Car review: Jaguar F-PACE
While on the launch for the F-PACE I’d been tweeting about my general excitement over the car when a friend commented saying, “I don’t understand these luxury SUV models. The purpose of these vehicles is to go off-road and I just can’t see why someone would pay so much for something that’s gonna get banged up in the trenches. That’s what Land Rovers are for.”
The confusion is understandable I suppose, but there’s another market for these types of models that perhaps he’d forgotten. While spending two days in various locations (from gravel to tar to track) with the F-PACE I kept thinking about the young family on a road trip, perhaps from Cape Town to Plettenberg Bay. I thought about the mom who’d enjoy its space and comfort in safety, the dad/driver who’d enjoy its power and performance levels of its 3,0-litre supercharged V6 engine and the kids who’d no doubt be making the most of its impressive infotainment system and technology. It seemed the perfect luxury SUV for the ideal urban family looking for a multi-purposed holiday in various environments.
You’d need to have had comprehensive experience in getting to know the F-PACE and all that it offers in order to understand exactly how its purpose goes far beyond that of just an off-roader. In fact, although we had a surprisingly impressive and intensive off-road session with the F-PACE, from the Shamwari Game Reserve to Grahamstown to Port Alfred, its other attributes were really the stand-out benefactors for me with this luxury SUV.
Driving dynamics
The F-PACE still looks and feels like a Jaguar, something that the manufacturer aimed to maintain when introducing its interpretation of a luxury SUV to the market. It’s built on Jaguar’s lightweight aluminium architecture and combines a sports car driving experience, All-Wheel Drive and a spacious interior in a lightweight package. So it’s exciting as well as practical.
Speed: It kicks up 280 kW from its 3,0-litre supercharged V6 engine and can sprint from a standstill to 100 km/h in just 5,5 seconds.
There’s a choice between petrol and diesel engines. The 2,0-litre Ingenium diesel engine produces 132 kW and 430 N.m of torque delivering consumption at a low 5,3-litres/100 km on the combined cycle. We had the opportunity to drive the 3,0-litre turbodiesel on the track to experience its sports car nature. At first most of us were slightly apprehensive about testing its performance on the track but later found that with outputs of 221 kW and 700 N.m resulting in a 0-100 km/h sprint in just 6,2 seconds we were far from disappointed. This was also thanks to its lightweight aluminium architecture and dual wishbone front suspension which made swinging around the track far more exhilarating than we thought it would be.
Technology and favourite features
It’s the first Jaguar to offer the company’s all-new, premium infotainment system: InControl Touch Pro.
Each of our driving routes had been pre-programmed into the touchscreen using various way-points to keep us on track.
I was interested to find out more about the activity key, a waterproof wristband that is used to lock and unlock the vehicle while the key-fob is left in the car. Some thought this was more of a gimmick than anything, but as someone who spends a lot of time begging surf shop assistants to look after my car keys, this was pretty appealing. If you’re wondering what happens if someone had to break in and get hold of the main key, well they wouldn’t have much luck, because the main key is automatically deactivated when you lock the car using the activity key.
Another fun feature is the Gesture Tailgate. This enables you to operate your boot without needing to physically touch either the vehicle or the key fob. You simply place your foot under one of the car’s rear flanks and the boot opens or closes. A win for all moms with no free hands.
Also read: The new Jaguar F-Pace has stepped up technologies
Safety is something I value highly when testing a new car. The more safety features a car has the more likely I am to take to the car. The F-PACE had me feeling secure and protected while driving it and when I noticed the emergency and road side assistance button, I was even more convinced.
InControl Remote makes it possible for drivers to monitor and pretty much control their car via their smartphones. This includes monitoring your car’s location, security status, fuel level and recent trips. Want to cool down or warm up the inside of the car before you get in? You can control your car’s climate from where you’re sitting for up to 30 minutes before getting in it via your phone and you don’t even need to be in its vicinity.
Pricing
Pricing starts at R776 800.
Launch Gallery
On the track – Diesel vs petrol:
On the track with the @jaguarsa #FPACE pic.twitter.com/jBcb0ZAGQD
— Women On Wheels (@WomenWheels) July 16, 2016
The Jaguar F-Pace variety