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Sunday drive: Jaguar F-Pace

Saturday, 3 April 2021

Jaguar has given the F-Pace SUV a facelift for 2021 - check out all the changes, including the completely new interior.
Jaguar has given the F-Pace a slightly new look and an entirely new interior.
Jaguar has given the F-Pace a slightly new look and an entirely new interior.
There are new headlights, a new bumper and a new grille, but it still looks very similar to the old car.
There are new headlights, a new bumper and a new grille, but it still looks very similar to the old car.

Jaguar recently announced it would be going all-electric by 2025, so the newly refreshed F-Pace SUV represents one of the last gasps for petrol-powered Jaguars. So what has Jaguar done to keep its most popular model relevant in the face of oncoming electrification? We headed out late one night recently to check it out.

Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?

Jaguar hasn’t messed with a successful formula on the outside.
Jaguar hasn’t messed with a successful formula on the outside.

When the F-Pace launched back in 2016 it somewhat revolutionised the Jaguar line up, obviously by being the company's first SUV released into a world that was rapidly falling in love with them.

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The F-Pace’s local launch was held at night and was a city driving experience.
The F-Pace’s local launch was held at night and was a city driving experience.

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The all-new interior is a massive improvement over the last one, and that was extremely good to begin with.
The all-new interior is a massive improvement over the last one, and that was extremely good to begin with.

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**

Needless to say, it was a success, spawned smaller (E-Pace) and electric (I-Pace) SUV siblings and is now the brand’s best-selling vehicle.

The F-Pace was Jaguar’s first SUV. That went quite well then.
The F-Pace was Jaguar’s first SUV. That went quite well then.

So when a mid-life update was due, Jaguar was obviously reluctant to mess with a successful formula too much, so has focussed mainly on the F-Pace’s interior and drivetrains for the 2021 facelift, with the tweaked grille, headlights and bumpers falling into trainspotter territory.

The P400 HSE represents the most traditional Jaguar experience, but we can’t wait for the P400e PHEV.
The P400 HSE represents the most traditional Jaguar experience, but we can’t wait for the P400e PHEV.

The refreshed F-Pace will land in New Zealand with a choice of six powertrains across four models, all in the sportier R-Dynamic trim. The 184kW/365Nm four-cylinder turbo petrol P250 S kicks things off at $99,900, followed by the P250 SE and 150kW/430Nm four-cylinder turbo diesel D200 SE both landing at $109,900.

The 221kW/650Nm six-cylinder diesel D300 comes next in SE ($123,900) and HSE ($133,900) guises, while the 294kW/550Nm turbo petrol inline six mild-hybrid P400 and the 297kW/640Nm turbo petrol four-cylinder PHEV P400e only come in top-spec HSE form, at $135,900 and $149,900 respectively.

The range-topper (that will be here shortly) is the big-daddy SVR that packs the mighty 405kW/700Nm 5.0-litre supercharged petrol V8. Talk about making the most of ICE before electrification…

All of the F-Pace’s engine options are hooked up to an 8-speed automatic transmission that drives all four wheels.

Of course, the F-Pace comes packed with standard equipment that increases exponentially as you go up the range, as well as a very healthy options list to choose from.

Where did you drive it?

In an unusual move for this part of the world, Jaguar’s local distributor decided on a night launch, meaning that we assembled in Auckland’s Sofitel hotel at 10pm to head out of a night city drive of the P250 and P400.

Jumping into a P400 first, I was immediately struck by the new interior – it really is all-new and a simply massive improvement over the last car. Not that it had a particularly poor interior – this one is just superb.

A subtly-curved 11.4-inch touchscreen dominates the dash and is a far smoother and more responsive thing to use than the previous effort (thanks to Jaguar Land Rover’s new PIVI Pro infotainment system), while the fiddly gear selector dial has been thankfully ditched and replaced with a more traditional (and far easier to use) knob. You can’t beat a good knob when it comes to shifting gears.

The quality of the materials used inside the refreshed F-Pace is now of Range Rover quality, with a deeply impressive air of prestige luxury permeating the cabin, while the level of tech packed into it is also impressive.

While a city-based night drive didn’t exactly give us a chance to try out the F-Pace’s dynamics (which were excellent anyway, so we doubt JLR has messed anything up here), it did show off its new-found compliance over urban roads, with none of the niggling brittleness that was present in the old car.

The P400’s mild-hybrid six felt superbly muscular and even offered up a brilliantly satisfying inline-six snarl under acceleration, while the 2.0-litre turbo four of the P250 we swapped into later in the evening offered up strong, refined acceleration, but with little of the character of the silky six.

What’s the pick of the range?

Given just two of the six drivetrains were on offer for us to drive, the P400 HSE was the obvious favourite, with its satisfying blend of effortless performance and a classic Jaguar growl. In fact, the P400 stuck absolutely to the traditional Jaaag (the longer you draw out the A’, the more of a Jag it is…) formula of “space, pace and grace” making it a thoroughly delightful thing to helm through the twinkling city lights for an evening of classy motoring.

The two obvious candidates for “favourite” status weren’t here, however, with the P400e PHEV and feral SVR both arriving a bit later, so we may well change our pick when they arrive (most likely to the PHEV, to be completely honest…).

Why would I buy it?

Because you appreciate a fine Jaaag. Or you want to get in before the electricity takes over entirely, in which case you will probably want the upcoming SVR…

Why wouldn’t I buy it?

Because you want to wait for the electrical wave that will overtake Jaguar and can’t see any sense in buying an ICE-powered vehicle in the next five years. Or because you are more of a Land Rover person.