We review the Jaguar F-Pace from price to economy and all its features
Jaguar's SUV is a magnificent beast
FIRST off, a message to the person who let their shopping trolley roll into the side of my loan F Pace – you’re a moron.
You succeeded in denting what is possibly the best all-round car Jaguar has made.
If you did it on purpose, then you’re a prize tosser and I hope you burn your mouth on a Pot Noodle.
While it took the jam right out of my doughnut to find a scrape on the F Pace, it couldn’t spoil my enjoyment of this car.
The days of acres of walnut dash and old men wearing leather driving gloves are long gone
As Jag’s first SUV, the pressure was on them to deliver something special. The days of acres of walnut dash and old men wearing leather driving gloves are long gone from the brand, models such as the F Type have proved that.
But when it announced an SUV was in the pipeline, the motoring world stood to attention.
It was effectively a battle cry directed at its rivals. The high-end 4x4 market is a frightening place to do business. It takes balls of steel to go up against the likes of the Porsche Macan, the Audi Q5 and, of course, everything stablemates Land Rover have on offer.
But Jaguar succeeded.
It was effectively a battle cry directed at its rivals
Key Facts
- Price: £35,020
- Engine: 2.0-litre diesel
- Economy: 57.7 mpg
- C02: 129g/km
- 0-60: 8.5 seconds
- Top speed: 130 mph
- Length: 4.7 metres
- Turning circle: 11.7 metres
I’ll start with what I love most about it — its handling. I’ve never driven an SUV which feels so much like a car. Not in standard mode, mind you, it still has the soft wallow and slight sluggishness of a big beast.
But when you flick into dynamic mode it becomes a completely different machine. The ride becomes firm and confident, even the smallest input on the leather-covered steering wheel sees the F Pace respond like a sports car.
It’s crisp, it’s sharp and driving it is a joy. As someone without kids in the back to worry about, it was my default driving mode all week. The ride is probably too taut for long journeys with passengers but I couldn’t care less.
There’s a reason for its car-like handling. The F Pace is closest in DNA to the Jaguar XE and XF, its very capable saloon cars. And if you’ve got the money, you can even buy a version with the supercharged V6 petrol engine lifted straight from the F Type.
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That monster will knock out 0-62 in 5.5 seconds, putting it right up there with the Audi SQ5.
The model I drove was the far more affordable 178bhp 2.0-litre diesel. At times I felt I wanted more power, and occasionally the auto ’box seemed to be a touch slow to downshift but I’m being extremely picky here. I was pushing it harder than you would ever need to as an owner.
And it is phenomenally fuel efficient, returning 57mpg.
And it is phenomenally fuel efficient, returning 57mpg.
If you want to see what the new face of Jaguar looks like, climb inside an F Pace. The interior oozes trendy style, with greeny-blue mood lighting and two-tone leather upholstery giving it the feel of a posh spa.
The touchscreen infotainment system is intuitive and doesn’t take for ever to find your phone on the Bluetooth system, which is a big gripe of mine with a lot of cars.
The classy interior is matched by equally attention-grabbing styling on the outside. It’s arguably the best-looking SUV on the market.
And here’s the best bit — it starts at £35K.
All the hard work which has gone into this car has paid off — the F Pace is the fastest-selling Jag of all time. More than 6,400 were sold last month alone.
And that’s not just good news for Jag, it’s good news for Britain. This car is assembled at their Solihull plant and is helping to continue Jaguar Land Rover’s long history as one of the UK’s most forward-thinking companies.
Brexit? What Brexit?