It was a move that was all but inevitable. Needing to both trim its emissions figures, and hopefully broaden its appeal a little, the Jaguar F-Type has been fitted with a four-cylinder engine. Some will be shocked by that - purists, the same people who derided Porsche’s decision to go for a flat-four in the Cayman and Boxster, will rail against it and say that it makes a travesty of the car’s E-Type lineage.

Others, possibly more sensible, will note the reduced emissions, improved economy, still satisfyingly brisk performance, and pronounce themselves well pleased; not least because the four-pot F-Type looks almost identical to the six- and-eight cylinder models. It’s also a useful £3,000 cheaper than the next V6-engined model in the range, whether you choose the coupe driven here, or the convertible variant.

There is also the small matter of a 52kg weight reduction, which will reduce (if only slightly) the performance gap between this and the larger-engined models. And Jaguar’s engineers have had a crack at the chassis and steering, too, to make sure that the F-Type makes the most of that weight loss, almost all of which comes from the nose. 

So, is it the lesser brother of the V6 and V8 versions? Or just a different kind of F-Type?

First Impressions

Sitting there in Ultra Blue paint (think classic French Racing Blue with a little more kick to it) with contrasting brown leather upholstery, it’s almost impossible not to be beguiled by the F-Type Coupe, whichever engine i...