The last time I drove the Jaguar XE, I was in complete love with the car for it’s sporty design and energetic drive experience. The only little concern was it’s compact size. Now with the launch of Jaguar F-PACE, to me this one’s like a blown up version of the Jaguar XE. The interior and exterior looking the same except in a bigger form. The good news, the bigger form has not compromised the driving thrill and Jaguar has got their formula right with this new launch which is looking in good shape to eat up the market share from other luxury performance SUVs in the market.
The interior design is very similar to the Jaguar XE with premium materials, brushed aluminum, soft leather and striking color contrast. So there wasn’t any thing surprising about this new model when it came to interiors except this one was spacious.
The attractive design of their rotatory gear knob which pops up when you switch on the vehicle now remains a standard for all their vehicles and is now a talk of the past. You can also manually control gearshifts via the steering wheel paddles. It was also good to see a dedicated storage space for the driver’s mobile device, a non slippery surface found underneath the center console. There were handy pockets on either sides of the center console for storage of small items.
Opening the glove compartment is disappointing as you end up with a fire extinguisher that takes up the entire space and you can no more use that space to store your valuable documents. Surprised they didn’t bother to find any space in the trunk of the vehicle.
- ENGINE: 3.0 Litre V6 Supercharged
- POWER: 380 PS
- TORQUE: 460 NM
-
0-100 KM/H: 5.5 Seconds
TOP SPEED: 250KM/H - TRANSMISSION: 8-Speed Automatic Transmission with Jaguar Sequential Shift
For driving, you have different modes like the eco mode, dynamic mode etc. When you drive the car in dynamic mode it’s sportier and car shift gears quicker than usual, the steering gets a little tighter as well. The light weight aluminium constructed body of the vehicle does help the vehicle to move quicker. The sleek looking design of the car is not just adding up to it’s good looks but is highly focused on aerodynamics. The highly advanced aerodynamics helps to reduce fuel consumption and road noise. One observation I’d like to highlight is I could really feel the road bumps in this car.
F-PACE’s advanced chassis and suspension system is similar to the one used in their F-TYPE sports car. Jaguar’s Electronic Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) software is specially tuned for optimum feedback and control, while the All Wheel Drive system uses the F-TYPE-derived, unique Intelligent Driveline Dynamics software for an agile feel and to minimise understeer. Which in simpler words, steering this sports SUV is a piece of a cake and you really don’t get tired driving it.
Having the rear child security electronic lock/unlock button next to the driver makes it very convenient to use them when required. Currently not all vehicles have it at the driver seat and very often you need to come out the of the car to open the doors for passengers if you have enabled the rear child security door lock.
I like the customization that you can do on the instrument cluster. Having the time(clock) on the instrument cluster was very handy for me. You can also have different styles of speedometer. The torch light setting was my favourite which would just highlight the details around the current speed you were traveling which made it much neater and easier to easily spot your speed.
You will also find directions being displayed on one of the sides of the 12.3 inch instrument panel. The shocker is when you see that you can actually have the entire instrument display show a full screen 3D map view. Surely it’s going to make your life easy navigating but in roads with speed radars if you don’t have your current speed highlighted then there is a high chance you could cross the speed limit without even realizing. The10.2” Touch-Screen with Multi-Touch Gestures worked very well and responds well to touch inputs without any lag.
Enhanced Navigation, a feature of the InControl Touch Pro’s Navigation which allows you to set a destination and the system alerts you if you have insufficient fuel for the journey. It then displays filling stations on your route where you may be low on fuel. The system automatically displays parking options. It’s interesting how it detects and shows you the placement of speed radars on the road. Have a look at the above picture of how many speed radars are placed on sheikh Zayed road and Jumeirah Street.
The head up display is a nice to have feature which displays key information onto the windscreen. The following information is usually displayed
- vehicle speed
- Navigation,
- Cruise control notifications,
- Speed limit
The laser display on the windscreen remains clear even during direct sunlight. It is considered as one of the safety features which helps you keep your eyes on the road. The laser projection can also be adjusted as per your height from the driver seat.
Besides the usual tread plates, you can also now opt for a personalized illuminated tread plate. Like maybe have your name or brand on it. This one is just a standard for the S version of Jaguar F-PACE.
The interior mood lighting is configurable. You can select around 10 different colors of soft lighting. You can also adjust the depth of the light. This mood lighting is spread across it’s entire interior and gives it a special touch in the night.
The Jaguar Puddle light is impressive and makes a statement in the dark when you approach the vehicle or when you just come out of the vehicle. I’ve seen this same feature on the Land Rover.
The Activity key was a real suprise. Never heard of it before and here I am unlocking and locking doors by just wearing a wristband. Fitness trackers some how now look old fashioned. I felt so convenient not having to carry my heavy key chain while I was jogging this time. The activity key from Jaguar is also fully waterproof so you can even wear it while swimming which means the car keys are always with you. Also note the conventional key will automatically be deactivated when you start using the activity key.
The only downside from my experience with the activity key would be that I you have to go behind the car to lock/unlock the vehicle unlike the conventional style. Probably they will improve this in the future.
It’s a little disappointing to see that much of the trunk space is reduced because of a giant spare wheel taking space from the bottom. This way the height space in the trunk is comprised.
What you are looking at is a sports theme of black and red but if you prefer luxury then they have a beautiful version of Siena Tan Perforated Windsor Leather Seats. This is the style I would love to keep. Rear seats are comfortable with sufficient leg space. The sky view from above through the panaromic glass roof is breath taking. Electric blind comes as standard to reduce extensive heat from the glass roof.
Click here to visit the official web page of Jaguar F-Pace middle east. Click pictures to see them in full screen view:
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