Jaguar keeps Pace
NEW P400E SUV IS JUST WHAT JLR’S POOR RELATION NEEDS
JAGUAR has plans to be all-electric well before the 2035 deadline when all new cars will be gas-free. And good plans are what it desperately needs as the poor relation of the JLR empire.
It’s great business to have a Land Rover dealership; the snag is you have to sell Jaguars too.
Producing an entire range of EVS takes time, and although Jaguar was a pioneer, with its superb I-pace, there’s still quite a long way to go.
In the meantime, existing cars in the catalogue are getting the plug-in hybrid treatment – and that means the F-pace and E-pace SUVS because I can’t imagine Jaguar will bother to make a PHEV version of its F-type sports car. I doubt sales would justify the costs.
So here we are, testing the new F-pace PHEV or, to give it its full name, the F-pace P400e in R-dynamic SE trim.
The F-pace SUV line was launched in 2015 and I tried it out in Montenegro in the days when such test drives were generally held abroad.
Since then it has played a vital role in keeping the good ship Jaguar afloat. To coincide with a new powertrain in this latest model it’s also been facelifted. Under the bonnet we have the 2.0-litre petrol version of JLR’S Ingenium engine family.
It produces 296bhp, with a 141bhp electric motor and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Total power output from the two units is 400PS, hence the name. The maximum torque produced by the combo is an impressive 640Nm which should remove any fears that a 2.0-litre petrol engine isn’t man enough to move around a big SUV that weighs over 2 tonnes.
Performance of 0-62mph in 5.3sec is proof of that.
Underneath the boot floor, and fortunately not robbing much space from above, is a 17.1kwh battery pack.
This will officially give you an electric-only range of up to 33 miles at speeds up to 87mph. It won’t of course, but on the warm day on which we drove the F-pace it was easy to achieve over 20 miles. The battery takes 1hr 40mins to recharge using a 7kw wallbox but, unlike many PHEVS, the P400e is also fitted with an onboard [32kw] DC charger which will boost the battery to 80 per cent in 30 minutes.
Unless you’ve owned an F-pace you probably won’t notice the facelift because the changes to the front and back bumpers and lights are pretty subtle.
Much more noticeable and useful are the interior changes.
All F-paces now get JLR’S Pivi Pro infotainment which is as excellent as the previous system wasn’t. Owners moving to this new model will love the system’s graphics and ease of use. It adds to an interior that oozes quality and refinement. This feeling of luxury is reinforced once you start driving.
The petrol engine and electric motor work together seamlessly to give an impressive performance. As always there are modes to choose from and like a stuck record my advice is to stay clear of the sportier ones.
In the case of this Jag, that’s Dynamic mode. The ride is stiffer and the car tries to play some V8-like noises out of the speakers which are of no aural benefit.
Hybrid mode does the job and it sensibly controls the power and keeps the ride comfortable.
Our test car was in SE trim which, without options, comes in at £60,070. Not cheap, and more to the point, rather close to the price of an I-pace.
For those not yet ready to make the full leap to pure EV motoring – but who want a big SUV that attracts only 11% BIK tax – then the F-pace P400e would be a very good choice.