With its dazzling, sporty lines, bright red badges, dynamic stance and premium glow, Jaguar’s F-PACE SUV instantly marks itself out as something of a driver’s car.
Which is a bit of a contradiction. For the long-windedly-named ‘Jaguar ‘F-PACE P 400e R-Dynamic’ is - gasp - a ‘greenie’, a plug-in hybrid, making it a potential winner for London motorists.
In addition to its surprisingly smooth (and surprisingly powerful) four-cylinder petrol engine of 1,997 ccs, it packs a battery under the boot that can (and should) be plugged into a power source to enable emissions-free motoring from the 141 bhp electric motor.
Which - in turn - makes it the potential answer to the prayers of Londoners looking to do their bit for the environment and emissions, but who still want a certain amount of fun and oomph out on the open road with a family-sized car.
The emissions-free angle isn’t to be sniffed at. Unlike a self-charging hybrid, which fully charges itself from the petrol engine and regenerative braking as it drives along, but which will be less likely to offer practical electric-only propulsion, this F-PACE comes with charging cables and adaptors.
Charger
Plug it in and it will top up its battery to 80 per cent from 0 in one hour and 40 minutes using a 7kW wall box. Using a rapid charger would give an 80 per cent top-up in just 30 minutes. A slower-style charger, perhaps one your local council has adapted from a lamp post (or you’re contravening local council guidance by trailing a wire across a pavement through your letterbox) will take much longer.
A full charge will, according to Jaguar, deliver 31 miles of totally electric driving up to motorway speeds, without recourse to that 398 bhp petrol motor. This enables Jaguar to claim a potential MPG figure of up to 121. That’s good for London and - potentially - good for your pocket, as a PHEV will win you a ‘discount’ on your company car tax bill.
So what else is on offer? The F-PACE is pretty much bathed in luxury, with an equipment list as long as those coiled charging cables. Standard gear on this handsome five-seater includes privacy glass, LED headlights, leather on the interior along with a luxurious suedecloth roof lining, satin charcoal ash veneer, a leather-bound steering wheel, automatic headlights and LED tail lights.
Terrific
Other standard equipment on this all-wheel drive model includes a heated windscreen, auto high beam assist, a tyre pressure monitoring system, auto dimming rear view mirror, a terrific sound system and a large, smart, informative touch screen, adjustable ‘mood’ cabin lighting, very useful shopping bag hooks in the boot and much more.
The F-PACE exudes a definite premium feel, evident from the heft of the doors, the precision of the driver controls, the interior finish and the Jaguar ‘leaper’ badges.
Performance is key to this model, with a top speed of 149mph and 0-60mph possible in just five seconds, all via an eight-speed gearbox that matches the engine for smoothness. All that power is backed up by Jaguar’s all-wheel-drive system, derived from the Land Rover side of the business, and known as All Surface Progress Control.
This F-PACE plug-in hybrid crawls with options which owners must get their head around to make the most of this high-tech vehicle. It calls for a measure of discipline. Not only must its 69-litre tank be filled with unleaded, this Jag should be regularly plugged in too, with those supplied cables. Which means twice the fuelling work... while also maintaining online accounts with charging providers. Undoubtedly this car will work best for those blessed with home chargers, which offer more economical electricity rates. Being a typical Londoner, without driveway or garage, I have to use more costly public options, which we shall be looking into soon in more detail.
Next, you must decide whether to drive in pure EV mode or Hybrid (via a small button near the gearshift) which will swap automatically between petrol and electricity, but which barely ‘self-charges’ the batteries, unlike a fully self-charging hybrid. The most charge we have ‘recaptured’ so far, during driving, according to the dash readout, is around three per cent.
Dynamic
You must also consider whether to use ‘SAVE’ mode, which preserves up to 80 per cent of battery power for later, while running purely on petrol. Or you can select ‘Dynamic’... with the further option of a ‘Sports’ setting on the chunky (but slightly fiddly thanks to a small push button) gear lever. Confusing? Initially yes, especially if you try working out each trip’s financial ramifications depending on mode. There’s a lot to discover.
There are flaws. The batteries eat heavily into the depth of the boot space, which is already slightly compromised by those cable-charging bags, which get in the way when you’re sliding suitcases in and out, especially as there’s no additional storage space under the ‘boot’ floor. And the rearmost portion of the boot floor is steeply angled, making it difficult to use the 26 centimetres or so closest to the tailgate.
The good news however is that this Jaguar - in all conditions - is always great fun to drive, in town or out in the country. It handles very smartly – and steer beautifully – disguising the weight of those extra batteries well.
Snick it into ‘Dynamic’ and, along with slicker gear changes, the steering tightens up as does the suspension, making it a great A and B-road hustler, while electronic trickery confects an addictive V8-style thrum inside the cabin. Who said the fun had gone out of ‘green’ motoring?
The Facts
Jaguar ‘F-PACE P 400e R-Dynamic
Cost: from £60,985
Electric-only range: 31 miles (claimed)
MPG (claimed)121.4 MPG
Top speed: 149 mph
0 - 60 mph: 5 seconds
Emissions: 52 g/km
