

But there isn’t a bad F-Type. The V8s naturally sound the best, the V6s are a mite more precise to drive (they get proper mechanical differentials if you choose one of the more powerful ones) and the four-cylinder, with its 296bhp output, is as approachable and trustworthy as F-Types get. Yes, that means it’s the least boisterous and exciting, but there’s a brilliant novelty to driving a big wide Jag as hard as you can drive this one.