When a car is good at everything, then it is not great in any one thing. It’s like a restaurant. If you like the atmosphere, then the consistency of the food or the price of the bill or the attitude of the staff are issues. It’s not a Michelin Star restaurant, but you feel at home. You go to the restaurant because the crab dish, for instance, is wonderful. Of course, you only ever get the crab.
With that in mind, the Jaguar F-Pace is good at everything.
No doubt if you buy a Jaguar with a turbo engine and big rims, you are not planning to participate to the Dakar Rally. You want a great brand that is luxurious, roomy, good looking and tech savvy so you can reach your winter house or desert camp in style and without too much of a fuss.
What I like about this car is its look. Clearly the designers have thought of making its lines slick, aerodynamic, elegant and proportioned, which is confirmation to me that at its core the F-Pace is a road car.
The front, the sides and the backend all look well-honed, and you can tell it has its own strong personality, even amongst a market with dozens of SUVs all fighting to conquer your heart.
Inside it is well organised. I still see the use of some parts inherited from the Land Rover family, but also plenty of signs of luxury. Seats pamper you, and they also have an efficient seat cooling system that definitely helps in this part of the world. Comfort is assured, which is what you would expect from this type of vehicle.
The S version that I tested was equipped with the excellent 3.0 litre engine, V6 supercharged, and capable of 380bhp and 460Nm of torque available at very low revolutions. It doesn’t have a racing character, but it pushes with energy instantly until you reach the red zone. This capability combined with a lightweight aluminium monocoque technology chassis allow the F-Pace to reach 100km/h from zero in a mere 5.5 seconds — a performance that beats many sports cars. It is combined with an eight-speed gearbox that works perfectly, despite occasionally feeling a bit clunky at low speeds.
This Jaguar SUV works great on the street and I was impressed with its dynamics on twisting roads. Pitch and roll are expected, but they don’t take much excitement off your driving. It’s responsive, honest and balanced. The front end has a lot of inertia entering corners, but the under-steer is minimal. The body structure is rigid, which adds precision to the driving and allows the suspensions do the job. Steering is precise despite being a little filtered, which means I did not always get the feedback I wanted.
The F-Pace is an excellent companion, always ready to chase a sports car up the mountain roads or to cruise for days with your family in a modern, roomy and safe Sport Utility Vehicle.
Tech specs:
Jaguar F-Pace
Engine Layout: V6 Supercharged
Displacement: 2,995cc
Output: 380bhp
Max Speed: 250km/h
Acceleration zero to 100km/h: 5.5 seconds
Starting Price: AED300,300 ($81,756)
Rating: 8/10
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