Jaguar’s first SUV has been given its midlife facelift and, to the company’s credit, the updated F-Pace is rocking a properly refreshed interior, as well as a company-car-tastic plug-in hybrid model. Fair play, Jaguar. Fair play.
Let’s start with the interior. As you can see for yourself below, the comprehensive interior makeover comprises a new, much larger and much clearer panel for the infotainment, which now ‘floats’ on top of the dashboard rather than being integrated into it. It’s also curved, a neat touch that Jaguar didn’t necessarily need to do, and is powered by the latest Jaguar Land Rover infotainment software called Pivi Pro, which the company says dramatically reduces the number of screen jabs required to get to most functions.
The dash itself is now split into two sections with the upper panel finished in metal and the lower swathed in leather, giving the whole thing a wider and more modern look; the metal panel can be swapped out for wood, if you prefer. The central rotary gear selector that’s been a hallmark of Jaguar centre consoles since the original XF is replaced by a stubby new unit, swathed in leather and with central stitching akin to a cricket ball. How twee.
Even the door cards have been tweaked, with Jaguar moving the window switches lower down where they can be easier accessed, upgrading the trim on the grab handles, and enlarging the door pockets. Generally, it just looks like a much nicer place to be.
Not a great deal of change on the outside, although the front and rear lamps have been slimmed down for a slightly more modern look.
The plug-in hybrid, then. Badged P400e, it connects a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine to an electric motor powered by a 17kWh battery pack, the result being 400bhp and 640Nm torque. That makes it quick, posting a 0-62mph time of five seconds (the quickest F-Pace on sale, then) and yet it returns an official fuel consumption average of 130.2mpg with 49g/km CO2. It’ll be the cheapest one to run as a company car by miles. Tax innit.
You can still buy traditional though, if that’s your bag. Two diesel to choose from, both four-cylinder units but one with 161bhp and the other 202bhp. Both of those are four-wheel drive and automatic (as are all F-Pace models) and both have 48v mild hybrid tech to improve economy and emissions a little. There’s a 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel too, with 296bhp.
Traditional petrol models are covered off by a 2.0-litre turbo with 247bhp and a 3.0-litre supercharged six-cylinder with 396bhp, which is only a tenth of a second slower to 62mph than the plug-in, albeit in reality quicker because, let’s be honest, your hybrid’s battery pack is going to be flat for much of the time.
Get yourself an updated F-Pace now, if you like, priced from £41,000 for the littlest diesel to £65,000 for the new plug-in hybrid.
Keyword: Jaguar updates F-Pace, reveals very different cabin