Jaguar F-Pace SVR: a challenge to the SUVs of Porsche!

The SVR badge identifies the most powerful and sporty version of the Jaguar F-Pace range, an SUV with a 550 CV V8 engine capable of accelerating faster than an F-Type Coupé R.

The latest creation from the Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) department at Jaguar Land Rover is called Jaguar F-Pace SVR. A high-performance vehicle with which the English brand also wants to show that the concepts SUV and sporty are not contradictory. And I say “also” because the Jaguar F-Pace SVR has debuted at the New York Auto Show fighting for a place on the Olympus of the most sporty SUVs alongside the new Maserati Levante Trofeo.

In this regard, at Jaguar they have it clear: for an SUV to boast sportiness, it is not just a matter of power. And if not, ask Porsche: the German brand is always a reference when it comes to sporty behavior when it comes to its SUV range, whether the Porsche Cayenne or the Porsche Macan, although there are already several SUVs on the market that surpass the models of Porsche if we refer to pure power.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZe6GqvD-lQ&feature=youtu.be

Supercharged 5-liter V8 engine with 550 CV

Until now, the most powerful Jaguar F-Pace was the 3.0 V6 with 380 CV. The leap with the new F-Pace SVR is enormous: with the supercharged 5-liter V8 engine used by various Jaguar and Land Rover models, the SVR version goes up to 550 CV. Even so, the F-Pace SVR still has plenty to boast about. The BMW X5 and X6 M have 575 CV, the Mercedes AMG GLE 63 S reaches 585, the Bentley Bentayley W12 exceeds 600 to reach 608 CV with its 12-cylinder engine, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk remains the most “beastly” SUV, with the 707 CV of its 6.2-liter V8.

But as I said, not everything is power and pure performance, something in which the F-Pace SVR is not exactly short either, with its 283 km/h top speed and the 4.3 seconds it needs to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h from standstill. Not bad at all, considering the weight still exceeds two tonnes by 70 kg. But the tuning of the chassis and aerodynamics make it clear that the engineers at Jaguar were not thinking about the supposed outdoorsy side an SUV should offer, but about the Nürburgring, no more and no less.

Thus, the suspension of the F-Pace SVR includes dampers 30 percent stiffer at the front and 10 percent at the rear, with anti-roll bars 5 percent thicker to reduce body roll. The brand’s electronic active differential EAD is also added, and the Driveline Dynamics (IDD) all-wheel drive system, the 8-speed Quickshift automatic gearbox and the steering are specifically calibrated, as well as a new sport mode called Engaging Dynamic among the various driving programs. We’ll see whether the “conventional” brakes are enough, which have been upgraded with 395 mm discs and 4-piston calipers at the front and 396 mm discs and single-piston calipers at the rear; probably ceramic brakes would not do it any harm.

The most sporty SUV from Jaguar

Everything you see from the outside is not just for showing off muscle. The huge air intakes at the front and the widened wheel arches are necessary to better cool the engine and brakes of the most sporty and radical SUV from Jaguar. With redesigned bumpers, lower side skirts and a new rear spoiler, the body height is reduced, improving the drag coefficient, and at the same time providing greater stability at high speed. For the wheel set, Jaguar fits 21-inch wheels and offers 22-inch wheels as an option, always with the rear wheels wider than the front ones.

Inside, the Jaguar Performance seats with diamond-pattern upholstery and embossed SVR logo stand out. Steering-wheel shift paddles are not missing; even so, and in keeping with its sporty character, Jaguar dispenses with the characteristic rotary retractable automatic gear selector, fitting a conventional lever that can also be operated sequentially.

F-Pace SVR image gallery

Technical specifications of this car

Off-RoadJaguar F-Pace7 versions · from 72,550 €