Jaguar F-Pace Review

With the world marching towards SUV segment, why would Jaguar be left behind. Brands like Mercedes, Audi and BMW have an already well established market for their line up of SUV’s like Mercedes ( G-Wagon,GLS, GLE, GLC etc), Audi(Q7, Q5 etc), BMW(X6, X5, X3 etc).

Even sports car manufacturers like Lamborghini is trying to enter this market with the URUS, The Aston Martin with the DBX, also Maserati with the Levanta. This shows how much this segment is growing. Jaguar has decided to put their expertise in the luxury sedan segment to use for the SUV segment too. The Jaguar F-Pace was launched with much hype and anticipation. Let’s have a look of how the Sedan/Saloon manufacturing British (Indian Owned) giants have come along with a SUV.

Jaguar F-Pace Price

This is an expensive SUV and shouldn’t it be. Jaguar have thrown in all the bells and whistles to make this a full fledged SUV to compete with the likes of the GL, Q7, X5, Range Rover Sport etc. Along with off-roading package the F-Pace is fast for an SUV and provides almost unmatched luxury, well almost. Jaguar has tried its best to keep the SUV feel on along with provide its best luxury that you would find in their finest cars.

Jaguar F-Pace Specifications

Also Read: Mercedes-Benz GLC Price and Review

Jaguar F-Pace Design

The front grill and headlamp set up is that of any typical Jaguar. And something that you would expect to be carried on to the F-Pace too. What is suv like is the huge muscular bumper. The grill three grills on the bumper give the massive effect. The v shaped chrome pointing towards each other on the sides and the centre grill have a chrome at the base give the premium luxury effect.

If you look minutely at the grill, headlamps and the bonnet it gives you the look of a Jaguar or any car staring at you and that by itself is intimidating. The perfectly rounded wheel arches blend well to hold the dual tone 10 spoke alloys.

The sloping A-pillar and the black B and C-pillar along with the curved D pillar give the SUV a more COUPE like stance. Something that was made famous by the BMW X6. From the front the rear, Jaguar has stuck to the more smooth elegant styling rather than the muscular lines. What is classy is the chrome at the base of the doors and a sporty feel thanks to the red calliper for the discs. Again the tail lamps are typical Jaguar wraparound LED lights. With all due respect the back actually feels that the rear wind screen was cut and raise to form a rear door for an SUV.

But that is just an opinion. That does not mean it is bad, just that we were expecting the rear windscreen to be bigger but it is not. The good part is the tail door opening is low and easy to slip heavy luggage in. I don’t know if any of you notice but you would never find fumes coming out of a Jaguar exhaust. That because the exhaust protruding out are shut and fake. It is more of aesthetic appeal. The true exhaust flows facing down just before the chrome exhaust that you see protruding out.

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Jaguar F-Pace Interior

The interiors too are typical Jaguar, simple but elegant to the core. Jaguar has always given the British snob value and quality and this remains for the F-pace as well. The chrome on the three spoke steering is very sporty with a round centre containing the Jaguar logo. Do I even mention steering mounted controls? As the steering has more buttons than a dashboard of a low end car would be having.

Everything is at your fingertips for convenience. The screen is a virtual LED panel which no hard mechanism.

The centre console is simple but has everything that you would look for. The large 12 inch led touch screen infotainment system is effortless to use and the Harman Kardon speakers work exceptionally well. To engage the gears is the Jaguar patented knob that rises out when you start the car. And it’s all in the twist. Only if driving the car in city traffic would be so simple. Well to some extent it is. We will get there. The centre console also sports black piano wood for more elegance. The chrome strips flow nicely along the dasha and the doors. I love the blue tint on the chrome that blends with the blue there of the instrument cluster and the blue ambient lighting on the doors and rest of the cabin.

What I can’t figure is why would Jaguar decide to go with greyish beige seats for the dark shade cabin. It feels like a mix of ideas. But opinions can differ. That said in no way does the cabin lack quality and everything is top notch. At the rear there is enough place for 3 passengers. The floor is almost flat except for the part where the rear arm rest is a but too out. The rear seats is typical of what you would find in a luxury car and the seating is b bit too low. The seats have a good cushion and excellent thigh support. Unlike the GL and Q7 there is no 3rd row seating. Its is more for your long trip storage space.

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Jaguar F-Pace Engine

The Jaguar F-Pace will come with two petrol and two diesel engine options. These will be the new Ingenium series of engines. The petrol engines include a 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit that produces 237bhp and a 3.0-litre V6 unit that produces 377bhp. The diesel range includes a 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit that produces 177bhp as well as 3.0-litre V6 engine that produces 337bhpo f power.

Except for the 2.0-litre petrol engine, all other come with AWD (all wheel drive) functionality.

The Ingenium engines from Jaguar are considered to be power, frugal, efficient and low on emissions too.  The power figures in India might change a bit owing to its homologation. The F-Pace doesn’t get Land Rover’s Terrain Response system either. As it more of a crossover.

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Jaguar F-Pace Mileage

Jaguar F-Pace Ride and Handling

With the technology on offer it’s obvious that the F-Pace handles well. It is fast, brakes well, goes almost everywhere but the main question is how well does it do all this in comparison to the other already well established SUV’s. We have already seen the engine performance, what makes that even better is the all wheel drive system that works flawlessly. It helps in providing better grip and sufficient power when needed. The F-Pace comes with Jaguar’s All Surface Progress Control (ASPC)* is a low speed cruise control that helps you to maintain optimum handling in low traction situations.

Torque Vectoring technology provides controlled independent braking on the individual inside front and rear wheels to maximise capability through even the tightest corners, reducing understeer and delivering sports car-like agility and added driver confidence. Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) offers outstanding feedback and control. It is active on demand – saving power for where you really need it, as well as saving fuel. EPA’s sophisticated computer management varies steering assistance as appropriate – increasing assistance for low speed manoeuvring and improving feel at higher speeds. Adaptive Dynamics responds to match the conditions and your driving style.

Steering and body movement are analysed up to 500 times a second. Electronically controlled dampers then constantly adjust to optimise the suspension settings and maintain F-PACE’s dynamism and comfort. F-PACE’s Lightweight Aluminium Architecture is stiff and strong, offering excellent protection to all occupants, while its reduced weight boosts efficiency and enhances handling and braking. F-PACE is among the lightest cars in its class*offering a weight distribution with a near perfect 50:50* balance for a sporting performance and an impeccable ride.

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Jaguar F-Pace Competition

The Jaguar F-Pace competesc with the BMW X3, Audi Q5, Porsche Macan and the Mercedes-Benz GLC. This is more of a soft-roader and is more about on-road performance. The F-PACE is the first crossover from Jaguar.