The Jaguar F-Pace is the company’s first attempt at making a performance oriented crossover SUV that could rival the likes of the Porsche Macan S and Audi SQ5. It is poised to give even the BMW X4 xDrive35 and Mercedes GLA 45 AMG a run for their worth. Jag announced that the F-Pace will be unveiled right after the XE sedan breaks cover.
From the scorching merciless heat and dust of the Arabian deserts to the frozen wastelands of northern Sweden, the new F-Pace has been rugged through its paces in the last stages of its research and development program. The makers of this crossover are boldly laying claims to its performance and how well it copes under dire conditions.
The reason for this seemingly harsh testing is so that the engineers can test various part, components and features in the car to work even in hellish conditions. Global models need to be subjected to stringent quality testing. In places such as Dubai, where the temperatures can soar past 70°C inside the car, its imperative that everything still works and functions the way it should.
The same goes toward practicality, where if you live in the cold north of Sweden, engineers check to see if all the little buttons and knobs work and turn even with your big clumsy gloves on. Testing is an integral part of the development of any car for that matter.
Coming to question of powertrains, as you’d expect at this juncture, Jaguar has been rather scarce on information pertaining to the drive trains. However it is widely speculated in the industry that it is set to feature both petrol and diesel versions of its inline four cylinder engines, a vee-six (supercharged maybe?) and potentially the fire breathing 5.0-litre V8 mill thats used in hot Jags.
Prices are slated to begin in the range of around £30,000 – 55,000 (RM178k – 326k) in the UK. The wraps will come off the F-Pace at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show.
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