All Sections

Jaguar images show the F-Pace being put through its paces

Jaguar has released a host of new images of the F-Pace, its forthcoming sports utility ‘performance crossover’ set to go on sale in 2016.

Okay, so the images are still of the ‘we’re trying to hide the car from you’ prototype but you can glean a pretty good idea of what to expect, including the trademark Jaguar front end and a slightly Land Rover-esque rear end.

Jaguar Land Rover is currently putting the F-Pace (yes that’s actually the name) through its paces at its test facility in Arjeplog of Northern Sweden, a 60km purpose-built area with just about every type of hostile terrain you can imagine.

Temperatures can go as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius, which makes the life much more difficult for the in-built Dynamic Stability Control and All-Surface Progress control systems. Here all-wheel drive is being calibrated.

The F-Pace has also been somewhere slightly sunnier in the form of Dubai. Temperatures can exceed 50 degrees Celsius in the shade and 70 degrees so it’s a good place to see if the air-conditioning works and the infotainment system can survive the heat.

Jaguar Land Rover will be aiming to cash in on the increasingly lucrative SUV market, specifically the premium end including the BMW X4 and Porsche Macan. 1,300 UK jobs will be created at its Solihull plant as a result.

Vehicle programme director Andrew Whyman said: “We developed the F-Pace to offer the ride, handling and refinement demanded from a Jaguar, together with exceptional levels of ability and composure on all surfaces and in all weathers.

“Just as we paid obsessive attention to detail over the engineering of every single component, we’ve exhaustively tested the F-Pace in the most challenging conditions to ensure that it will exceed the expectations of our customers around the world.”

The F-Pace – born out of the C-X17 concept – may well rear its head at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. A price of around £35,000 is expected.

Jaguar F-Pace pictures

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *