2019 Jaguar F-Type

As Jaguar's sportiest car, the F-Type recalls this British brand's long heritage of gorgeous coupes and convertibles, like the E-Type of the 1960s and the XK140 of the decade before. Those cars performed well for their respective eras, but modern times dictate modern speed, and that's why the F-Type can be had with as much as 575 hp from a supercharged V8 engine.

That specification and most others carry over to the 2019 F-Type from last year, with the only significant change being the addition of a 10-inch infotainment touchscreen to the car's centre stack, replacing last year's 8.0-inch display.

The range begins with a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine that was introduced last year as a new base powerplant making 296 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque and paired exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Stickshift stalwarts need not fret, because a six-speed manual is available with a 3.0L supercharged V6 that comes in two variants making 340 hp/332 lb-ft and 380 hp/339 lb-ft. That engine is also available with the eight-speed auto and can additionally be specified with AWD.

Atop the engine range is a 5.0L supercharged V8 that starts with 550 hp/502 lb-ft in the R trim and 575 hp/516 lb-ft in the line-topping SVR variant. Both of these versions come exclusively with the eight-speed and AWD.

With that kind of performance on offer, Jaguar has a pretty obvious competitor to the better-known Porsche 911, whose Turbo variant boasts 540 hp and a price tag more than $40,000 richer than the SVR. Jag's fellow Brits at Aston Martin will sell you a Vantage, powered by a 503-hp twin-turbo V8, for about $30,000 more.

The F-Type's standard features are the same whether you choose the coupe or convertible. The base model, known simply as the F-Type, has LED headlights with LED signature lighting, Touch Pro infotainment, a 380-watt Meridian sound system, torque vectoring and an active sport exhaust.

Move up to the R-Dynamic trim to add gloss black exterior trim, a driver-selectable sport exhaust modes and 20-inch wheels.

The R gets 20-inch wheels in a unique style, upsized brakes with red calipers, performance seats and an electronic active differential.

Finally, the SVR boasts forged alloy wheels, a carbon fibre rear wing, trim-specific sport seats in quilted leather and a heated SVR-badged steering wheel with aluminum shift paddles.

Fuel consumption estimates start at 10.2/7.8 L/100 km (city/highway) with the 2.0L engine and rise to 11.9/8.5 with the V6 in its base form and 12.4/8.8 (15.3/10.0 with the stickshift) when amped up to 380 hp. Note that this engine is notably thirstier with the manual transmission. V8 models are rated 15.6/10.4.