Not to be a contrarian, but I see a lot of confusion around the term "facelift" in terms of which years it refers and I wonder would "generations" be a better way to talk about these cars. Often people just write "the facelifted cars," omitting which facelift they're even referring to. Facelift is also just kinda long to type out, so I propose we should be using F Type "gen1/2/3."

Now I am the newb here, so go easy if all this is just ridiculous, but here's how I call it (for USA market, anyway):

Gen1 - MY13 through MY17. The originals.
Gen2 - MY18 through MY20. These are distinguished from Gen1 primarily in that Gen2 cars did away with the vertical front vent slats (6cyls had none, Rs got horizontal) and moved to full LED headlamps. The slimline Performance seats came in here, as did the 10" touchscreen (for MY19)
Gen3 - MY21 through MY24. These introduced the horizontal headlamps and square-bottomed taillamps.

Do I have this right, or are there other factors affecting either the model year dating or relevant to the distinction between facelift and generation?

 

I prefer the 2014-2015 models you get the original and the best exhaust sound. 2016-2018 is slightly muted about 20% because of software update. 2019-2024 the exhaust is muted the most around 40% because of the software and the filter.

 

All of which can be addressed on any of them with time, money, and effort…Tunes, exhaust changes, etc

But yeah, out of the box there’s no doubt things sorta progressively went down hill.

 

Nothing ever confused me before today...

In your signature, you have a MY19.5 F-Type..

What happened in 2019 that caused this designation?

 

The 10" touchscreen was inroduced partway through MY18.

 

Haha! Sorry! But, there is certainly tons of contradictory and/or incomplete info in circulation out there, if you're looking, and lots of that is related to the facelifts framework, so it seems worth straightening out (from my perspective as an enthusiast and owner).

As for my MY19.5 designation, I've no idea what happened in '19 to cause the designation, but the build sheet I got from VinAnalytics lists option code 001CM as MY19.5, so I'm going with it, hoping to find answers. I've posted here about it before, but got nowhere: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/f...19-5-a-295166/

Being new to the F Type world, I find it kind of strange the lack of precision and authority around these cars. In the Audi world, everything is pretty clear and definite, and so too in the Porsche world. I'd describe the cultures around those marques being built on inquisitiveness, which I find kind of lacking with F Type. A lot of that is to do simply with time; the F Type's model run is a baby compared to, say, the Porsche 928, so the fan base just isn't as developed or extensive. We'll get there, though, no doubt!

 

For sure in the UK and maybe some other export markets, perhaps related to the registration regimen rather than factory production shifts, but I'm not certain. I don't think the US market there are any such equipped MY18 cars, at least not that I've seen in my searches. Here in the US, model year is determined by manufacturer statement, via VIN code position 10, which I'd presumed was a global standard, but apparently is not, so yeah, that's a source of confusion, too.

 

So are you advocating for additional generation designations based on exhaust and software changes? Your divisions certainly shoot-to-**** the facelift framework!

 

Your ‘generations’ are mostly cosmetic, but there was also stuff ‘under the hood’ being changed continuously.

Active exhaust: originally vacuum-controlled valves with an electric vacuum pump, then pump was deleted and engine vacuum used, then electric valves used.
2nd start/stop battery deleted
Electric-assist steering replaced hydraulic
The entertainment system has gone through a number of versions
etc etc

I’d be interested to see a list of all the special editions: Project 7, BDE, 400 Sport, etc.

 

It would be extremely unorthodox in the car world to talk about either gens or facelifts without linking them to cosmetic changes. Minor running production changes like the shift from vac to electric valves typically get subsumed by Model Year designation, not gen and definitely not facelift.

I would not support a reorganization of the convention for F around those things.

Certainly “gen” implies more significant changes than “facelift,” but while constantly evolving over its 10 year production run, I don’t think the F went through any more significant changes which would define generations than the facelifts, and so my concern with the convention is just to improve the accurate transmission of information.

Many people here and across the internet will say things like “I prefer the pre-facelift cars,” or use “facelift” just to refer to MY21+ cars, ignoring altogether the very obvious facelift of MY18 - MY20. That kind of sloppiness stops if use “gen” because you can’t say “I prefer the pre-gen cars.” That’s senseless.

Gen requires distinction, like gen1/2/3, but even “early” or “late,” and that’s much better than the confusion that attends the lazy use of “facelift.”

