‘Smallest’ Jaguar F-Pace shows what left-field appeal is all about

The Jaguar F-Pace might well be a familiar face having been around since 2016, yet it remains a contentious vehicle for many Jag fans.

Like its smaller sibling, the E-Pace, the F-Pace felt the wrath of a staunch traditionalist for going against the established Jaguar tradition of a big luxury sedan or coupe filled with all of the important British luxury, charm and being understated.

Flagship not all will like

In probable truth, it is not the sort of vehicle founder, Sir William Lyons, would have approved of, but one which has nonetheless emerged as the leaping cat’s best-selling model to date.

Still, it’s European Car of the Year gong five years ago didn’t sit easy with some. And neither its standing now as Jaguar’s flagship model after Coventry’s, pardon the pun, shock announcement last year that the almost production ready all-electric XJ had been scrapped, thus ending 51 years of the nameplate’s status as the brand’s flagship non-sports car model.

Controversial or not, the F-Pace is unlikely to go away soon and after being revealed in facelift guise two years ago, it officially became available in South Africa last year.

Swansong diesel

Equipped with new tech and a revised exterior, the F-Pace also debuts a new Ingenium turbodiesel engine option. This is likely to be the swansong for an oil-burning Jag in light of the brand’s electric only switch come 2025.

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It was therefore no surprise when the Fuji White example, mounted in menacing black 20-inch V-spoke alloy wheels, that arrived for testing sported the new oil-burner underneath its snout, which like in the E-Pace, carries the D200 designation that places it at the bottom of the F-Pace range powerunit-wise.

Aggressive face

As much as the F-Pace has copped flak for its stance, it still comes across as an imposing, handsome looking brute in spite of the somewhat dreary paint option.

For its first major appointment with the vet, the F-Pace has had its front and rear bumpers redesigned.

Its eyes have been replaced with slimmer improved LEDs incorporating double J daytime running diodes, its grille made wider and its breathing improved via new air intakes on the flanks of the front bumper.

Along with a new bonnet, tailgate, an I-Pace inspired chicane graphic for the restyled LED taillights, Jaguar has also made the R-Dynamic styling pack standard on all models bar the entry-level S model.

As our tester was the top-spec HSE, the only styling extras came in the shape of gloss black roof rails (R4 000), the upgraded Pixel LED lights and fog lamps (R25 500), privacy glass (R4 000) and the R5 800 must-have, if you decline the idea of a darker colour, that is the black styling package.

Proper Jaguar inside…

The subtly of the F-Pace’s reworked exterior is in complete contrast to its interior.

As with recent updated Jaguar-Land Rover models, the F-Pace benefits from a new dashboard, eschews the rotary gear selector dial for a stubby toggle switch, and gains what is arguably one of the best infotainment systems on sale today, the 11.4-inch Pivi Pro with over-the-air updates, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Crip and easy to use, the system, despite its somewhat less than ideal “attached” look, compliments the new 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, the same steering wheel lifted from the I-Pace and the new seats trimmed in Windsor leather with the Jaguar leaper embroidered into the headrests.

As much as the naysayers may scoff, the cabin is classic Jaguar with lots of leather, extended in our tester, soft-touch plastics and alloy inserts.

Although the ash wood veneer tries its best to sully the cabin with its distinct “anything-but-wood” feel, the inclusion of Active Noise Cancellation technology makes the interior plush, quiet and refined on the move.

Adding to this, the electric seats, which are heated, cooled and feature a massaging function, are supportive and the optional 16-speaker Meridian sound system worth every bit of its R9 700.

The new Head-Up Display easy to fathom and the new layout for the quad-zone climate control with the PM2.5 filtration system easy to make out.

While spacious at the front with the boot capable of swallowing between 650 and 1 842-litres of luggage, the inclusion of the panoramic sunroof robs rear passenger headroom.

Despite legroom being more sufficient, the seats themselves feature noticeably harder cushions than those of the front chairs. Likely to be the distracting factor however are the USB ports and 12-volt sockets integrated into the front seatbacks.

When provoked

As mentioned though, the biggest unknown resides up front. As per its name, the D200’s 2.0-litre heart produces 200 pferdestarke (PS) or 147 kW of power and 430 Nm of torque.

Paired to a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic gearbox, the unit, which replaces the D180 and D240 variants in the pre-facelift F-Pace, is anything but refined on start-up with a somewhat agricultural diesel clatter not really befitting of a modern day Jag.

Handicapped by some initial lag, the engine quietens down on the move and provides just enough low-down shove to cart the F-Pace’s mentioned weight around without struggling too much.

For its part, the ZF ‘box is slick and well matched to the engine, the ride typical Jaguar soft but also sporty thanks to the adaptive suspension, the grip from the all-wheel-drive system unrelenting and the steering surprisingly direct with impressive feel for what is still a 1.6 m high diesel SUV.

Restrained thirst

As is customary, the F-Pace features Jaguar’s Drive Control selector with four modes; Eco, Comfort, Dynamic and Rain/Ice/Snow.

While the middle pair saw the greatest usage, the selecting of Dynamic mode via the push-button rotary controller aft from the gear lever toggle resulted in better throttle response, though with high-end without punch due to the ‘box holding on to selected gear for too long.

This can however be negated by using the gear shift paddles behind the steering wheel.

Indicated fuel consumption after the weeklong stay and 464 km in mixed conditions came to a best of 8.3 L/100 km, well off Jaguar’s absurdly optimistic 5.2 L/100 km claim, but still respectable nonetheless.

Conclusion

With its new heart offering just enough punch and its restyled exterior small but still welcome visual drama, the Jaguar F-Pace remains an accomplished offering that delivers a lot for its as tested R1 426 018, of which R143 900 came from the options list.

In a segment dominated by the Germans though, it will sadly endure as a left-field contender, but one worth a look if going with the pack is not requirement number one.