By: Jason Woosey
Frankfurt Motor Show - Jaguar has just become the latest premium carmaker to jump on the SUV bandwagon and in the modern tradition it's aiming to be a sports car on stilts rather than Kingsley Holgate's next steed.
Jaguar describes its new F-Pace as a "performance crossover for those who love driving" and to aid that cause, the crossover is built around the company's new lightweight aluminium-intensive monocoque structure and comes with some heavy-hitting engines.
The most exciting of these is a 3-litre supercharged V6 credited with 280kW and 450Nm and good for a 5.5 second 0-100km/h sprint, according to Jaguar. Below that there's two turbodiesel options in the form of a 221kW/700Nm 3-litre and 132kW/430Nm 2-litre. The latter is the only one available in rear-wheel drive guise but it can also be paired with with the all-wheel drive system that's fitted to the rest of the range.
For those occasions when you do answer the call of the wild, the F-Pace is fitted with a system called Adaptive Surface Response, which was developed from sister company Land Rover's Terrain Response system and which optimises the engine and stability control mapping for the conditions at hand. Another handy feature is the All Surface Progress Control, which is a type of cruise control for low-speed bush crawling.
Yet to give it the edge on the asphalt surfaces where this crossover will inevitably spend most of its time, Jaguar has given it a double-wishbone front suspension and Integral Link rear set-up along with some chassis technologies poached from the F-Type, including Torque Vectoring and Adaptive Dynamics.
SMART, HIGH-TECH CABIN
Perhaps even more important in these circles, however, is a comfortable and snazzy cabin and from what we can see in these first official pictures, Jaguar hasn't spared too much expense on upscale surfaces and leather. The interior is also said to accommodate five occupants in "absolute comfort" while the boot swallows a rather useful 650 litres.
Geeks you certainly haven't been forgotten here and the F-Pace's gizmotronic entourage includes what Jaguar reckons in the world's most advanced infotainment system, complete with a navigation device designed to save you time by learning your commute and a Wi-Fi hotspot that allows you to connect up to eight devices at a time.
Another nifty little feature is the Activity Key, which is a wearable and waterproof transponder that acts as a second key, allowing you to lock the normal keyfob in the car while you go swimming or surfing. Haven't we all wished for something like this while at the beach?
So when’s it coming?
According to Jaguar South Africa, the new crossover is set to go on sale here around the middle of 2016. It's too early to talk local pricing then, although the UK range starts at £34 170 (R710 000).
To set an adventurous tone from the word go, Jaguar got Pro Driver Terry Grant to perform the world's largest ever "loop-the-loop" where car and driver withstood 6.5G in the huge 19 metre structure. Watch it perform the stunt in the video below: