What's that then?

That, my friend, is a manual transmission, a six-speed manual transmission slotted into a Jaguar F-Type - making this this first time that Jag has made a sports car with a stick-shift since the manual version of the XJS went out of production some time in 1875 (Ed: may not be strictly accurate).

Why is this such big news?

Because the manual gearbox, and the delicate art of changing gear with hands and feet (rather than electrons and algorithms) was supposed to be dead, or at least dying. Jaguar though sees that the market amongst true car enthusiasts still craves a self-shifter and so, from 2015, you'll be able to order your F-Type V6 or F-Type V6S with a manual, which Jaguar has had developed for the car by transmission specialists ZF. It's an all-new unit that uses a clever oil-spray system to lubricate the cogs, saving weight and space in the car.

And that's not all - the F-Type is actually getting a bit of a mega update. The engines are unchanged but that's about all that has been left alone on the car. Inside, you'll find smart new instruments in the dash as well as a new InControl infotainment touchscreen. InControl uses swipes and touch-and-drag motions and Jaguar says that it's now much easier to enter satnav destinations, has much clearer and faster-responding graphics and is basically now all caught up with the likes of BMW's iDrive and Audi's MMI in a way that the clunky old system just wasn't. It also includes full smartphone integration, which means you'll be able to start the car remotely from your phone, allowing the cabin to warm up on cold mornings or cool down on hot ones.

But wait there's more. The F-Type will now come with electrically-assisted power steering. Now, while the manual gearbox may be brilliant news for enthusiasts, this is worrying. Electric steering usually means artificial feel and a dead, uncommunicative helm. Not so this time around, claims Jaguar, with Tim Clark, Chief Technical Specialist saying that "we felt very strongly that the efficiency gains offered by Electric Power Assisted Steering should be matched by levels of feel, feedback and responsiveness that would enhance the F-Type driving experience still further. We're satisfied that our EPAS system outperforms anything we've previously offered, providing the agility and interaction you'd demand of a Jaguar sports car." Well, let's hope so, but the good news is that there is up to a 4g/km CO₂ emissions saving thanks to the new steering setup and that means that a 340hp V6 F-Type with the manual transmission gets under the 200g/km barrier.

That's still not enough? Well how about all-wheel drive? Yup, Jag now has a competitor for the Porsche 911 Carrera 4. You can only have it on the V8 or V6S models and only with the eight-speed auto transmission, but here is the F-Type for all seasons, still primarily rear-drive, but able to divert power forwards if needed. "What we require of our AWD system in F-Type is optimal traction in all weather conditions, but preserving the Jaguar DNA and sports car character - that means rear-drive feel and steering without any corruption. The key to this is Intelligent Driveline Dynamics - IDD. IDD allows us to provide 'torque on demand' - only delivering torque to the front wheels when it's required to enhance traction. That means we get great steering precision and the efficiency of a rear-drive car, but with additional traction via the front wheels precisely delivered to match the driver's demand, the road surface and the driving situation" said Russ Varney, Vehicle Programme Director, Sports Cars, Jaguar. You'll be able to tell AWD F-Types apart by some subtle badging, a slightly higher bonnet bulge and different bonnet air vents.