Jaguar F-Pace: 2017 Motor Trend SUV of the Year Finalist
Putting the sport into sport-utility
We Like: Its exterior design, the driving dynamics, and surprising off-road capability.
0:00 / 0:00
We Don't Like: The amount of hard plastic inside.
"The most important Jaguar since 1968? Or 1961?" Referencing two seminal Jaguars, the XJ sedan and E-type, senior features editor Jonny Lieberman nailed the significance of the F-Pace. "Everything changes now," he added. F-Pace changes Jaguar, whose first-ever SUV looks like a global sales hit.
Jaguar engineers could have merely rebadged a Land Rover Evoque and spent their savings at the pub, but this cat is worthy of the brand's sporting legacy. It's the genuine article.
Don't miss all the latest Car, Truck and SUV of the Year content at MotorTrendAwards.com!
And the 2017 Motor Trend SUV of the Year is...
The F-Pace changes the sport-utility vehicle segment. Not only styled like a sports car, it also drives a lot like one, complete with a snarling engine and throaty exhaust note. Yet thanks to technology transferred from Jaguar's Land Rover cousins, it's surprisingly capable off-road.
The $43,385 35t AWD will be the volume seller in the U.S. with a 340-hp 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 under the hood; the S gets 40 more hp, and our $71,645 First Edition is one of 275 examples fully optioned with special leather and paint.
With designer 22-inch wheels, the S amps up the sports car sex appeal but at the expense of a brittle and noisy ride. The more modestly shod 35t has 19-inchers but still is very firmly suspended, is just as exhilarating in the twisties, and is nicer to live with every day.
The F-Pace's exterior styling and driving dynamics compensate for a disappointing interior. There's far too much hard black plastic, particularly in the 35t. "I know this is a relatively inexpensive Jaguar," senior features editor Jason Cammisa said, "but this kind of interior isn't going to invite customers back to buy another one."
That said, Jaguar has created a vehicle that truly puts the "sport" in "sport-utility vehicle," and that's a good thing.
2017 SUV of the Year Contenders
- Acura MDX
- BMW X1
- Cadillac XT5
- Ford Escape
- Infiniti QX30
- Kia Sportage
- Lexus LX 570
- Lexus RX
- Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class
- Nissan Armada
- Toyota Highlander SE
- Toyota Land Cruiser
- Toyota RAV4
2017 SUV of the Year Finalists
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by cars. My father was a mechanic, and some of my earliest memories are of handing him wrenches as he worked to turn a succession of down-at-heel secondhand cars into reliable family transportation. Later, when I was about 12, I’d be allowed to back the Valiant station wagon out onto the street and drive it around to the front of the house to wash it. We had the cleanest Valiant in the world.
I got my driver’s license exactly three months after my 16th birthday in a Series II Land Rover, ex-Australian Army with no synchro on first or second and about a million miles on the clock. “Pass your test in that,” said Dad, “and you’ll be able to drive anything.” He was right. Nearly four decades later I’ve driven everything from a Bugatti Veyron to a Volvo 18-wheeler, on roads and tracks all over the world. Very few people get the opportunity to parlay their passion into a career. I’m one of those fortunate few.
I started editing my local car club magazine, partly because no-one else would do it, and partly because I’d sold my rally car to get the deposit for my first house, and wanted to stay involved in the sport. Then one day someone handed me a free local sports paper and said they might want car stuff in it. I rang the editor and to my surprise she said yes. There was no pay, but I did get press passes, which meant I got into the races for free. And meet real automotive journalists in the pressroom. And watch and learn.
It’s been a helluva ride ever since. I’ve written about everything from Formula 1 to Sprint Car racing; from new cars and trucks to wild street machines and multi-million dollar classics; from global industry trends to secondhand car dealers. I’ve done automotive TV shows and radio shows, and helped create automotive websites, iMags and mobile apps. I’ve been the editor-in-chief of leading automotive media brands in Australia, Great Britain, and the United States. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The longer I’m in this business the more astonished I am these fiendishly complicated devices we call automobiles get made at all, and how accomplished they have become at doing what they’re designed to do. I believe all new cars should be great, and I’m disappointed when they’re not. Over the years I’ve come to realize cars are the result of a complex interaction of people, politics and process, which is why they’re all different. And why they continue to fascinate me.Read More
