Setting the F-Pace
Code named as the C-X17, the car represented a perfectly judged balance of style, performance and practicality. Inspired by the great grandson of the sexiest car ever, the F-Type, the concept was christened as the F-Pace. Jaguar had created quite a stir after it announced the name. Another reason behind the name was founder William Lyon\'s adage of grace, pace and space in a car.
At the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2013, Jaguar – the artistes of villainy, ballistic luxury cars – slung lower than the morals of Shah Rukh Khan, showed off a concept. Much to our surprise, it wasn’t another addition to its saloon pile, but was un-low and was more villainous. Possibly, because it was an SUV
Code named as the C-X17, the car represented a perfectly judged balance of style, performance and practicality. Inspired by the great grandson of the sexiest car ever, the F-Type, the concept was christened as the F-Pace. Jaguar had created quite a stir after it announced the name. Another reason behind the name was founder William Lyon's adage of grace, pace and space in a car.
In a candid interview with Auto Express, Design Director Ian Callum, explained his role in the choosing of the name, the challenges he had faced in creating Jaguar’s first ever SUV, and how the daring crossover was nearly called X-Type. Jaguar describes the F-Pace as more of a “performance crossover” rather than a traditional SUV.
The name purposely aligns it with the F-Type sports car and distances it from the more rugged products offered by sister company, Land Rover. The un-totemic beast is all set to make its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, this year. “We received such an overwhelmingly positive response to the C-X17 concept car last year that we just had to make it a reality,” shared Callum.
It is Jaguar's first ever attempt at an SUV, and it’s been seen in concept form, spied testing and teased for years. It will be on sale at the start of 2016 and is expected to start from around £30,000 (Rs 30 lakh). The price tag puts it right in the firing line of premium rivals like the Porsche Macan, Audi Q5 and BMW X3. It also means the F-Pace will go right up against its Jaguar-Land Rover siblings, the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque.
Testing regime
Pictures released by Jaguar show the SUV undergoing arduous testing regime described by the firm as one of the most demanding it has ever devised. It is being put through extreme cold weather testing at a purpose-built facility in Arjeplog, northern Sweden, where temperatures plummet as low as -40 C.
Meanwhile, it underwent hot weather testing in Dubai where temperatures in the F-Pace's cabin can reach 70 degrees when kept in direct sunlight. “We haven’t made any compromises or exceptions: the new F-Pace had to be a true Jaguar and had to deliver the dynamics DNA.
We have tested it for handling the limit in all environments and conditions and the result is that the new F-Pace is as engaging and rewarding to drive as is comfortable and quiet. As soon as you get into the vehicle, you know immediately that it’s a good place to be,” said Mike Cross, Chief Engineer of Vehicle Integrity.
Technical specs
Full technical details for the Jaguar F-Pace won’t be released until later this year, but certain specifications have been confirmed. It will be available with a five-seater layout, and assuming it sticks closely to the concept’s 4,718mm length, will be a few centimeters bigger than its main rivals - the Audi Q5 and BMW X3.
For that reason, Jaguar claims it will have class-leading interior space as well as a “beautiful design, precise handling, a supple ride, luxurious interior finishes and cutting-edge technology.” The F-Pace will be based on the same aluminium-intensive iq [AL] platform as the new XE saloon and built in the same revamped Solihull plant in Birmingham.
Jaguar has confirmed the F-Pace will receive a double wishbone front and integral-link rear suspension setup (the same as the XE), and has been tuned to compliment the body's high structural rigidity. As well as the lightweight chassis, the F-Pace will share the XE's interior switchgear, ‘In Control’ infotainment system and the engine line-up.
The four-wheel drive system will be governed by Jag’s ‘All-Surface Progress Control’ technology to maximise grip in all road conditions. It even gets torque vectoring, tech donated from the F-Type sports car.
Engine range
Expect 2.0-litre turbodiesel and 2.0 turbocharged petrol engines - both from the advanced new ‘Ingenium’ engine family - to be offered in various states of tune, along with a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 at the top of the range. A more powerful supercharged V8 model could come later in the lifecycle to power an F-Pace SVR performance model.
By:Augustin Kurian
