Jaguar F-Pace News feature and review

Jaguar F-Pace is a watershed moment for British rule automaker.

As the company's first SUV, basically, a catalyst to change the brand of upwardly mobile minnow to a truly global player; to expand its reach to a wider customer base, increase production volume to the hundreds of thousands per year and provide a presence in one segment of the fastest growing markets in the world.

To describe it as important to sell it rather short.

But it's not just another medium, middle-of-the-road upscale soft-roader, or - quite clearly - Jaguar as we expected it to be. This is a little different; different to see, to sit down and very much so as to encourage, as a day on a frozen lake in Sweden with just one show.

Arriving in UK showrooms this April, F-Pace, who had been four years in the making, sharing platform 'D7A' with XE and XF saloons. Car body-in-white is almost identical to an XF from the front of the B-pillar - with bespoke front subframe slotting in to enable longer-travel suspension that need an SUV - but unique from the B-pillar back. Almost 80% of the building above is lightweight aluminum, and nearly 90% of new car components (not common with either the XE or XF).

Powertrain options start with a 178 bhp 2.0-liter diesel Ingenium, manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive, start up the drive options to include automatic and four-wheel Ingenium.

Then further up to a 296bhp, £ 516 ft 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged diesel and 375 bhp 3.0-liter supercharged petrol - better than the last one offered EXCLUSIVELY with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive.

But unlike small 4x4s Land Rover, the which uses transverse engine and four-wheel drive couplings based, F-Pace has a longitudinal engine sends 100% of torque to the rear axle as the default. Active all-angle electrohydraulic clutch traction comes courtesy of the same you would find in an F-Type AWD, the which can send up to 100% of the power to either axle in a tenth of a second when called for, Although the F-speed drivetrain that operates through beefier front differential.

The suspension is common in the concept of an all-independent set-up of both XE and XF, with double wishbones front and 'Inseparable link' multi-link arrangement at the rear. Steel coils non-height adjustable, passive dampers and anti-roll bars are conventional features as standard, with 213mm of ground clearance healthy trumping what most of the German opposition can offer, but in the case of Jaguar without the help of an optional air springs ,

Continue damping variables add some extent the ability to auto trim level up, as well as traction and stability control intelligent systems, called Adaptive Surface Response, the which reads the level of grip under the wheels of a car with milliseconds and adjusts the throttle map her, the torque split and the stability and traction control regulation accordingly.

We drove the 3.0-liter models of top-of-the-range V6 S AWD on 20in wheels shod in Continental winter tires fit the caused optional in Britain.

Soft touch and more soulful than its main German rivals, while at the same time become more calm and exciting to drive than all the others. This is both more practical, capable and safe to drive than its rangemates, too. But we'll get it.

Firstly, it is worth pausing to consider how different F-Pace possible if not for the launch, midway through the development process of the Jaguar, a car that rocketed straight to the top of the medium SUV sport two years ago: Tiger Porsche.

Until the Tigers come, Jaguar has been benchmarking for the driving dynamics of the BMW X3 and Audi Q5 for cabin quality, practicality and functionality. "Audi set our high standards," said Jaguar engineering manager Dave Shaw, "But while we liked the way the X3 handled, we are confident about beating the dynamic."

But the Tigers threw everything up in the air, putting backmonths F-Pace project. "We have some big decisions to make," said Shaw. "Can we fit with Porsche in the ride and handling using the car we've got, back and rethought, and still end up with something that feels like 'we', such as the Jaguar?"

They decided they could, and immediately mounted firmer coil springs and anti-roll bar and then back again reducer and change the wheel angle to the sharp steering response center, ending with F-Pace is more or less as it is now. "I'm pleased with the Tigers came when it happened," said another engineer. "Because before that F-Pace feels like a more normal SUV to drive. I have to worry that we have made too much like what Land Rover offers. After that, the car becomes a modern crossover sport that we are meant to be this time."

With it, you can take that he meant inherently more sports than the class norm without feeling at all so very tense for the road. Certainly compromise difficult to attack, but Shaw summarizes neatly with reference rangemates F-Pace than its competitors.

"We've been devoted to the comfort and refinement of the XF, and response handling and traction driver XE," he said, "and I think we have achieved that. Porsche may be gripped hard on a perfectly smooth, dry road with all the kit chassis optional out, but I think the F-Pace more interesting and better handling on most roads. "

Ah, the road: not at the place we were allowed to drive the prototype F-Pace at the moment, the European press drive is planned for April. However, the Swedish lakes 500mm-thick solid ice and snow - which is not as smooth as in reality as you would expect - the car certainly do everything necessary to support the claim.

