2017 Jaguar F-PACE R-Sport 35t – Road Test

When Jaguar announced the arrival of an SUV a couple of years ago, I thought – Oh no, please don’t do what everyone else is doing!!! Why would they do that?!! Then I saw the pictures… oh my… then I saw it in person at the auto show and I was smitten. Then I got to drive it… This isn’t just an SUV – this is a JAGUAR SUV – it’s an F-Type on stilts, but it drives like a sport car!

What Is It?

The first Jaguar luxury performance SUV
A Mid-size SUV that has the DNA of a sports car
Legendary Jaguar performance, handling and luxury – with some space and practicality added
All-aluminum construction

How Does It Look?

I LOVE the look of this SUV
Recently the F-PACE was awarded the 2017 International Car Of The Year and the 2017 World Car Design of the Year

What’s It Like Inside?

The dash is attractive and pretty-much like all the Jaguars of late
Bright and airy thanks to the Sliding Panoramic roof which comes standard across the range
I like that the heated seats, audio etc. have their own dedicated buttons on the centre console that take you directly to the menu on the touchscreen where you can make the adjustment – very handy, you don’t have to scroll through menus to get to the adjustment section
Driver and front passenger get 14-way power seats that are quite firm, but hold you in place when the speeds increase through the twisty bits – the driver gets a 3-person memory feature that also includes the steering
I usually hate white seats, but they look great in the F-PACE
Plenty of knee and legroom for rear passengers – the rear seats featured the optional electric recline, the perfect seat position is just the touch of a button away
Rear seats can be configured 40:20:40 for greater flexibility
Rear seat passengers also get their own climate control
Cargo area is surprisingly large – you’d never think it from the outside – a generous at 18 cu-ft (508 litres). With the rear seats folded, the total cargo space is an impressive 56.4 cu-ft (1,598 litres)
Superb Meridian 380-Watt Sound System has 11 speakers including the subwoofer comes standard, but you have to upgrade if you want a CD/DVD player
Test vehicle had the optional Gesture Tailgate – simply wave your foot under either rear corner and the tailgate opens or closes… I got it to work once, when I picked it up, after that it went AWOL

So How Quick Is It & How Does It Handle?

- Very quick! It growls and just takes off when you give it a bit of wellie…floor it and it flattens your eyeballs!
- No need for aggression with the throttle to get the F-Pace moving, it hustles even with the gentle touch of your right foot
- Thanks to the (standard across the range) AWD there’s no squirming or must-grip-the-wheel as you go racing well into illegal territory, it’s very calm and reassuring
- In normal driving, the F-PACE is predominantly RWD, but unlike other systems that react to wheel slip, Jaguar’s Intelligent Driveline Dynamics (IDD) software is predictive and uses sensors measuring throttle and steering inputs to anticipate wheel slip. IDD seamlessly co-ordinates these inputs and compares them with responses from the engine, transmission and traction control systems to calculate the traction available and distribute torque accordingly even before grip is lost.
- From a standstill the F-PACE can transition from RWD to AWD in as little as 165 milliseconds or just 100 milliseconds when the car is moving
- The F-PACE range gives you a choice of 4 different engines: Ingenium 2.0 litre 4-cylinder Turbocharged Diesel (180 HP) and 3 gasoline engines – a new Ingenium 2.0 litre 4-cylinder Turbocharged (247 HP), and two Supercharged 3.0 litre V6 engines with 340 HP and 380 HP
- All models come with an 8-Speed-ZF® automatic transmission that is highly responsive and smooth – it delivers rapid shifting for effortless acceleration and overtaking, when slowing down you can feel it gearing down (You can also manually control gearshifts via the steering wheel paddles)
- JaguarDrive Control® allows you to select between Standard, Eco, Dynamic or Rain/Ice/Snow mode, each subtly changing the steering and throttle mapping
- Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) offers outstanding feedback – regardless of your speed. You can actually feel it adjusting as you drive – Jaguar call it “active on demand.” Without a doubt one of the very best you’ll ever use
- All F-Paces come with what Jaguar calls All Surface Progress Control (ASPC) – making it easier to drive in challenging conditions. Developed by Jaguar, it’s a low speed cruise control that helps the F-PACE cope with low traction situations. Once activated, you use the cruise control buttons to set a ‘target’ speed of between 3.6 km/h and 30 km/h. The system then works to achieve and maintain that speed while exerting traction control giving driver’s added assistance over slippery, or loose surfaces, undulating terrain and even while descending a difficult incline. ASPC also has a pull-away function allowing the F-PACE to progress from rest on low grip surfaces and ascending gradients, as well as a hill descent function that designed to control vehicle speed on steeper inclines

Horsepower: 340 @ 6,500 rpm
Torque: 332 @ 4,550 rpm
Top Speed: 250 kp/h
0 – 100 km/h: 5.8 seconds

What Does It Cost?
F-PACE pricing starts at a very reasonable $50,250 (4-cyl Gas/AWD)
To Buy… For up-to-date pricing and options in your region visit: www.jaguar.ca
Base Canada: $64,900 // As Tested: $74,150 (a list of the options is at the end of this article..)

