mReview: Jaguar F-PACE – A "Jag" of All Trades

The 2021 Jaguar F-PACE sets the pace in the competitive SUV segment with an aggressive new exterior, a classier cabin, and a slew of intuitive connectivity tools.

Whether you like it or not, most consumers are hooked on the SUV segment. From bread and butter models like the Honda HR-V/Vezel to more premium offerings like the BMW’s X3, it seems like there is an SUV to be found at every traffic junction.

So let’s say you’re looking for a premium midsize SUV but don’t want to be yet another person driving an SUV made by the Big Three German Automakers. Well, Jaguar thinks they have the perfect car for you: the new Jaguar F-PACE.

What’s New?

Building on its original design cues, the new F-PACE features a new bonnet design, new super-slim all-LED headlights, a new grille, and new rear lights and bumpers. Have the design updates worked? It receives a resounding yes from us.

With distinguished lines that flow congruously as though muscles are rippling through the sheet metal, the new F-PACE is a definite head-turner with its bold and assertive exterior.

Jaguar hasn’t just gone for a quick nip-and-tuck on the exterior either. Significant updates have also been introduced to the interior as well.

One key change you’d notice immediately is the 11.4″ HD touchscreen infotainment system that features a slightly curved screen, which now runs Jaguar’s latest Pivi Pro system.

Jaguar tells us that the system is more intuitive and seamless, and the new graphics are indeed sleek, with an easy to navigate interface.

The Jaguar rotary shifter has also been replaced with a suede-wrapped electronic shifter that is not only pleasing to the touch but also provides great tactility.

Also new to the F-PACE is a 12.3″ digital cockpit, which is aesthetically pleasing and functional and comes with multiple settings for the driver to customise to their liking.

To top it all off, the F-PACE comes with an optional Activity Key, a wearable, waterproof wristband that can be used to lock, unlock and open your boot. You can even start your car with it!

If you have a habit of misplacing your key fob, the Activity Key solves this problem as it doubles as a watch.

Onto the cabin, the new Jaguar F-PACE is truly a fantastic place to be in, thanks to its enhanced interior, which is furnished with premium materials. Whatever is meant to be leather-wrapped is indeed wrapped in sumptuous red leather, and whatever is meant to be metal is metal. The shift pedals are also more prominent, pleasing those who enjoy quick gear shifting while driving.

The new Jaguar F-PACE also doesn’t suffer from a lack of physical buttons or an excess of them. The cabin is clean and exudes a sense of luxury that feels like a modern take on a gentleman’s lounge.

Whatever physical controls you need for the climate settings and infotainment volume are there, and all the other controls are easily accessible from the new Pivi Pro infotainment system.

On the Move

The new F-PACE impresses when you put your foot on the throttle. Boasting 250ps and 365Nm of torque from a turbocharged four-pot, the century sprint is dusted in a brisk 6.6 seconds.

What’s particularly impressive is that the peak torque is available from 1,500rpm through 4,000rpm, barely betraying any hint of turbo lag.

Coupled with how smooth the engine feels even under hard acceleration, it gives the overall impression that you’re driving a larger displacement V6. When in true fact, it is only mated to an inline 4 turbocharged engine.

Another impressive element of the new Jaguar F-PACE is just how well-damped it is.

The suspension is so fit-for-purpose that you don’t quite feel the sensation of acceleration. You’re simply whooshed away gently up to speeds that aren’t legal.

Luckily there’s a head-up display so that you’re always aware of how fast you’re going. An innovative in-built navigation system also warns you of speed cameras for times when you’re going faster than you should.

Put the F-PACE through its paces in the bends, and that’s when it shines. With oodles of torque and suspension keeping the car hunkered down, you really can carve through B-roads in this 1.8-tonne behemoth.

The car is dynamically sorted, with neutral handling and grip that impresses. In fact, you can pull more than 1g while attacking corners!

At the same time, the F-PACE is capable of wafting and gliding over most road imperfections smoothly and very quietly (cabin insulation is top-notch), but you do sometimes get bumps crashing into the cabin.

We happen to think that the F-PACE almost perfects the delicate balance between good road feel and comfortable damping. The minor bumpiness you may feel in the F-PACE’s ride is merely a small trade-off for amazing road feedback that gives you the confidence to exploit the F-PACE’s handling capabilities fully.

Grace… Space…? Pace…

We’ve established that the new Jaguar F-PACE has the grace to waft over roads and the pace to get up to speed and attack corners smoothly.

But does this large car have space?

The boot space of 793 litres is undoubtedly more than astounding. At the same time, the rear legroom is sufficient for rear passengers to find themselves comfortable, even if there may not be as much cabin space as the F-PACE’s exterior might suggest.

The discrepancy between the exterior size and cabin space can be chalked down to just how thick the doors are. A plus point is that the doors do feel adequately solid, and as we’ve mentioned, cabin insulation is truly excellent.

The size discrepancy between the interior and exterior makes the car hard to position at times. Thankfully there’s a 360 Surround Camera System which gives you a digital birds-eye view of your Jaguar, making parking easier and safer than ever.

On the 11.4″ screen, the surround view system displays HD-quality images that other cars we’ve tested just can’t rival.

Conclusion

The new Jaguar F-PACE provides an attractive proposition for anyone looking to buy a premium mid-sized SUV.

With premium finishes, great power, and dynamic handling backing it up, it truly shines on its own in the already competitive SUV market.

Although the rear space isn’t what one might expect from a car of its size, it is not hard to fall in love with the F-PACE as a whole.

We’d have no hesitation in bucking the trend of buying premium German SUVs to go for the F-PACE instead.

Specs

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Prices are accurate at the time of writing. Photos in this article by @carspotsg

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