I spent a day last week on a Formula One simulator. Not some X-Box nonsense but a proper, real-size machine with video graphics, a motion rig and booming sound system.

To be honest, it wasn’t that good. I drove Damon Hill’s Arrows car once and there was absolutely no similarity between the two. The simulator wasn’t a riotous assault on the senses – there was no sense of movement, no smells and no feeling.

The Jaguar F-Type is one of a small number of sports car that really does wrap the driver in a bubble of sensory experience. There are plenty of two-seaters on the market that offer great performance and looks but none compare to the F-Type for the all-round experience.

Of course, you are going to pay at least £70,000 to park an F-Type on your driveway but I wonder what they will be selling for secondhand in three year’s time? I know I’ll be looking for one when that time comes…

Finding faults with a car as good as the F-Type is difficult. Here are some thoughts.

The convertible has a tiny boot – it’s not affected by the fabric hood being down but there is little depth and no room for a set of golf clubs if you are  that way inclined.

The centre console that houses the infotainment screen has a rash of function buttons down each side which just don’t measure up to the build quality of the rest of the car.

Those black leather sports seats are hard – and I mean really hard! It’s nothing to do with the suspension but on an uneven surface it’s decidedly uncomfortable.

And while the sun visors are tiny, the centre storage bin small and rear visibility limited with the wind deflector in place, I doubt any of these issues will spoil your enjoyment of the F-Type.

When we tested the Audi Q5 recently, it took five days before I found the right buttons to turn a good SUV into a great one. The 3.0 TDI was transformed in sport mode – a totally different beast to the car that I had become used to.

And you could say the same about the F-Type. It’s only when you switch to ‘dynamic’ mode, activate the acoustic exhaust button and, preferably, drop the hood, that the Jaguar awakes from a grand tourer into a rasping sports car.

I’m not sure I’ve had as much fun in a performance car since I first went sideways in a Caterham 7. There’s no need to push it hard either, the F-Type returns mile after mile of thrills in every situation.

Red is my least favourite colour for a car but I could even overlook the paintwork to have one parked in my garage permanently. And I haven’t even driven the coupe version yet, which is no doubt going to be even better. At last, some serious competition for the Porsche 911…

I keep wondering what it must have been like for those first motoring journalists who tested the Jaguar E-Type when it was launched back in the early 60s. The car arrived with such hype that it could have taken a very large fall.

Of course, it didn’t and the cigar-like shape of the convertible became a symbol of the sixties – one of the most recognisable cars of all time.

So creating a successor some 50 years on, Jaguar was very careful not to make too many comparisons. They talked about the heritage and DNA of the E-Type but didn’t risk  pushing it too far.

The F-Type has arrived to critical acclaim, a British sports car that could compete with the best, take them on, and win. Hopefully, after six days of testing, we’ll have a better idea of what the fuss is all about…

Jaguar F-Type R-Dynamic Convertible 380PS

As pretty convertibles go, the F-Type has to be one of the best. Slick as a Ferrari, or even an Aston Martin whichever way you look at it. The F-Type hasn’t quite lived up to expection since it was launched five years ago – so how does the 380PS V6 fare? The V8 models are faster but you can actually afford to run the £71,725 R-Dynamic, with rear-wheel drive. It returns 32.9mpg combined and holds its value well. Join us for the last rays of the summer in a sexy Jaguar…