New Jaguar F-PACE SVR super-SUV will be limited
It might be well overdue, but Jaguar’s supercharged V8-powered SUV will open the SVR door to more customersPowered by a thumping 404kW blown V8, the Jaguar F-PACE SVR goes on sale in Australia from July priced from $140,020 plus on-road costs, making it the leaping cat brand’s most affordable SVR by a significant margin.
The $140K price tag might be almost double the price of the cheapest F-PACE, but it’s also about $100,000 less than Range Rover Sport SVR price and almost $180,000 more affordable than the Jaguar F-TYPE SVR roadster.
Tuned by JLR's Special Vehcile Operations (SVO) hot-shop, which has its own proving ground and factory like AMG, both of the F-PACE SVR's stablemates run the same engine, albeit with slightly more mumbo than the Jag SUV’s still-big 404kW/680Nm outputs.
Vital statistics for the blisteringly rapid Jaguar F-PACE SVR include a 283km/h top speed, a 0-100km/h sprint in 4.3 seconds and a choice of 21- or 22-inch forged alloy wheels, which save around 5kg.
The big SUV will dispatch the quarter-mile (400m) sprint in 12.3 seconds, which is very rapid.
Deceleration is handled by big 395mm front and 396mm rear disc brakes with Brembo callipers that shave off 4.1kg per corner, while an uprated eight-speed automatic transmission, recalibrated sports suspension with adaptive Bilstein dampers, an active electronic rear diff and a luxury leather interior with 14-way power-adjustable slim line sports bucket seats are also new.
As well as a range of exterior paint jobs, four interior colour options are available too: Red with Jet, Light Oyster with Jet, Siena Tan with Jet and Jet with Light Oyster stitching.
A lighter, stainless steel variable valve active exhaust is designed to give the big cat a booming battle cry, and shave 3.8kg off its kerb weight as well.
Despite a 12-month delay, due to a "parts supply issue" according to senior SVR executives, the halo car is crucial to the brand and the model life of the F-PACE, which isn't due for a facelift for at least another 18 months.
"I think in terms of having that performance product for F-PACE, yeah it's critical," declared Jaguar Australia's general manager of communications and PR, Tim Krieger.
"What SVR has done for Range Rover Sport has been very good and I think it would be the same [here]. It just adds to that Jaguar performance story and at that price the specification level, I think that car will do well."
The Jaguar F-PACE is already off to a good start in Australia, with sales up 14 per cent year to date, from 209 to 239 sales.
That's in a market where the more popular Audi Q5, BMW X3, Porsche Macan and Mercedes-Benz GLC all recorded negative growth.
As Jaguar’s most affordable SVR model in Australia, the new Jaguar F-PACE flagship marks the first time a V8 has been dumped in its engine bay.
Unlike the Range Rover Sport SVR, whose all-wheel drive torque split is locked at 50/50 front to rear, the Jag can shunt up to 100 per cent to the back – just don't call it drift mode, says the SUV's dynamics engineering lead, Ross Restell.
"We call it the magnificent beast," said Restell, who insisted that almost every aspect of the car has been modified, with changes to the all-wheel drive system, stability control, steering, dampers, transmission and engine.
The new Jaguar F-PACE SVR is also considerably more affordable than its closest rival, the twin-turbo V8 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S ($172,400), while generating more power than the 375kW German firebrand.
With its 404kW 5.0-litre supercharged V8, the muscular British SUV has already generated a lot of interest, says the company, but if it becomes a strong-selling vehicle keen buyers may have to be patient.
"So the numbers will be small to start with and we'll never get to the position where we will be ordering large amounts. It would be a much more bespoke offering for consumers to buy those cars, spec them up to be enjoyed," said Krieger.
"Our product stock is tight, but I think certainly it will surprise us. It will do good volume.
Stay tuned for our first drive of the new Jaguar F-PACE SVR on Tuesday, April 23.
How much do SVR model cost?
F-PACE SVR – $140,020
F-TYPE SVR coupe – $297,600
F-TYPE SVR convertible – $316,300
Range Rover Sport SVR – $237,828
* Prices exclude on-road costs
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