Jaguar’s automotive heritage began with a legendary petrol engine and now that era is over.
While JLR as an entity is doing pretty okay, the Jaguar brand in particular has seen better days. While most of us associate Jaguar cars with timeless designs and an ethereal classiness, the root of this British marque’s success lies in its first ever petrol engine – the XK from 1949. It was an engine so advanced for its time that they continued to produce it until 1992.
Jaguar also named the car it powered after the engine. Over the years, Jaguar’s petrol engine development fell behind its competition and now the decision has been made to transition the brand to pure electric vehicles. In Malaysia, there are only 5 petrol Jaguar models in stock nationwide, so this could be your last chance to own a piece of automotive history.
Late last year, we drove the F-Pace facelift model in its R-Dynamic SE form. This model arrived in Malaysia back in June 2022 for just under RM600,000 import duties and taxes paid. It was a tough sell against locally-assembled German rivals, but with future classic status a distinct possibility, now its value proposition rises.
Grace
Without a doubt, the F-Pace is one of the best looking premium SUVs on the road, especially after the facelift which adds a power bulge to the hood, and slim quad-LED headlights with Double-J daytime running lights.
The R-Dynamic pack also adds a touch of sporty aggression which is well suited to the character of the car.
Our test unit in Firenze Red looked especially good with the red Jaguar emblems and red brake calipers contrasting against the large 22″ alloys.
Chrome side sills and a boot lid spoiler complete the look and around back the new LED taillights lend a modern look.
Space
Inside the F-Pace, emphasis on modern luxury minimalism is apparent, but there are still physical and touch-capacitive buttons for the more traditional among us. It’s a nice balance of digital and analogue with great use of material.
This melding of future and past takes centre stage with the instrument binnacle which features a high resolution display flanked by two physical dials. Most rivals have transitioned to fully digital instrument clusters but this look will probably age better as digital animations are smooth and kept to a minimum.
The steering wheel, like the seats and door cards, is wrapped in black leather with “Light Oyster” contrast stitching. On either side of it you’ll find paddle shifters in metal as well as on the stalk tips.
The use of such material is rare in this class as most rivals will simply paint over plastic to imitate it to cut back on cost and weight though you do still see that here on the air cond controls trim and Drive Selector.
Jaguar F-Pace facelift model brings just the right amount of tech to bear. The centrepiece of the cabin is a new Pivi Pro infotainment system that pumps music through a Meridian sound system. The display used here is unique to JLR products as it features a convex glass that curves around the X-axis rather than a concave glass that curves about the Y-axis.
You get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth and both USB type-C and type-A connectivity here. Both front and rear facing driving monitors are installed from the factory.
In terms of practicality, the F-Pace works just fine as a mid-sized SUV. The front sports seats are supportive and comfortable, plus they feature an embossed Jaguar leaper on the headrests for a touch of class.
Around back, the F-Pace lacks the kind of space one might expect out of a chauffer-driven vehicle, so don’t expect this to be an adequate replacement to the discontinued XJ.
Still, there are some touches that show rear passengers have been paid attention to including air cond vents, a panoramic sunroof, a power outlet, storage cubbies, electrically-reclining seats and an extra-wide centre armrest. There are even retractable side-steps that help the less mobile get in and out. The net-style seat back pockets are the only items that look a bit out of place in this Jaguar.
The boot is fairly decent in size at 508 litres, comes with a tonneau cover, plus it can be expanded. A powered tailgate is expected in this segment and that is indeed what you get here.
Pace
Unfortunately this isn’t a straight 6 like the original XK motor but it is an in-house so its lineage is assured. A 2.0L displacement ensures low annual road tax and low fuel consumption. Turbocharging and good tuning extracts a respectable 250PS and 365Nm of torque and sends it to all four wheels for a century sprint time of 7.3 seconds.
It’s an engine that sounds good and isn’t electrified in Malaysia, so there’s a little less to go wrong in the long term. The F-Pace is built on the D7a aluminium platform and comes with adaptive dynamics. It may not match the locally-assembled AMG and M tuned SUVs but it has the right handling characteristics.
Overall, RM600,000 still feels a little too high for the F-Pace, when rivals and the cheaper electric I-PACE are faster, more interesting looking and definitely more high tech.
It’s also a shame that Jaguar doesn’t even let this facelift model be configured with a 6-cylinder engine as that would have been a more suitable send off for petrol power. That being said, it is a pure petrol model and not even a mild hybrid, so this is as suitable a send off as Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia could have made it.
This isn’t just an expensive SUV, it’s over-priced and it’ll be years before it’s appreciated for what it is by the car enthusiast crowd. However as one of the last 5 petrol-powered Jaguars on sale here, there really hasn’t been a better time to spend such an obscene amount of money on an F-Pace as right now.
Jaguar F-Pace P250 R-Dynamic Specifications
Engine: Inline-4, 16-Valve, DOHC, Petrol
Capacity: 1997cc
Gearbox: 8-speed Conventional Automatic
Max power: 250PS @ -rpm
Max torque: 365Nm @ -rpm
Top Speed: 217 km/h
0-100 km/h: 7.3 seconds
Price: RM598,800
