The 2017 Jaguar F-Pace has made it to Thailand ahead of its official debut in the country during the 2016 Motor Expo slated next month.
While initial reports were saying that much of the markets of the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace would be in Europe and North America, the entry of the vehicle into Thailand via Inchcape (Thailand), the newly-appointed distributor for Jaguar and Land Rover in the country, means that the British luxury carmaker is also capitalizing on the growth of several Asian countries to make its big splash in the booming economic region.
However, in addition to the main models of the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace, a special variant also arrived in Thailand to match the country’s temperature, road conditions, and other specific factors.
One variant that arrived in Thailand features a 2.0-liter Ingenium diesel engine trim level of the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace, capable of exuding 180 horsepower that is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. It drives on all four wheels with torque vectoring control at the rear, details the Bangkok Post.
The variant also features 22-inch wheels, 12.3-inch visual instrument cluster on its dashboard, and electric reclining seats.
In addition to the Ingenium diesel engine variant, the other models of the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace that are now available in Thailand are the Pure, the R-Sport, and the Portfolio.
While the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace is more comparable to the BMW X4 and the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe, both having diesel engines and being considered as sporty SUVs, the first ever SUV from the British luxury carmaker is cheaper than the Porsche Macan which features a 2.0-liter gasoline engine at its entry-level model.
A hybrid version on the way as well
As part of the call of the modern times, Jaguar has started delving into producing an electric version of its SUV, which it intends to call as the I-Pace.
However, the I-Pace is not going to be the first electric vehicle from Jaguar as the honor shall belong to the plug-in hybrid version of the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace set to launch next year, reports Drive of Australia.
It was Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart, Jaguar’s electrification guru, who revealed in a recent interview that Jaguar will be having plug-in hybrids very soon ahead of its full EVs.
He explained that people are likely to see a plug-in hybrid of the company’s biggest-selling 2017 F-Pace SUV as early as next year, hinting that the I-Pace is still a virtually production-ready concept and the earliest that it could hit the market is in 2018 still.
Jaguar was almost willing to confirm that by 2020, half of all Jaguar Land Rover models will have the option of electrification – either full EV, plug-in, or mild hybrid.
Ziebart said that a full EV Land Rover product can’t be far away, either, and Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed it could sit on the same platform as the spectacular new Jaguar, adding that in theory, the platform is very flexible, as it can expand or contract and can use different motors.
A pretty SUV
The 2017 Jaguar F-Pace is a very pretty SUV because of its standout exterior. The handsome shape fits neatly alongside the XF and XE sedans. With a tall grille and available LED lighting, the F-Pace matches deft details with a traditional form in one distinctive, beautifully outlined crossover-SUV body.
The F-Pace has a spare but elegant cockpit, one where touchscreens and digital displays factor in conspicuously. A rotary drive controller rises from the center console, surrounded by swaths of piano-black trim, with aluminum and wood framing the cabin.
The Jaguar SUV also has the excellent road manners it needs to tackle rivals like the Porsche Macan.
A supercharged V6 engine with a great low-end grunt and lots of resonance inside the cabin powers the mainstream models. With a crisp-shifting 8-speed automatic, the F-Pace can hit 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, according to Jaguar.