To Operate…

- - (L/100 km) is rated at: City – 9.0 / Highway – 7.1 / Combined – 11.7
  - I averaged 11.2 – 11.5L/100 km the week I had the F-PACE and I wasn’t exactly going gentle with the right pedal… it doesn’t allow for gentle – I would have hoped to get a lot closer to the city rating however, even though I was doing 99% highway driving

The Competition
Acura MDX, BMW X5 and X6, Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Lincoln MKX, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Mercedes-AMG GLC43 4MATIC / GLC63 4MATIC, Porsche Macan

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly…

- - - The Good: The F-PACE is just soooo good, there’s no need to look anywhere else – if you can afford one
    - The Bad: Very easy to add $10,000 or more in options
    - The Ugly: Twist my arm… the ugly is the fuel economy… but it’s not that bad for this type of exhilarating performance
  What’s The Verdict?
  Where do I begin? It looks and drives great – it really is a Jaguar sportscar just with more room and functionality – it’s exactly what Jag said it would be. Until I drove the F-Pace, my favourite SUV was the BMW X6 – but the Jag is better – much better, and it’s cheaper too.
  
  Other than the InControl WiFi ($350) and Black Pack R-Sport ($500) options on the F-PACE, I’d order it exactly as the one I drove, although I could easily live without the Driver Assist Pack ($3,100) [Surround Camera System / Park Assist / 360° Parking Aid / Traffic Sign Recognition and Adaptive Speed Limiter / Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist and Intelligent Emergency Braking]. I just like my vehicles with less safety nannies and I can parallel park a moving truck first time, so there’s no way I’d use something like Park Assist!!
  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
  Noteworthy Standard Features on the R-Sport 35t
  Stop/Start system comes standard across the range
  Bi-function Xenon headlights or Adaptive LED headlights (couldn’t figure out which one it was)
  Headlight powerwash
  Perforated grained leather seats
  Interior mood lighting – very subtle
  Hill launch assist
  Jaguardrive control
  Electric power assisted steering (EPAS)
  Speed proportional steering
  Torque vectoring by braking (TVBB)
  Trailer stability assist
  Rain sensing windshield wipers
  Infrared reflective windshield
  Auto-dimming, power fold, heated door mirrors with memory and approach lights
  Powered tailgate
  Incontrol™ touch (SD) navigation
  Electrically adjustable steering column
  Split fold rear seats – 40/20/40
  Reversible loadspace floor switchable from luxury carpet to a rubber surface
  Front parking aid
  Lane keep assist and driver condition monitor
  Blind spot monitor and reverse traffic detection
  Keyless entry
  Rear parking aid
  Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
  Emergency brake assist
  Dynamic stability control and traction control
  Perimeter sensing alarm and immobiliser
  Jaguar smart key system with keyless start
  
  Rear Seat climate control ^ // Front Seat controls (below)
  
  Options on Test Vehicle:
  Comfort and Convenience package – $1,950 [Heated and Cooled Front Seats with Heated Rear Seats/ Electrically reclining rear seats / Rear seat remote release levers / Gesture Tailgate]
  Driver Assist Pack Best & Best – $3,100 [Surround Camera System / Park Assist / 360° Parking Aid / Traffic Sign Recognition and Adaptive Speed Limiter / Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist and Intelligent Emergency Braking]
  Luxury Interior Package – $2,150 [4-Zone climate control / Premium carpet mats / Configurable interior mood lighting / Suedecloth headlining / Air Quality Sensor and Lockable cooled glovebox / Illuminated metal treadplates with Jaguar script / 2 – 12V power sockets in second row]
  Heated front windshield – $400
  Activity Key – $400 [wear the Activity Key if you prefer not to carry a key fob. The wristband is robust and fully waterproof. It allows you to enjoy a range of activities – from skydiving to swimming – and keep your car key with you]
  InControl WiFi – $350 – Wi-Fi Hotspot create a 4G hotspot using the car antenna when you fit a SIM card – connect up to eight devices
  Black Pack R-Sport – $500 [Gloss Black radiator grille with Gloss Black surround / Body-coloured door claddings with Gloss Black finishers/ Gloss Black side power vents with R-Sport Badge]
  Navigation – turn-by-turn voice guidance, intersection views and 3D maps
  
  Copyright © 2017 by Iain Shankland. All rights reserved.
  Text: Iain Shankland / Images: Iain Shankland
  
  Also published at: Flagworld