Keeping pace

Jaguar Land Rover Australia has announced another update for its F-pace mid-size SUV, this time ushering in standard Apple Carplay and Android Auto support and a pair of special-edition grades.

The arrival of the Chequered Flag and 300 Sport in September, priced from $85,105 plus on-road costs and $93,015 respectively, will expand the F-pace line-up.

The addition of smartphone mirroring technology, as well as adaptive LED headlights and keyless entry and start to the wider range, does incur a cost however, with the F-pace now starting from $77,380 – a rise of $970.

Full pricing and specification for the F-pace line-up is yet to be announced, but Jaguar Land Rover, JLR, Australia said orders are now being taken ahead of first deliveries.

The Chequered Flag is based on the R-sport grade and adds a sports front bumper and a gloss black finish to the grille, door cladding, side vents and roof rails. Paintwork options extend to Yulong White, Santorini Black and Eiger Grey.

Inside, a 10.0-inch touchscreen Touch Pro infotainment system, satellite navigation, a Meridan sound system, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 10-way power-adjustable front seats, leather upholstery, ‘meshed aluminium’ trim and Chequered Flag scuff plates feature.

Conversely, the 300 Sport has a dark satin grey finish for its grille, door cladding, side vents, side mirror caps, side window surrounds and rear bumper.

Meanwhile, the grille and tailgate feature 300 Sport badging, while three exterior colours are on offer, including Yulong White, Santorini Black and Indus Silver.

The cabin adds yellow contrast stitching to the dashboard, centre console and seats, while the 300 Sport logo is applied to the scuff plates, carpet floormats, steering wheel and front headrests.

A 10.0-inch touchscreen Touch Pro infotainment system, satellite navigation, a Meridan sound system, 14-way power-adjustable front seats and leather upholstery are also standard, while a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is optional alongside heated front and rear seats and adaptive cruise control.

The Chequered Flag is available with three 2.0-litre turbocharged fourcylinder engines, including the familiar 132kw-430nm and 177kw500nm diesel units, and 184kw365nm petrol.

As its name implies, the performance-focused Sport 300 ups the ante with an equally familiar 400Nm petrol and 700Nm diesel, both of which produce 221kw of power. All five special-edition variants are mated to a Zf-sourced eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system.

Sales of the F-pace have improved this year, with 165 examples sold to the end of February – a 16.2 percent increase over the 142 deliveries made during the same period in 2018.

The F-pace is currently the ninth best-selling mid-size SUV in the $60,000-plus segment, trailing the BMW X3, 859 units, Audi Q5, 597, Mercedes-benz GLC, 581, Lexus NX, 521 and Volvo XC60, 368, among others.

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