Jaguar F-Pace
Sporty British-built SUV was our 2016 Car the Year and is still a compelling proposition
THE Jaguar F-pace won our 2016 Car of the Year award thanks to its impressive mix of sharp looks, comfort, refinement and agility. We’re testing the 2.0-litre diesel AWD model in R-sport guise, which costs from £41,330.
DESIGN & ENGINEERING
THE F-pace is based on Jaguar’s IQ-AL platform that also partly underpins the XE and XF saloons, which helps it feel as sporty to drive as it looks. That’s because it shares the saloon’s suspension set-up, which uses double wishbones at the front and a multi-link rear axle that’s set-up to deliver engaging handling.
The 178bhp 2.0-litre diesel is linked to an eight-speed auto box, although a six-speed manual is also available, as is rear-wheel drive. We’re testing the all-wheel-drive model here, which like the BMW X3, features a clever system that sends more power to the rear wheels to give a purer feel, but switches extra drive to the front wheels when it senses a more even split of traction is required.
Our model was fitted with the optional £1,185 Adaptive Dynamics Pack, which adds adaptive dampers. Yet these are continuously adjustable and constantly alter to the road conditions, unlike its rivals which have pre-set modes. It’s a pricey package, but is worth choosing because there’s a better mix of comfort and agility.
The Jaguar is the sportiest-looking car, but it does fall behind when you get inside. The driving position is excellent, but the build and material quality aren’t quite as good as in the BMW and Volvo. The Jaguar’s cabin is suitably premium, but it trails the two newer rivals here in a few areas when it comes to quality and the integration of the equipment.
DRIVING
ALTHOUGH the Jaguar’s engine is the least powerful here – the 2.0-litre diesel has 178bhp, while both rivals have 187bhp – it’s actually a winner when it comes to torque. The motor has a maximum of 430Nm, which beats the BMW and Volvo by 30Nm, and it’s available as low as 1,750rpm, which means it feels almost as punchy from behind the wheel as its rivals. However, the engine is coarse and doesn’t feel as responsive as the excellent unit in the BMW.
At 70mph the F-pace is the noisiest car here, too, and if you put your foot down the drone from the engine is even more apparent. The gearbox shifts smoothly when you need it to, although it’s not as intuitive as the BMW’S transmission.
With lots of grip and good body control, the F-pace is fun to drive; it’s hard to believe a high-riding SUV can handle as well as this. It remains composed even on bumpy roads, and comfort doesn’t take too much of a hit to deliver those fun dynamics.
It’s a shame it doesn’t have the performance to match its rivals given that the driving experience is so good otherwise. At the track the Jag was slower than the Volvo and BMW in most key performance tests, including 0-60mph and 30-70mph, although it did manage to beat its rivals from 50-70mph in seventh gear. In that test it took 8.8 seconds, a tenth faster than the BMW and half a second faster than the XC60. It’s the F-pace’s heavier kerbweight that dulls the car’s performance, which is why the Jaguar’s handling is all the more impressive.
PRACTICALITY
THANKS to its spacious 650-litre boot, which is 100 litres bigger than the X3’s, the Jaguar proves you can have a stylish body without losing out on load space. It’s the biggest car here in terms of total volume: with the seats down there’s 1,740 litres of capacity, next to 1,432 litres in the XC60 and 1,600 litres in the X3.
There’s enough room for rear-seat passengers, although it’s not quite as spacious as its rivals, with leg and headroom lacking when compared with the X3.
The interior has a sporty feel because it’s quite driver-focused, but there’s still a good level of in-car storage. The F-pace has a maximum towing capacity of 2,400kg, which is equal to the Volvo here, and more than the 2,000kg that the X3 manages.
OWNERSHIP
WITH six airbags, lane departure warning and auto braking including pedestrian detection as standard, the Jag matches its rivals for safety kit. And because the F-pace was awarded a full five-star Euro NCAP safety rating recently, it should offer similar protection.
The Jaguar’s 21,000-mile service intervals are long, which means you won’t need to spend as much time in the dealership as the Volvo, although the BMW’S intervals are variable, based on your driving.
Jaguar finished 12th overall in our Driver Power 2017 satisfaction survey, three and five places behind BMW and Volvo respectively, but it was still an acceptable result. The 13th place Jaguar’s dealers secured in that part of the poll beat both BMW’S (21st) and Volvo’s (16th) official networks.
RUNNING COSTS
STRONGER residual values mean the Jaguar F-pace will appeal to cash buyers. Our experts predict it’ll hold on to 53.5 per cent of its list price over three years, while the Volvo and BMW manage 52.9 per cent and 52.7 per cent respectively. That means after three years the Jag will be worth £22,112, losing £19,218. The BMW will drop £19,573, and the XC60 will lose £18,705.
Insurance costs will be lower on the Jaguar as well, since our example quote came out at £730, only £8 more than the £722 it’ll cost to insure the Volvo. Both of those beat the BMW X3’s £821 quote.