Nearly 100 years ago, Swallow Sidecar Company began the eventual journey that became the Jaguar brand. Over the years, Jaguar has established itself as a namesake heralded the world over. Its rich automotive history has included wins at the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally as well as cinema as a favorite of James Bond. Given such pedigree, I was excited to put my foot to the pedal in the 2019 F-Pace SVR, a luxury crossover that’s all muscle wrapped in the body of an SUV that wants to be a sports car.
When the F-Pace made its entry to the Jaguar lineup with the 2016 model year, it joined an emerging segment of vehicles targeted at drivers requiring the driveability of a car but with the perceived added cargo space of a small SUV. The F-Pace captures this segment and compliments it with the luxury of Jaguar’s namesake and the SVR version compounds this with performance befitting Jaguar’s F-Type lineup of sports cars.
First, the good. The 2019 F-Pace SVR has a bold, aggressive look that received scores of compliments while I drove it around. It’s 22” 5 split-spoke style 5081 w/DT finish wheels look enormous but suit the F-Pace SVR quite well, adding to its capacity as a sports car in SUV clothing. Its performance and handling didn’t feel at all like an SUV. In fact, I had to remind myself several times it’s a crossover, not a sports car. A luxury version at that. The 550-hp supercharged 5.0L 8-cylinder engine was derived from the company’s recent ownership by Ford and a number of Ford components can be found under the hood, and it’s what defines the F-Pace SVR as a Special Vehicle Racing Jaguar. It’s growl when driving in Dynamic mode with the exhaust open is bone-chillingly awesome, with up to 505 lb-ft torque available ensuring you’ll have no problem passing that driver traveling ridiculously slow in the travel lane. Drive quality is exceptionally agile with minimal body roll when cornering, a benefit of the vehicle’s more aggressive suspension. There are a variety of driving modes to suit for city, highway, and track driving (Dynamic mode). Admittedly, I drove the F-Pace SVR regularly in Dynamic Mode the majority of the time. My logic? It’s a sports car in an SUV body. It needs to be heard.
On the inside, there’s a reasonable amount of cargo space and I found the seats to be quite comfortable and beautifully appointed. The variety of seating adjustments make the F-Pace SVR friendly to taller drivers without feeling cramped as noted by a good friend who is 6’3” and rode in the vehicle with me several times during the week I had it on my driveway. All that said, I did find myself puzzled by Jaguar’s approach to this car (or is it an SUV?).
For one, I can’t quite figure out who the target is for this vehicle. The F-Pace SVR is, as previously noted, a sports car in an SUV body. The vehicle seems conflicted as to what it should be. Is it a sports car? Is it an SUV? Yes, it’s a crossover but I just don’t get it. Coupled with this is an internal identity crisis. When I think of Jaguar, I think of its long lineage as a luxury brand that’s undoubtedly unique to itself. However, the F-Pace SVR lacks any Jaguar branding on the interior, and materials (other than the beautifully stitched leather seats) throughout the dash and door panels look like glorified plastic. Additionally, I’ve never seen less desirable floor mats in a vehicle that’s $90,200 as tested. At this cost of entry I expect carbon fiber or other premium materials with branding that growls Jaguar. But alas, its not there. I’ll also note I was beyond frustrated with the F-Pace SVR’s cruise control functionality though it’s not just limited to this vehicle but every Land Rover/Jaguar I’ve driven recently. The cruise control system doesn’t work intuitively and I never managed to get it turn on and function.
The closest competitors to the F-Pace SVR are probably the BMW X3M and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. While its priced better than the Porsche by over $30k- base pricing starts at just under $80k - the F-Pace SVR is priced comparably to the X3M though there’s also a qualitative difference in overall aesthetic quality. Again, I love how this vehicle sounds and it drives beautifully. However, I think Jaguar needs to take a hard look at who they specifically think will buy this vehicle and note its mostly cosmetic flaws in order for it to appeal to buyers willing to spend upwards of $80k. In essence, I’d like Jaguar to remind customers why their rich automotive history was, and still is, relevant to the discerning buyer.