Jaguar F-Pace 2.0-Diesel First Drive Review

Opening

The world has shifted its focus from sedans to SUVs and crossovers. So when a company like Jaguar develops an SUV, that’s a confirmation of this paradigm shift. People want vehicles with better ground clearance, bold looks and big wheels. Now, the F-Pace doesn’t just meet all those requirements; it’s also got the DNA of a sports car and that puts this car a notch above others. This Jaguar has three main ingredients – practicality, excitement and exquisiteness – which makes the F-Pace one of the most desirable vehicles to own. We spent two days soaking up the F-Pace experience and also uncovered some interesting details.

Appearance Exterior

One thing is for sure, the F-Pace screams out Jaguar from all the angles. The large grille on the fascia is the most obvious resemblance. The slim but aggressive LED headlamps are the other traditional Jaguar bits. There’s a slight bulge on the hood which makes this vehicle look aggressive. When viewed from the side, the rearward sloping roofline, the flared wheel arches, big doors and the plastic cladding at the lower section remind you that this is a big SUV. The rear end of the F-Pace is simply beautiful. The clean design approach, F-Type inspired tail lamps and rear windscreen transform the F-Pace from a gleaming metal body into a truly beautiful machine to look at. In short, the F-Pace is easily one of the most stunning creations in the world of SUVs.

Appearance Interior

While Jaguar has left no stone unturned to make the F-Pace exterior as attractive as possible, it did cut some corners with the interiors. The cabin inside, unfortunately, doesn’t feel as if you’re stepping into an Rs 90 lakh vehicle. There’s none of that experience of feeling special and pampered – something which we have all grown to expect from luxury SUVs. The F-Pace is based on the XE platform, so a lot of things are shared with this sedan. That’s why the interior is identical to the one in the XE. The overall layout is quite elegant.

The steering wheel with integrated buttons, large infotainment system and the placement of the operational buttons are all well laid out. This infotainment system is home to some really nice interfaces, however, the touchscreen isn’t engaging and intuitive enough. The massive digital instrumentation feels good to look at, especially at the extreme left section. That’s where you get to see the basic version of the navigation system that is enormously helpful for long hauls. While we have spoken good things about the dashboard, let’s get to the disappointing bit – plastics. Unlike the dashboard, the plastics used on the lower half of the cabin isn’t great. In fact, it shouldn’t even be included in such an expensive vehicle. The placement of the windows and rear view mirrors switch are uncomfortably high. This is a result of the vehicle design, but it is possible to get used to it. Other bits like the rotary knob, storage space and automatic climate control are standard across the variants.

The contrast coloured leather seats are high-mounted which offers good visibility of the road and the surroundings. The seats are large and offer great cushioning and comfort. It can be electrically adjusted too. However, it misses out on the lumbar support, which would have been appreciable for a sporty SUV like the F-Pace. The rear seats offer plenty of shoulder and headroom too. In fact, there is even decent leg room for a six-footer like me. These seats can be folded flat in 40/20/40 format to offer maximum flexibility. The rear passengers have dual-AC vents, two USB and a single 12V charging sockets to play with. The boot capacity is 650 litres, but the full spare wheel takes up much space, as a result of which, the boot looks quite small. However, you could get a whopping 1740 litres of luggage space, if you dispense with the second row altogether.

Performance Drive

We’ve already driven the F-Pace with the 3.0-litre motor. But under the hood of this one, there’s a 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel engine– Jaguar’s new all-aluminium powerhouse that will power all its cars. But at first, the very thought of a small 2.0-litre diesel engine powering an 1830kg crossover, boggles the mind. The truth is that the 177bhp that is generated by this engine is adequate. This mill churns out a healthy torque of 430Nm at 1750rpm, and thanks to the ZF eight-speed gearbox, the driving experience is good. The motor behaves well with linear power delivery and there is no sudden surge at any rpms. The vehicle reaches triple digit speeds very quickly and has the ability to stay there for hours without any stress. In the city, this motor feels brisk and does have a fun factor attached to it. The torque heavy motor helps the car cruise at 130kmph in as low as 1900rpm. But post 3000rpm, the engine tends to get noisy and the motor demonstrates its limitations. The harshness starts to creep in and the NVH isn’t great. As a result, the overall experience isn’t the finest at high speeds. Post 4000rpm, this small motor struggles to generate top-end power.

The gear shifts are smooth and responsive. This gearbox coupled with the torque spread makes overtaking an effortless job. It also has an S (sports) mode which is quite exciting to be in as the vehicle stays in the higher revs to get the maximum acceleration. The F-Pace is loaded with driving modes – eco, normal, snow and the most engaging one – dynamic. In dynamic mode, the throttle response is more accurate, the steering feels precise and the gearbox works harder. The ride is on the stiffer side, but isn’t back breaking. This has made the Jaguar an excellent handler. The SUV feels committed and offers outstanding handling in all the driving situations. Quick directional changes is a piece of cake for this Jaguar and that is where you get the feeling that this vehicle is nothing like a traditional SUV; it’s more like a beefed-up sports car.

Tech Specs

Make	Jaguar
Model	F-Pace
Fuel	Diesel
Variant	Prestige
Engine Capacity	2.0-litre
Max. Power (bhp@rpm)	177@4000
Max. torque (Nm@rpm)	430@1750
Gears	ZF Eight-speed
Length mm	4731
Width mm	2175
Height mm	1651
Wheelbase mm	2874
Fuel Capacity (in litres)	60
Tyre size	255/60 R18

Features

Features
All-wheel drive	Yes
Cruise Control	Yes
Driving modes	Yes
Climate control	Yes

Competition All Specs

Specifications	Porsche Macan	Mercedes-Benz GLS	Jaguar F-Pace
Variant	S Diesel	350d	Prestige
Fuel	Diesel	Diesel	Diesel
Engine Capacity	3.0-litre	3.0-litre	2.0-litre
Max. Power (bhp)	245@4000	255@3400	177@4000
Max. torque (Nm)	580@1750	620@1600	430@1750
Gears	Seven-speed DCT	Nine-speed	ZF Eight-speed
Length mm	4697	5130	4731
Width mm	1923	1934	2175
Height mm	1624	1850	1651
Wheelbase mm	2807	3075	2874
Fuel Capacity (in litres)	63	100	60
Tyre size	235/60 R18, 255/55 R18	275 / 50 R20	255/60 R18

Conclusion

The Jaguar F-Pace doesn’t come cheap. For its price, there are a few SUVs in the market that offers two additional seats and that means more practicality. However, none of these vehicles offer the kind of driving pleasure the F-Pace does. This SUV is for those enthusiasts who are looking for a practicality of an SUV and handling of a sports car. Sure, the 2.0-litre motor doesn’t offer the best top-end performance, but you do have an option to choose the F-Pace with a 3.0-litre motor. The 2.0-litre delivers good fuel-efficiency and that’s what a lot of Indians want. Priced at Rs 79.03 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the F-Pace gives you an exclusive design and an opportunity to own an SUV which is actually fun to drive.