First Drive: 2021 Jaguar F-Pace Review

Jaguar’s first SUV, the F-Pace, is getting a little long in the tooth now. First arriving on customers’ driveways in 2016, it is about time it had at least a bit of a refresh. So that’s what Jaguar has done. The 2021 F-Pace is really a series of tweaks externally (with fewer really visible changes than the newly updated XF) but with Jaguar’s massively refreshed interior to bring it up to spec with its rivals. But with the world in the state that it’s in (and that’s without talking about viruses for a second) a big SUV with dirty diesels and big petrols isn’t a good look, or really a good thing, so pretty much the whole range has now been hybridised – mildly.

OK, so the changes to the new XF were pretty easy to spot, but the F-Pace’s upgrade is a little more subtle. Like the XF it’s had its had some rhinoplasty, with a new, larger, and prouder-standing grille, with diamond patterning to replace the old mesh. The lights are LED as standard, but the chin remains largely unchanged, with a more fiddly look than the XF’s clean new intakes. At the back there’s a new bumper and refreshed lights, but it’s a bit of a squint and see it upgrade.

Inside though, is a totally different matter. In comes the new Jaguar interior design, replacing a look that had been around, really, for a fair while now. It wasn’t that it was a bad interior, but with the pace of technological changes in the 2020s it doesn’t take as long for an interior to feel dated any more.

There are four engines available at launch, in six different configurations. That includes four mild-hybrids (in 2.0- and 3.0-litre diesel and 3.0-litre petrol guise) one non-assisted inline-four petrol and a plug-in hybrid with the same 2.0-litre four-pot petrol. We’re driving the P400, which is fitted with the big 3.0-litre inline-six petrol, and the mild-hybrid system.

The engine is a supercharged and turbocharged 400PS (294kW) unit, also shoving out 550Nm (406lb ft) of torque. The supercharger is now electrically-powered and is supported by the twin-scroll turbocharger to smooth the delivery of power through the range. It has an eight-speed automatic gearbox from ZF and all-wheel-drive, which is coupled to that hybrid system. A generator at the front recuperates energy when you lift off the throttle, sending that electricity to a 48V Lithium-ion battery just under the rear seats. A converter at the rear axle then helps to recharge the battery (taking pressure off the alternator) and power various electrical gizmos, while the motor on the front can help to redeploy the energy as torque in what Jaguar calls “transient acceleration”. To put it in much easier terms, the car grabs back wasted energy and turns it into power for the infotainment etc. and a little extra torque boost in mid-range acceleration – the time between actually getting moving and really reaching higher speeds.

While we haven’t driven the 2.0-litre four in the F-Pace, we have in the XF, where it felt a bit underwhelming without a hybrid system. The 3.0-litre six, mated with the extra electrics, feels more like the choice for enjoyment now. And it is a good engine, with the extra torque fill of that small hybrid system and its mixed super- and turbochargers it feels lively and ready to go through the rev range. Power is all found at the top, 5,500rpm being the sweet spot, and torque comes on song at a relatively high 2,000rpm, but stays pretty consistent though the range.

The handling is good for a big, high-riding SUV, with little in the way of roll to be found through the twists, especially compared to the rather wobbly nature of its predecessor. Sadly that extra firmness, coupled with giant 22-inch rims and tough sports seats does make this particular F-Pace feel a little jiggly over bumpy roads or around town. We’d probably recommend going for some smaller rims to offset the firmer damping. Steering is decent, although weighted a little bit too much at times when it isn’t needed, making it a little jerky if you’re not careful. But overall the fastest new F-Pace is an enjoyable drive.

Here’s the revolution: this must be the first time that Jaguar has posted a proper class-leading interior design for donkeys years. It’s lead by the new Pivi Pro infotainment system, which stands at an impressive 11.4 inches and slightly proud of the centre dash. Describing it makes it sound awkward, but because it’s so slimline the positioning actually works. It’s also supremely easy to use. The fabric quality, in this case bright red everywhere, is excellent, and the decision to swathe the sides of the centre console with leather is a good one, given that the faux metal there on the XF feels overly plastic and lets the otherwise excellent interior down. My only slight gripe is that the old individual buttons have been replaced with ones positioned on a single piece of shiny black plastic, for both the climate control in the centre and the wingmirror controls on the armrest. These are becoming more prevalent now, but are not particularly comfortable to use. The lack of outline for the individual control makes it a bit hard to know when you’ve managed to actually hit a button.

The other change inside is the end of the rotary gear control, which has been replaced with something a bit more traditional. As funky as the rotary dial was you can’t help but feel it must have been prone to gremlins, and the new knob is well designed and simple to use. Do be aware though, there is no selection for manual gear control other than using the paddles to override, and once you override they don’t go back to manual unless you tell them to. There’s also no parking brake at all, with that being fully integrated into the P parking selection. Minor quibbling apart this is now an excellent interior, genuinely one of the very best places to spend some time in the industry. Oh, and the sports seats on our test car are brilliant.

Pivi Pro is really where this is at (as we’ve explained the hybrid system). The updated system – similar to that already found on the Defender – is really, really good. While car technology gets more and more complex, the Jaguar team has taken the approach of stripping the whole thing back, simplifying everything until it’s really similar to a smartphone-style interface. You can customise it to give you just the things you regularly use, much easier for finding stuff on the go, and there are simple return buttons to get you to the important things, Sat-Nav, media etc. While there’s still an argument that any touchscreen is more complicated than using buttons, this has to be one of the less distracting systems.

We drove the F-Pace in R-Dymnamic SE trim, which will set you back £61,115 (the F-Pace starts at £40,860 for an inline-four MHEV diesel). For that you’ll find a powered boot, active road noise cancellation (it works quite well, but there is still a decent whack of roar from those giant tyres), a 360-degree parking camera, heads-up display, wireless charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated seats, climate control and Sat-Nav.

There’s an awful lot to like about the F-Pace. A proper engine, some better green credentials (221g/km is a lot, but on an SUV it’s not the end of the world), good looks and an excellent interior. Given the state that JLR has found itself in over the last half decade or so, you hope that this refresh will give the company a proper boost. We would like to drive the other engines, especially the diesel, to sample the more every day version of the F-Pace but the inline-six in the P400 is an enjoyable motor and the hybrid boost, though small, is useful.