Polished and refined luxury
The Jaguar F-Pace has been a firm favourite in the immensely competitive market that is the luxury SUV segment. While late to the party compared to its competitors from Porsche and Audi, the F-Pace has held its own over the years, but is it still a proper Jag? Ben Selby reports.
The Jaguar F-Pace P400e R-Dynamic HSE PHEV, while being quite a mouthful to say, is the most frugal and eco focused F-Pace out there, while not skimping on the refinement and quality a Jag is known for. Overall, the shape hasn’t really changed much from the first F-Pace, yet details such as the revised headlight and taillight cluster, along with black accents and a mesh-like grill, really make this a good-looking luxo SUV. Even more so, my test car with its shade of Portofino Blue and 10-spoke 21-inch gloss black alloys.
The cabin is very well polished and, like all JLR products, it leaves you feeling just that little bit special. Leather and quality materials are the name of the game and there is ample storage space and plenty of tech. The 11.4-inch touch screen infotainment system is one of the clearest and sharpest looking around, as is the 360-degree reversing camera. Equipment levels are decent and the Meridian sound system is rather good too, I must say.
Plug in the F-Pace PHEV into a 7kW wall box charger and you will have a full battery in around 2 hours 16 minutes, while a 50kW DC fast charger will give you 80% charge in half an hour. You can choose between either Hybrid, EV or Save mode while driving, the former allows the car to discern whether electric or petrol power is required depending on your driving habits. EV is solely electric drive and Save allows you to hold the remaining charge left in the battery for later use.
Whichever way you choose to motor, the F-Pace’s ability for chapel-like silent running and burbling turbocharged velocity is rather impressive. The torque curve is very linear and when you flick over to Sport mode, this British leviathan can blissfully barrel along well. The eight-speed auto box offer progressive and responsive shifts and things feel rather well balanced in the bends too, with Jaguar’s AWD system giving plenty of grip. While there is a smattering of body roll, it doesn’t feel anyway under damped.
The production of petrol and diesel engine Jaguars is reportedly winding up before year’s end as the Coventry automotive icon moves ever closer to its new all-electric future. As a result, this current F-Pace PHEV epitomises the brand’s transitional period in the best possible way. It provides a good helping of the familiar while looking firmly at the future. Oh, and it still feels like a proper Jag too.
FACT FILE
Price: $155,000 + ORC
Engine: 2.0L Turbocharged Four Cylinder with 15.4kWh battery pack
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 297kW
Torque: 640Nm
0 to 100kPH: 5.3 seconds
CO2 Emissions: 56g/km combined
Fuel Consumption: 2.3L/100km combined
Electric Only Range: 65km
Weight: 2189kg
