Jaguar F-type review – design
Isn’t nearly as dated as its age would suggest. It’s snug, intimate and well built inside; tech is improved, but still not class-leading
The new F-type’s reveal came alongside some controversy over its tiny new headlights. So often, when a model like this 2020 F-type requires a substantial update, it comes at the loss of the original car’s design purity. The original F-type’s upright headlights that drew their way up the clamshell bonnet were a defining feature, which has now been lost.
You can make up your own mind about whether you actually like the new design or not, but it has been executed extremely well. The front end doesn’t look out of place on an overall shape that is otherwise pretty much unchanged. The grille is now lower and wider than before too, with two larger openings either side.
The body is still on the chunky side and you can blame that on the F-type’s high scuttle – an element driven by its foundations sourced from the previous generation XK - increasing the height of the beltline for the entire body. The removal of the old F-type’s sill blocks certainly help reduce the body’s mass though, making the sheet metal look sleeker and increasing the coke-bottle profile.
The rear has also been very subtly updated, with new lights that have a squared-off ‘chicane’ graphic seen in other Jaguars. The lower diffuser and exhaust layout is as before, with four-cylinder models having a single oblong outlet in the centre, and V8 models upgrading that to a quad pipe system. Although we’re usually in the game of more sidewall and less rotational mass of small wheels and tyres, the Jag’s body was designed to suit 20-inch units, which although standard on the V8 models, is a worthy upgrade on the four-cylinder for no other reason than aesthetics.
