As with the Land Rover Defender reviewed last week, our test vehicle is once again a 2021 model. There's also a Land Rover Discovery review coming soon, and it's a '21. All from the west coast Jaguar-Land Rover press fleet. Hey, there are supply chain issues--and these cars are unchanged for '22 (and '23), so there's no harm in selling what new ones they make to paying customers and keeping these '21s in service for press reviews.
The Jaguar F-Pace is the largest car Jaguar sells---or has ever made, for that matter---but it fits within a class of compact sport-luxury crossover SUVs (Audi Q5, BMW X3, Porsche Macan) that's a reasonably hot segment right now.
In its lower trims, the F-Pace only tops the competition in two areas, rear-seat legroom and cargo room. But the equation changes when you move up to the Jaguar F-Pace SVR.
The SVR comes loaded with a 5.0-liter supercharged V8. 550 horsepower, 516 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. All wheel drive. An electronic differential and torque vectoring as well as selectable drive modes. Sixty miles an hour happens from a standing start in just 3.8 seconds. Fuel economy? Well, you won't make friends with the Sierra Club. 15 city/22 highway, according to the EPA, who didn't test it the way you're likely to drive it.
Base price for the 2021 Jaguar F-Pace SVR (as noted on the window sticker that came with the vehicle) is $84,600. Jaguar's consumer site has already updated to the 2023 model and there's been a substantial jump---to $89,500. You do get a lot for your money---including upgraded brakes, 21-inch wheels, premium LED headlights, a powered tailgate, panoramic roof, rain-sensing wipers, Windsor leather seats (heated and cooled up front), dual-zone climate control and a 400-watt Meridian audio system.
Our tester also had extra-cost options---$2,110 for the Hot Climate Pack (a lockable cooled glovebox, an upgrade to four-zone climate control, an air quality sensor and cabin air ionization with a PM2.5 filter), $4,550 for the SVO Ultra Metallic Gloss paint, $1,200 for an upgrade to 22-inch wheels, $1,150 for an upgrade to semi-aniline leather seats, $1,010 for a head-up display, $800 for an upgraded Meridian surround sound audio system, $360 for gloss black roof rails, $200 for rear privacy glass, $150 for adaptive surface response and $99 for additional power outlets.
The as-tested price, including $1,150 destination and delivery, is $97,379---but remember, that's for a 2021. Factor in the $4,900 price jump for a 2023 model and the tab lands at $102,279.
And yeah, that's a chunk. Sure, it's fast---but the BMW X3 M is only 2/10ths of a second slower to 60---with a base price $16,700 lower. Ultimately, though they compete head-to-head, BMW and Jaguar have very different approaches to sport-luxury vehicles. While direct comparisons between BMW and Audi and BMW and Mercedes are possible, Jaguar is pretty much its own thing.
