Test drive 2024 Jaguar F-Pace P400e: Simply beautiful

Jaguar has been known for its luxury since its inception: large pieces of leather, wooden meters and refined driving characteristics. The undersigned must also admit something right away: there are two car brands that are very close to my heart, namely Alfa Romeo and Jaguar. Unfortunately, my introduction to Alfa Romeo’s latest offering, the Tonale, was a hoax. How is this situation at Jaguar? You can read that in this Jaguar F-Pace P400e test drive.

What is the Jaguar F-Pace P400e?

Like all other brands, Jaguar must now have an SUV in its model range. A brand known for sedans and sports coupes cannot avoid this situation. To compete with BMW, Audi and Mercedes, there is Jaguar F-Pace, which will also be updated for 2024. You can compare F-Pace against, for example, BMW X5, Audi Q5 and Mercedes GLC. In other words, there is enough space for the whole family and there are many luxuries on board. In addition, the Jaguar F-Pace P400e is a plug-in hybrid. Jaguar chooses to keep the battery pack in the trunk. In practice, this means that the car loses less in terms of cargo space, although the loss remains very small. At 619 liters, the trunk is still one of the most spacious in its class. The downside of this setup, however, is that the battery pack is on the small side. Although this increased to 19.2 kWh before 2024, the competition has managed this well (more on this later). The electric motor is mated to a 2.0-liter four-cylinder. Together these result in a combined power of 404 hp. So more than enough power.

How does the Jaguar F-Pace P400e drive?

We can be very brief about this: from art! It is usually the case that SUVs are always a compromise between comfort and sport, especially in this class, so that neither one comes out well. In Jaguar, however, this is a completely different story. The chassis is certainly stable, and the damping in particular prevents swaying. But this does not make Jaguar uncomfortable. Irregularities in the road surface and speed bumps are processed well. Yet it is clear that the emphasis is on (to use a marketing term) dynamic driving behavior. In practice, this translates to a sharp driving car that responds clearly and communicatively to steering input. This invites you to drive a little faster. What is special is that not only long turns can be taken at high speed, but the Jaguar can be positioned very precisely in short turns and turns. Nice detail: the battery is in the trunk, so practically behind the rear wheels. Let the gas twist, it even gives a nice 90s lift! Easy to handle, by the way, because of the four-wheel drive. So the F-Pace is no stranger to playful behavior either.

Strong

We have already discussed the driving characteristics in detail, but it is still good to draw additional attention to this, because the Jaguar F-Pace is an amazing car to drive! The four-wheel drive provides enough confidence to drive very fast, but the systems don’t intervene so harshly that all life is suddenly gone. In addition, it is impossible to ignore the interior of the F-Pace. In terms of the use of materials and finish, it may still be quite at the German level, but there is something in return. The interior is a great place to be. The seats are excellent, the light leather gives a feeling of spaciousness and the multimedia screen, which is small for this class, turns out to be very pleasant to work with in practice and, thanks to its curved plate, it is still special. In addition, the selected colors of the screen are very stable. Usually the Carplay screen is recommended, but for the first time this screen is not used much. The F-Pace’s standard screen works well and has the perfect soft sand tones as a color so it’s not distracting. This is also reflected in the interior lighting. Yes, you can choose from all kinds of fashionable colors. But the plain color is the most pleasant and gives the calm you expect in this part.

Weak points

The same problem as the Lexus also characterizes the Jaguar F-Pace: nobody buys it. Shame, because Jaguar can compete with the German competition, although sometimes in different areas, which is nice and refreshing. However it is not perfect of course. Although the battery capacity has increased slightly compared to the outgoing model, the electric range remains limited. There is no room for a bigger battery. So the electric range remains less than 50 km. Very little. In addition, the transition between the electric motor and the combustion engine is clearly visible. Shame, because it disturbs the peace on board. Even with the automatic transmission in sport mode, it takes too long for the petrol engine to catch up.

Equipment

In fact, nothing is missing from the Jaguar F-Pace. Climate control and cruise control are standard. If you take a closer look at the packages, you will also come across those amazing leather seats in this amazing color scheme. Blue color is also an additional option. In practice, this means figuring out what you want in a developer. This may take some time as there are different packages, especially external ones. That beautiful black detailing is unusual, neither are the black rims and black window frames. Personal choice? Go for chrome and light rims. However, this does not change the fact that options at Jaguar have been significantly expanded.

Conclusion

At the end of the test drive we are very impressed with the Jaguar F-Pace. The calmness with which the interior shines and the beautiful curved screen is very impressive. The top leather is definitely Jaguar, that is used for dark wood. The fact that the seams and cracks are sometimes a little bigger than those of the Germans does not hinder the atmosphere of the interior. That is a completely different order from the Germans. What’s more, the Jaguar F-Pace surprises with faster driving characteristics than the interior suggests. Driving habits provide not only fun, but also the confidence to maintain a high speed of travel. So, are you looking for a large SUV? Don’t miss Jaguar this time! And you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this sooner.