Jaguar F-Pace: Setting pace in upper SUV-segment, waiting on hybrid powertrain

Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) are in the fast lane. According to recent sales figures for Europe and elsewhere in the world, the sports utility segment boasts the fastest growth rate today. Moreover, indicators show that the upward curve will not flatten out soon. No wonder that almost every car manufacturer is eying this particularly interesting segment.

Times change

Luxury carmaker Jaguar, too, is determined to get its piece of the premium SUV pie, with a car called the F-Pace. Does it simply follow in the tracks set out by sister company Land Rover? Not exactly. It sits nicely between the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport, but the F-Pace wants to be more of a driver’s car than a mobile gentleman’s club.

If you told Jaguar customers – and probably even the Jaguar Board of Directors – 10 years ago that there would be an all-wheel drive Sports Utility Jaguar, you would have been dismissed as a certified fool. But as time goes by, traditions, conceptions and principles evolve and so Jaguar’s first step into the SUV market is nothing but logical. After viewing the car at the 2016 Gevena Motor Show and testdriving it in Montenegro in May, I have to say it is not only a logical step, it will probably also turn out to be a successful one.

Design hit

The all-new F-Pace integrates the stylistic features of the brand’s latest models, with a strong sense of purpose. It looks balanced, robust and a little aggressive because of its big front grill and its muscular hood. It makes the vehicle immediately recognizable as a Jaguar. Its sleek silhouette raises high expectations in terms of handling and agility. Clearly, this is not your standard SUV. The goats and shepherds that we crossed during our mountainous escapade in surprising Montenegro seem to agree.  

Measuring 4,731 mm in length and resting on a 2,874 mm wheelbase, the F-Pace offers a spacious interior both in the front and the back. The rakish rear window may suggest otherwise, but there is plenty of rear headroom and even load height. The F-Pace boasts an excellent 640 liter boot space – that’s 10 liters less than a BMW X5, but 100 liters more than its cousin, the Range Rover Evoque, for example.

Diesel-oriented

As European fleets still prefer diesel, and low CO₂ emissions at that, Jaguar did not hesitate to put its 2.0-litre Ingenium unit between the front wheels. It boasts excellent fuel economy and is surprisingly torquey. It may not be as athletic as certain engines you find in German rivals, nor as refined as the latest French products, but the entry-level diesel certainly does the job and is without any doubt the model to include in your car policy.

The rear-wheel drive 180 hp 2.0 diesel with manual transmission emits just 129 grams of CO₂ per kilometer. By way of comparison, the BMW X4 2.0 xDrive emits 135 g/km. The key to low fuel consumption and thus CO₂ emissions is keeping the vehicle weight at bay. About 80 per cent of the Jag’s body structure is made of aluminum, resulting in a weight of 1,665 kilos. That is still considerable, but also considerably less than its competitors. 

Most premium midsize SUV buyers buy their car with an automatic transmission. In the case of the F-Pace 2.0D, ordering the (excellent) 8-speed ZF unit means you have to order all-wheel drive as well. There is no arguing that 4x4 adds to the active safety of the vehicle, but it comes at a price – literally and figuratively speaking: the extra weight and friction results in a CO₂ level of 139 g/km. Remarkably, the 3.0D six-cylinder, which always comes with the automatic gearbox and AWD, emits just 20 grams of CO₂ more than the 2.0D Auto AWD while adding a huge amount of refinement, effortless power and nobility.

Fancy technology

The F-Pace is packed with active safety features. Really impressive is the Adaptive Surface Response (ASR), which makes the AWD system more efficient in all conditions, identifying the type of surface and optimizing the powertrain mapping. The Intelligent Driveline Dynamics preserve rear-wheel drive agility and handling character, resulting in greater driver involvement. The F-Pace is also the first vehicle to come with Jaguar's Activity Key, a waterproof, shockproof wristband which allows you to lock and unlock the car.

The interior exudes premium quality with its top notch materials and nice fit and finish, without however embarrassing the German competition. The entirely digital instrument panel looks sophisticated and offers an excellent vision. The dashboard reaches the right balance between what the eye wants and what the mind needs to drive well and act quickly.

Options we would recommend, are the electric lumbar support and perhaps even the seat upgrade, as the standard ones may not be to everyone’s liking. If you want a minimum of comfort, rims larger than 18 inch are prohibitive, as nice as they may look. To keep your hands clean, Jaguar offers an electric tailgate as an option. On a vehicle like this, you would expect such a feature to be standard. Luckily, many other features are – even though there is plenty of room for personalization.

3-year warranty

Every Jaguar and Land Rover comes with a 3 year warranty programme (in various countries coupled with an unlimited mileage), which should convince new customers to try out the brand and lower maintenance and repair costs. If lessors base their judgement on the excellent residual value performance of the Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport, than the Jaguar F-Pace should be able to offer a competitive lease rate. The only reserve fleet managers might have, is the fact that JLR’s dealer network is not very dense.

Jaguar claims the F-Pace is the world’s ultimate practical sports car. Unless you go for the supercharged 3,0-litre petrol model, that is probably exaggerated, but the F-Pace surely is a great looking and practical SUV that deserves its place in the upper SUV segment. If Jaguar Land Rover were to add a plug-in hybrid model, this Jag would really set the pace. But even with its conventional powertrains, it offers a very charismatic and convincing alternative to the BMW X4.

Authored by Dieter Quartier and Steven Schoefs