Engineered to take the fight to the Porsche Macan, does Jaguar’s first attempt at an SUV live up to expectation?
Jaguar’s announcement in 2015 that its portfolio would include a contender in the increasingly lucrative SUV market came as no real surprise; the CX-17 concept unveiled back in 2013 made those intentions very clear. However, what did surprise most of us was that Jaguar did not call on close Land Rover family connections for assistance, especially considering the latter marque’s long-established know-how on all things SUV.
Admirably, the Coventry brand stuck to its guns and set about achieving its goal while steadfastly preserving the driver-focused pedigree that has always been its hallmark. Jaguar insists its owners crave superb driving dynamics and more polished on-road prowess than is currently offered by its off-road-specialist cousins.
Rather than making use of the Discovery Sport’s similarly proportioned platform, the F-Pace is underpinned by the same dynamically inclined architecture, with its double-wishbone front/multilink-rear suspension layout, as featured on the XE and XF sedans. Despite neither of these models proving particularly light, the setup nevertheless incorporates extensive (80%) use of lightweight aluminium. In the raised-bodied F-Pace – and with the Porsche Macan a confirmed target – the distribution of this mass around an inevitably taller centre of gravity became vitally important to Jaguar.
Here the incorporation of steel in the rearmost section of the vehicle plays a role not only in overall rigidity, but also, crucially, it helps with shifting mass rearwards for that optimal 50:50 weight balance. The liberal use of lightweight magnesium, as well as the inclusion of a plastic tailgate, subsequently keeps the car’s centre of gravity as low as possible.
Despite targeting the Macan and BMW X4 in terms of on-road prowess, Jaguar has nevertheless managed to mould these ambitions in a larger package than those two. Some 50 mm lengthier, 13 mm wider and 43 mm taller than Porsche’s smaller SUV, the F-Pace is also 67 mm longer in its wheelbase.
Rather than suffer these bloated dimensions, however, the F-Pace has one of the most striking exterior designs in this segment thanks to impossibly short overhangs, a narrow, swept-back glasshouse and, in the case of S-badged models, 20-inch alloy wheels. In the metal, the F-Pace looks compact and suitably lithe, and maintains the dynamic stance you see in these images.
It’s a stance that successfully translates into the cabin via raised windowsills and steeply raked, if somewhat bulky, A-pillars. The taller driving position aside, in both layout and functionality of all controls, there’s a welcome cohesion with other modern Jaguar products, including the XF. That also means we maintain reservations about the tactile quality of some of the materials.
A highlight of our test unit’s interior was Jaguar’s optional (R32 800) InControl Touch Pro infotainment system. With its vivid 10,2-inch display screen, this innovative setup provides the F-Pace’s cabin with a suitably upmarket look and feel when compared with the somewhat more pedestrian (eight-inch) standard offering. But, while it’s understandable that InControl Touch Pro is a cost option on the local F-Pace range, the lack of such basic features as an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and a sliding cover for the upfront cup holder (both are options) sours the deal a little.
Making the most of its stretched wheelbase, the F-Pace offers impressive levels of leg- and headroom for three adults in the rear seats. These chairs can be lowered in a 40:20:40-split should more luggage space be required. Despite the presence of an intrusive, raised floor section that covers a full-size alloy spare wheel, there is still a sizeable 304 dm3 worth of luggage space. By comparison, the Macan offers 296 dm3.
Further to Jaguar’s ambitions that the F-Pace should feel as dynamic as other Jaguars to drive, the largest vehicle in its portfolio features the same rear-biased all-wheel-drive system as the most nimble offering in the brood, the F-Type. Directing 90% of available torque to the rear wheels under normal driving conditions, this system can send up to 50% to the front wheels when required.
In the case of the supercharged 3,0-litre 35t model tested here, that means 460 N.m of torque being shifted between the axles at any given time. Mated exclusively with a slick ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission, this 280 kW model recorded a 0-100 km/h sprint of just 5,88 seconds.
While the F-Pace 35t AWD, with its difficult-to-ignore exhaust rasp and keen throttle mapping (even in normal driving mode) is tasked with taking the performance fight to the competition, Jaguar’s first SUV maintains a welcome sense of composure. Where sport mode heightens throttle, transmission and steering sensitivities to tangible levels, a corresponding firming up of the adaptive dampers has a hardly noticeable effect on an otherwise compliant ride quality. It’s a suspension setup that complements this Jaguar’s well-weighted and precise electromechanical steering system, and it combines to offer a remarkably sharp turn-in and impressive mid-corner body-roll management.
If there’s a downside to Jaguar’s decision to grant the F-Pace this much pace, it’s that the AWD S feels constantly “switched on” and ready to perform. On this note, we found the eco mode, with its dulled throttle and less racy transmission setting, rather than the normal drivetrain option, better suited to everyday driving conditions. However, even in this most conservative setting, we struggled to achieve anything close to frugal fuel-consumption figures, and our fuel route returned a disappointing average of 12,8 L/100 km.