 

I generally agree with OP's breakdown, but I tend to look at 2013-2015 as Gen 1 due to no AWD option and hydraulic PS. When I was looking for my F-Type, I was looking for a "second gen" R in my mind, which was a 2016-2017 with original aesthetics but AWD.

Gen1 - MY13 through MY15. The originals.
Gen 2 - MY16 through MY17. Original body style but AWD introduced for R models and hood vents moved forward. EPAS added.
Gen 3 - MY18 through MY20. These are distinguished from Gen1 primarily in that Gen2 cars did away with the vertical front vent slats (6cyls had none, Rs got horizontal) and moved to full LED headlamps. The slimline Performance seats came in here, as did the 10" touchscreen (for MY19)
Gen 4 - MY21 through MY24. These introduced the horizontal headlamps and square-bottomed taillamps.

Jaguar made it difficult to define generations because they constantly tinkered with the cars. As others have noted, there were myriad software and hardware changes rolled out on an ongoing basis, not necessarily tied to a "facelift" or a specific model-year change.

 

Good point, if you really think about it, by far the biggest change Jaguar has done to these cars mechanically was introduction of the AWD. Fundamentally changes the overall driving experience.

 

So I come from the Impreza crowd, and the way we defined things were by generations and refreshes/facelifts.

As far as I'm aware, a 'generation' in general is when the car is based on a new platform or a new 'version' of such? And a refresh or facelift is mostly a sheetmetal and doodads change but nothing substantial.

So for example, we had the 'GC' (gen 1 if you will) Impreza that went from I think 1992 to 2000. It had one refresh in 1998 that mostly changed the bumpers, lighting, and some of the interior styling. To complicate things, in JDM land, the WRX and STI had 6 'versions', which were more about technical updates and changes to the drivetrain, IIRC. The (gen 2) was called the 'GD', and it was a major change to the car, all new design, from 2002 through 2007. The 'GD' had two major refreshes that mostly had to do with the front end (headlights, bumpers, hood, etc) that people refer to as 'Bugeye', 'Blobeye' and 'Eagle eye', and in JDM land there were 'Revisions' that once again had mostly to do with the drivetrain but also roughly matched with the facelifts. But the platform didn't really change in between.

After those we had the (gen 3) 'GE' or 'GR' I've head them called, went from 2008 to 2014 without any major changes during that time, although before 2011 it was only offered as a hatch, and a sedan body was added after. Following that, they changed things around radically and it's no longer really relevant to the discussion

ANYWAY, to the point. My view is that the F-Type ever only had one 'generation', since the guts and the chassis were more or less unchanged from 2014 to 2025. AWD being added is a good point (and the coupe coming after the convertible!), but I feel like the car was designed with those things in mind (correct me if I'm wrong, but if you had more money than brains, you could retrofit AWD guts into a 2014 convertible?), the only real facelifts or refreshes would be 2018, the change to LED headlights and some minor exterior and interior styling changes, and 2021 when they completely changed the look of the front end and the tail lights etc. Remember - facelifts are relatively cheap, new generations require an entire R&D and engineering expenditure as it's largely a new car from the ground up.

If Callum's claim about a 'new F-Type' that was cancelled is true, that to me would've been a 2nd generation, and likely would've had it's own facelifts and refreshes along the way.

 

I'd guess (without any evidence) that MY18 cars with the 10" screen would be designated MY18.5.

 

Chaadster's basic "Gen 3" description could add that the gauge cluster was digitized/animated starting with my21.

I purposely bought a 2020 not only because I preferred the original Callum-era headlights, etc., but also because front parking assist and Android Auto became standard that year (I was thinking mostly about potential resale value re AA, since I planned to use neither it nor CarPlay; I actually prefer the stock map system).

Also, for the sake of potential glitch avoidance, I'd always prefer the final year of a generation versus the first year of a new one.

 

Lol, all this is starting to give me a headache. I think I will stick with the pre-facelift and facelift designation

 

Fits the current American zeitgeist, that’s for sure.

 

Hah, is just, I'm sure at some point soon, I would say "hey that is a nice Gen 2", and they would reply "I am insulted sir, mine is a Gen 3.25, I demand satisfaction!" Plus this is all making me feel quite inferior with my early 2015 car

 

None are inferior, and yours is a “dope O.G. whip” as I see it!

 

Yeah I know, I was being silly. I actually really love what Jaguar had done with their f-type lineup. They all share the same amazing dna, but they all have their variety that makes each one unique. There is something for everybody.