Hip point is medium-high, and fairly typical of its competitors, so getting in does not require bending or bowing. Once you are in, the seats are wide and comfortable and the driving position promisingly on his back - to close the roof line and high-waist feeling makes you feel very good shelter. Occupants of the room is not generous because some midsize SUVs, but the 6ft 4in adult can easily find comfort in one row, while the generous boot space under the windowline.

The cabin looks and feels very much like that of the XF, with few distinguishing features. Variable-color LED-lighting strips give a pleasant cockpit light after dark. Elsewhere, InControl generation infotainment Jaguar Touch Pro system is available, which is an impressive 12.3in wide screen and processing power is obviously much bigger than the systems available in XE and XF, which leads to a faster response and better usability ,

LCD instrument to adapt other high-end touches, with the option to display the mapping navigation across the full width of the screen binnacle 10in - though not quite the graphical brilliance of the Audi Virtual Cockpit.

Such as Jaguar Another F-Pace has Normal, drive mode Dynamic and Eco, added to which is the mode Response Surface Adaptive for slippery surfaces and fully configurable mode 'custom' that allows you to adjust the weight of the steering, damping and response powertrain to your own preferences ,

F-Pace will be available in four trim levels - Prestige, R-Sport, Portfolio and S, with the entry-level Prestige trim comes with alloy 18in, tailgate powered, heated front seats, an 8in touchscreen system infotainment with sat nav, cruise control and front and rear parking sensors.

Three other trim adds some more comfort and convenience for F-Pace, including rear view camera, 10-way adjustable leather seats, folding mirrors, panoramic roof and sound system Meridian.

S V6 version does not have active sports exhaust equivalent of the F-Type, and it does not sound nearly as hoarse under power or as cracklingly theater on the overrun. Soundtrack combustive far from innocent though, and seems to be well-assessed for the role of the car.

All Surface Progress Control and modes Launch Low-Friction allows you to calm throttle response much as you like when ice and snow call for delicacy with your right foot - but in fact, even in a fashion that is angry, size and progressive control of F-Pace made easy to drive smoothly.

Wheelspin can be obedient avoided, and even when courted do not need to go overboard on both axles, drive system works very fast to juggle torque front and rear.

Although it is difficult to get a lot of ideas about insulating the cabin when driving at low speeds in the snow, the F-Pace seems to suppress wind noise chassis and good surface. Rose more choppy and less supple over bumps routine high frequency and is taken at lower speeds than the class norm, but it was not without compliance, while the smooth build into the mix with increasing speed.

Field, throwing the head and round body control near the very impressive, with the chassis of the car is very astute crowd control even under high lateral loads and when tested with a bump.

Fat, steering loyal filter back just enough to feel the contact patch to let you know how hard working the front axle and guide the car with sharpness only off-center to make it stable and reassuring at high speed but keen-feelings on the turn-in.

Handling balance has been quite proficient struck. On ice at least, the car is a bit more stability bias and surefooted of Jaguar saloons during steady cornering, although still ultimately responsive to the trailing throttle mid-corner.

In a softer driving mode, throttle-on cornering at all so easy and reassuring, with the car going exactly where you point it. But cycles through Dynamic, TracDSC and DSC-off mode and cornering attitude gets steadily more and more alive and throttle-adjustable, although even in the last of their mode, the rear axle moves around very benignly.

So where most of the rival F-Pace will just dive head-on to a pile of snow with the application mid-corner of the power, Jaguar showed calmness and pedigree and remains very restrained and very flattering - that is, to a large car, is a compliment more big.

It's a bit early to answer with certainty. In particular, how well it can meet the demands of SUV buyers to distinguish the driving comfort and insulation while offering more for sharper driver.

Likewise, big-selling diesel car engines will need to be every bit as good as the supercharged V6 petrol if it is really going to tempt buyers away from the Porsche Macans, higher-end BMW X3s and Audi SQ5s. A task very quickly in diesel V6 indicates that at least a certain F-Pace has a lot going for it - but the 2.0-liter Ingenium still have a lot to prove.

Rest assured, however, that if Jaguar has done a thorough work across the board with this car because it seems to have with handling and all-round appeal the driver - and there is every reason to expect attention as the heart of the detail of those you get from a premium brand - F-Pace will be an outstanding car. Additional exceptional for its class, too, not to mention the bumper-to-bumper right good Jaguar brand is able to take place.

Jaguar F-Pace V6 S AWD

Price £51,450; Engine V6, 2995cc, supercharged, petrol; Power 375bhp at 6500rpm; Torque 332lb ft at 4500rpm; 0-62mph 5.5sec; Top speed 155mph; Gearbox 8-spd automatic; Kerb weight 1861kg; Economy 31.7mpg (combined); CO2 209g/km, 37%

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