WHITLEY, ENGLAND - The 2021 Jaguar F-Pace doesn’t look all that different on the outside, but look beyond the subtly facelifted skin and you’ll see that a lot has changed, with the F-Pace gaining a completely redesigned cabin with the latest electronics, as well as fresh engines.
Jaguar South Africa has confirmed that the new F-Pace will hit South African shores in early 2021, offering four engine choices, of which three are new.
The diesel range kicks off with a revised 2-litre turbodiesel unit that produces 147kW, which is 15kW more than before, and there’s also a new straight-six diesel engine, similar to that which was recently announced in the Defender. The new 3-litre in-line engine produces the same 221kW and 700Nm outputs as the V6 engine it replaces.
On the petrol front, the V6 falls away, leaving only four-cylinder options until the SRV arrives, assuming it’s also on the way. As before, the petrol line-up commences with a 2-litre turbopetrol that’s good for 184kW and 365Nm, but the big news is the introduction of a plug-in hybrid variant that pairs a more powerful version of the aforementioned 2-litre with an electric motor for combined outputs of 297kW and 640Nm. That, says Jaguar, is enough to get the new flagship from 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds, but if you’re not flat-pedalling it the vehicle should be able to cover 53km on electric power only, according to the British carmaker.
Moving inside, Jaguar has shoehorned its latest electronic vehicle architecture into the F-Pace, bringing with it a 29cm curved glass touchscreen. Not only is it three times brighter and 48 percent larger than the previous infotainment hub, but its simplified menu structure also makes it easier to use, with Jaguar claiming that 90 percent of tasks can be completed with two taps or less. The system has two LTE modems that enable it to carry out multiple functions simultaneously, such as streaming media and downloading updates from the cloud.
In keeping with the digital times, the F-Pace features a new 31cm digital instrument cluster with a highly configurable layout, and it’s complemented by Jaguar’s latest Head-up Display system.
To make parking easier, the F-Pace features Jaguar’s latest Surround Camera technology, which claims to deliver advanced 3D functionality and multiple view options.
Finally, we mentioned earlier that the 2021 Jaguar F-Pace doesn’t look very different to the current model, but it has been given a subtle exterior facelift that includes a new (and more sculpted) bonnet, enlarged grille and new front bumper with redesigned air intakes.
Lighting the road ahead are a pair of all-LED quad headlights with ‘Double J’ daytime running light signatures.
Moving to the back, you’ll see new ‘slimline’ taillights featuring Jaguar’s ‘double chicane’ graphic. The bumper has been resculpted too as has the tailgate.
Jaguar says that South African pricing will be released closer to the vehicle’s 2021 launch.
IOL Motoring