Jaguar has finally lifted the veils off its first ever crossover, the F-Pace, on the eve of the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Described as a performance crossover, the F-Pace is built on Jaguar’s Lightweight Aluminum Architecture and is powered by petrol and diesel units with outputs ranging between 180PS (178hp) and 380PS (375hp).
The engine lineup includes an 180PS (177hp) 2.0-liter diesel manual RWD/ AWD and automatic AWD, a 240PS (237hp) 2.0-liter petrol automatic RWD, a 300PS (296hp) 3.0-liter diesel automatic AWD, and 340PS (335hp) and 380PS (375hp) 3.0-liter petrol automatic AWD.
The light and stiff body structure consists of 80 percent aluminum, making it the only aluminum-intensive monocoque in the segment. Additional weight savings come from the composite tailgate and magnesium for parts such as the cross-car beam.
As a result, the rear-wheel drive 180PS diesel manual transmission model weighs as little as 1,665 kg, achieving CO2 emissions of just 129g/km. With the 380PS supercharged V6 petrol engine sourced from the F-Type, the all-new F-Pace can accelerate from 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in just 5.1 seconds before reaching an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph (250 km/h).
The F-Pace doesn’t share its wheelbase and track with any other Jaguar. It’s 4,731mm long and has a 2,874mm wheelbase. Thanks to the generous wheelbase, it can seat five adult occupants in “absolute comfort” and has a boot volume of 650 liters (33.5 cu-ft).
AWD models benefit from a torque on-demand all-wheel drive system which Jaguar says is its most sophisticated yet and has the highest torque capacity. It features the in-house control system first developed for F-Type AWD called Intelligent Driveline Dynamics (IDD). IDD retains rear-wheel drive agility and handling character but can seamlessly transfer torque to the front wheels to get extra traction on all surfaces and in all weathers.
The F-Pace benefits from sister company Land Rover’s expertise with the Adaptive Surface Response (ASR), developed from the Terrain Response technology. Integrated into Jaguar Drive Control, ASR identifies the type of surface and optimizes the mapping of the powertrain and Dynamic Stability Control system.
The model also gets the InControl Touch Pro infotainment system which is based around a 10.2-inch touchscreen and has a powerful quad-core processor, solid-state drive and runs on ultra-fast Ethernet. Jaguar says the user interface is instinctive and “extremely quick with sharp and incredibly responsive graphics.” The F-Pace also offers a laser head-up display which projects key information such as vehicle speed and speed limits directly onto the driver’s line of sight.
Jaguar’s first SUV also debuts the Activity Key, a waterproof, shockproof wristband with an integrated transponder. The wearable technology supports active lifestyles by allowing the keyfob to be securely locked inside the vehicle. Locking the car using the Activity Key will disable any keyfobs left inside.
Correction: Jaguar said that the F-Pace’s boot volume with the second row seats up is 33.5 cu.ft., not 22.95 cu.ft. According to the carmaker, “The previous draft of the release incorrectly identified cargo volume in the Jaguar F-PACE using a figure that was not calculated using the US Market standard SAE methodology. The correct specification for rear load space volume in the 2017 Jaguar F-PACE with the second row seats up is 33.5 cu.ft., not 22.95 cu.ft.”
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