Jaguar’s baby F-pace takes ...As JLR’S self-driving cars hit British roads
Baby Jaguar F-pace SPY SHOTS
AS well as testing the new baby F-pace, Jaguar Land Rover has revealed plans to create a fleet of more than 100 autonomous research vehicles – with testing on public roads starting later this year.
The tests will involve vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication tech that will allow cars to talk to each other by reading signs, gantries and traffic lights.
Research will take place on a new 41-mile route across motorways and urban roads around Coventry and Solihull. Head of research Tony Harper said: “Our connected and automated technology could help improve traffic flow, cut congestion and reduce the potential for accidents.”
Features such as Roadwork Assist use forward cameras to generate a 3D view of the road ahead. It can recognise cones and barriers, and applies steering assistance to keep the car on track. This tech will work alongside Co-operative Adaptive Cruise Control (right), whereby cars can travel in convoy with the lead vehicle communicating acceleration and braking input to the cars behind. The cars are also able to change lanes and exit junctions.
In addition, JLR is developing software called Over the Horizon Warning, which uses radio signals to warn drivers of impending danger over hills or around blind bends.
Harper insisted that semi-autonomous technology could benefit the keener driver, too, saying: “Imagine being able to receive a warning that there’s a hazard out of sight.”
Despite the ramp-up in testing, we’re unlikely to see any of the tech on JLR products until the next decade.
News “This latest mule has been registered as a diesel-electric, hinting that JLR is working on alternative powertrains”
HERE’S the proof that Jaguar has taken development of its baby SUV to the next stage – by running a shortened version of its F-pace as a test mule on UK roads.
In February this year (Issue 1,408), our spy photographers caught what looked like a modified Range Rover Evoque testing on roads near Jaguar Land Rover HQ in Gaydon, Warks. However, a DVLA plate check revealed the model in question was in fact registered as a Jaguar, not a Land Rover.
The car seen here is a later development mule of the new sub-f-pace model, now with a more appropriate Jaguar bodyshell. It’s expected to go on sale within the next two years, priced from around £28,000.
Due to design constraints, Jaguar is not able to use a shortened version of the F-pace’s chassis for the smaller car.
Instead, the new model is expected to be based on the smaller (and older) Evoque. This is the same LR-MS chassis found on the Land Rover Discovery Sport (tested on Page 56), which isn’t due for replacement until 2022 at the earliest – proving there’s plenty of life in the platform.
Jaguar’s chief designer Ian Callum suggested earlier this year that any smaller model would need to move to a transverseengined layout. “We’ve done front-wheeldrive studies, because everybody knows that if you go smaller than XE or F-pace, you’ve no choice but to go that way,” he said.
“The only way you’re going to get the look on the car is to turn the engine sideways. It is challenging, and we’ve clearly looked at how we could do it. You get that long snout otherwise, which looks out of proportion.”
As such, entry-level editions of the small car could be front-wheel drive – the first Jag to use that layout since the X-type. Four-wheel drive will be offered on the bulk of the range, though, including the more powerful variants.
This latest mule has been registered as a diesel-electric, hinting that JLR is working on alternative powertrains to help the LR-MS chassis through the next decade. Petrol or diesel-based hybrid tech would see CO2 drop below 100g/km, and could allow fuel economy of more than 70mpg. As with the Evoque, the baby Jag is unlikely to benefit from more powerful six-cylinder engines, focusing on refined four-cylinder units.
As the XF followed in the footsteps of the XE, we anticipate Jag’s smaller SUV to take design cues from the F-pace. The flat nose – also evident on the Evoque mule – will remain, but with shorter overhangs (the alteration to the rear is particularly evident on this mule).
This is likely to ensure a smaller cabin and reduced boot space, although the car should be more than a match for rivals like the BMW X1 and forthcoming Mercedes GLB. It will be more practical than an Evoque, too, as its wheelbase should be slightly longer.
We’d expect official information to be revealed next year, ahead of showroomready models arriving in 2018.
New smaller SUV spied on test Choice of front drive and 4WD
“Due to design constraints, new car isn’t able to use a shortened F-pace chassis”