By Paul Gover.
The F-Pace is not a classic Jaguar.
It’s not long, low or lovely, and the cabin is nothing like an exclusive members-only London club from the 1800s.
But, even without lashings of traditional wood-and-leather, or the swoopy shape of a British sports cars, the F-Pace is a worthy member of the Jaguar club in 2021.
Most importantly of all, the F-Pace is one of the SUVs that is saving Jaguar from extinction and has just had a tickle that improves the styling and technology in the family-sized wagon.
It’s a similar story to many other upscale performance car companies, which continue to build their sports cars but use SUVs to fund them. Porsche began the pattern with the Cayenne that protected the 911 and now even Ferrari is planning an SUV.
The updated F-Pace is easy to pick from the new-look grille and headlamps, and things get even better on the inside with more plushness to the cabin and improved technology including a bigger screen that reflects improvements to the whole infotainment package.
There is also a new six-cylinder diesel engine, from Jaguar Land Rover’s range of impressive Ingenium power-plants, that makes the F-Pace surprisingly sporty with great economy.
For people who are not fans of SUVs, and I’m one, the F-Pace is more than just a hulking wagon for school runs and can be genuinely fun on a twisty road.
It is also quite spritely with the latest D300 package that brings 221 kiloWatts and performance that often feels more like a petrol power-plant, with the solid take-off shove from a diesel. It also returns claimed economy of 7.0 litres/100km, although I managed an easy 6.3 on a long highway run, and meets the latest European emission standards.
Pricing for the F-Pace now starts from $76,244 and that’s good value, although moving to the R-Dynamic SE D300 test car takes it beyond $95,000 and it’s easy to go into six figures by dipping into the options.
But the F-Pace feels like a luxury car, particularly with the new interior package. There is lots of premium materials, even if they’re not old-school, the aircon and sound system are great, the seats are plush and kids in the back will not be missing out.
The infotainment screen has grown to 11.4 inches (no metric measurements) with a curved screen, connected to a more user-friendly interface that works well with Apple CarPlay, and there is also a 12.3-inch digital driver display.
It’s all proof that Jaguar is serious about its business, and even more serious about Australia now that its cars come with a 5-year warranty with unlimited kilometres.
THE BASICS
Jaguar F-Pace
Price: from $78,910
Engine: 3.0-litre inline turbodiesel six-cylinder
Power: 221kW/560Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto, all-wheel drive
Safety: not tested
Position: mid-sized luxury SUV
Plus: improved in all areas
Minus: not cheap, not a Land Rover
THE TICK: yes this time
Score: 8/10
