The Jaguar F-Pace and I-Pace are impressive vehicles, but their end is nigh… We drove both SUVs on a rare sunny Winter’s day in the Western Cape.
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2025 promises to be a year of change for Jaguar. The current line-up of ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles is being put to pasture, and in their place will come a portfolio of fully electric vehicles (EVs). Though news of Jaguar going all-electric may be met with a raft of opinions – be it good or less good – the next generation of Jaguar vehicles will not arrive without giving the current line-up a proper thrashing.
Taking to a private racetrack in the Cape Winelands, a selection of Jaguar sports cars was available for sampling. The F-Type 75 was flanked by two SUVs: the F-Pace SVR and the all-electric I-Pace. The latter, while offering a unique driving experience, lacks the thrill and excitement of the fire-breathing F-Pace. The I-Pace picks up speed very quickly – an expectancy for an EV – but the raw emotion is left by the wayside. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but nothing beats the sound of JLR’s (Jaguar Land Rover) raucous supercharged 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine.
Jaguar I-Pace EV400 AWD R-Dynamic HSE Fast Facts
- Price: R2 465 000
- Battery: 90 kWh
- Power: 294 kW
- Torque: 696 N.m
- Range: (Up to) 446 km
- 0-100 km/h: 4.8 seconds
- Top speed: 200 km/h
- Warranty Distance: 100 000 km vehicle/160 000 km battery
- Warranty Years: 5 vehicle/8 battery
F-Pace SVR
The Jaguar F-Pace SVR members of the media drove was not the full-fat 423 kW version. Instead, it was the “detuned” 405 kW/700 N.m model. Despite not having all the horses at its disposal, this performance SUV can still clear 0-100 km/h in 4.0 seconds, running out of breath at 286 km/h. It’s scary how quickly this 2-tonne SUV picks up the pace, not hesitating spewing cuss words from its quad exhausts.
Flowing through the sequence of corners before heading down the back straight, it was eye-opening how effortlessly this SUV weaved the corners together before defying physics towards 200 km/h and slamming on the brakes for another series of bends. The Adaptive Dynamics suspension keeps the SUV’s balance in check, minimising body roll and mitigating any unsettling that might occur under hard braking and sudden direction changes.
Related: Jaguar F-Pace SVR Edition 1988 Review
Speaking of the brakes, 395 mm and 396 mm two-piece disc brakes are at the front and rear, respectively. Featuring a recalibration and an Integrated Power Booster, the brake pedal travel is shorter, creating that sports car feel.
But what is particularly both exciting and addictive is the snarl of the uncompromised V8 engine. The engine roars with that distinctive JLR sound, supported by the undiluted pops and bangs from the exhausts. It’s a sound any petrolhead will savour as power and speed come together in a way that does not make logical sense. The F-Pace SVR is not just good. It’s damn good!
Jaguar F-Pace SVR Fast Facts
- Engine: 5.0-litre V8, supercharged, petrol
- Power: 405 kW @ 6 250 r/min
- Torque: 700 N.m @ 3 500 – 5 000 r/min
- Gears/Drive: 8-speed automatic, AWD
- 0-100 km/h: 4.0 seconds
- Top speed: 286 km/h
- Maintenance Plan: 5-years/100 000 km
- Warranty: 5-years/100 000 km
Jaguar says goodbye
JLR is not doing away with ICE vehicles altogether and the Range Rover, Defender, and Discovery brands will continue with the form of propulsion – be it as pure ICE, hybrid, or petrol-hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). But Jaguar… will be electric come 2025 when the first of the new models will make their debut, but the year will start as F-Pace production also comes to an end. As for the I-Pace, production is scheduled to end around December 2024.
Related: Jaguar Land Rover boss vows to fix reliability issues
The F-Pace SVR, along with the two-door F-Type, put a new, defining spin on Jaguar’s modern-day portfolio and will be missed when it is laid to rest in the coming months. Having tested the SUV in 2023, we summarised the F-Pace SVR’s value:
“For [us], it’s the performance SUV we should be seeing far more of on our roads. In the modern era, it’s an old-school muscle car that’s genuinely luxurious, characterful, and fun. If that’s what you value in your SUV then now is the time to get into an F-Pace SVR before this raucous drivetrain is inevitably assigned to the history books.”
