The F-Pace has been a big car for Jaguar. More than 132,000 have been bought, and now, Jaguar sells more F-Paces than it did overall cars back before the mid-size SUV was launched.
It’s little wonder, then, that Jaguar is keen to keep the F-Pace feeling fresh and relevant. And what better way to do that than by creating a hardcore performance version?
Welcome to the Jaguar F-Pace SVR.
Engineered by the nutters at Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division, the F-Pace SVR is powered by JLR’s familiar 5.0-litre, supercharged V8. Except here, it’s developing 542 bhp. That means a 0-100 km/h time of 4.1 seconds, and a top speed of 283 km/h.
No, we don’t know who might actually want to buy such a thing, but we very much appreciate the fact that it exists.
The F-Pace SVR is more than a crossover with a big engine, though. The brakes are considerably bigger on the SVR than on the regular F-Pace, and they’re cooled by air vents that channel air to the wheels. Other vents reduce lift, while bonnet vents ensure that the big engine is cooled properly.
Despite all of the aero work, though, the F-Pace SVR doesn’t actually look that silly. Sure, there are slightly bigger wheel arches, and touches of sportiness around the design, but you could mistake it for a well-specced regular F-Pace at first glance. We like that.
Suspension-wise, the F-Pace the front springs are 30% stiffer while the rears are 10% stiffer than the regular car. And the adaptive air suspension has had its software tweaked so that it’s now running a bespoke SVR set-up. The same goes for the electric power steering, torque vectoring system and driving mode configurator.
This is also the first F-Pace to use Jaguar’s rear Electronic Active Differential. Could this be a crossover that drifts? We wouldn’t put it past the SVO division.
Inside, you get racing-style seats, a new steering wheel, much leather and Alcanatara, and the familiar Touch Pro 10-inch touchscreen for infotainment.
And the cost for all of this performance? While no pricing has been announced for the Middle East, we’d reckon on a smidge under AED 390,000 – given what the F-Pace SVR will cost in other markets.
What do you reckon? Enough to make you yearn after a performance SUV?
