As more car manufacturers move away from big-block motors, James Wong, Production Editor at CarExpert, points out the days of V8 performance cars are numbered, which “makes something like the 2021 Jaguar F-PACE SVR so bloody special. With 5.0 litres of capacity and a whiny supercharger tacked on, the F-Pace SVR takes the torch from legacy go-fast luxury sedans like the Jaguar S-Type R and XJR”.
A Premium Experience
Wong saw the biggest changes for 2021 appearing in the cabin where, along with a rejigged console and new steering wheel, Jaguar has “applied its gorgeous curved 11.4-inch ‘Pivi Pro’ touchscreen infotainment system”. He noted that the interior looks and feels like a properly premium product, with a clean and user-friendly design. The materials and textures he described as upmarket and much more competitive with German products, and the higher-resolution, faster displays “make the Jag feel really high-tech”.
Up front the Performance sports bucket seats, which are heated, cooled and electrically-adjustable with memory, “look ace and are surprisingly comfortable even for longer journeys”. About the 11.4-inch display, Wong said, “What a beautiful screen. Everyone who saw the F-Pace commented on the display. Whether it was the size… the crisp resolution, or the clarity and detail of the native mapping software, it got good reviews from friends and family.”
Epic Performance
When it comes to the performance of the F-PACE SVR, Wong said, “This is where the magic happens. Power in the F-Pace SVR comes from Jaguar’s iconic 5.0-litre supercharged V8”. While he doesn’t really like performance SUVs, in the case of the F-PACE SVR “this thing is just epic”. From the moment he started it, he felt chills down his spine and the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
In town and in traffic Wong found the “V8 just burbles along effortlessly, with smooth, linear power delivery and a sexy soundtrack even at idle…It’s a similar story on the freeway, with the F-Pace’s standard adaptive cruise control taking the strain out of peak-hour commutes on busy freeways”. The real fun, he reckons, “starts when you escape the city and send the F-Pace SVR up twisting country roads…For a big SUV the Jaguar feels surprisingly agile, easily threading through successive corners unbothered by sharp changes in direction”. Wong found the F-PACE SVR “seriously addictive” and concludes, “I came away pleasantly surprised with the F-Pace SVR. Performance SUVs usually aren’t my thing, but the Jag’s looks, performance and dynamic talents are impressive…cooler and classier than a Benz or BMW, more raucous than the Alfa, and less clean and clinical than the Porsche”.
Explore the F-PACE SVR
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