As the first SUV to come from the British luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover, there have been insinuations that the upcoming 2017 Jaguar F-Pace is the latest iteration to the Land Rover Defender from its sister firm, Land Rover.
Jaguar clarified that it is not because it will be positioning the 2017 F-Pace as a key rival to the Porsche Macan as well as the other high-end SUVs from the other luxury carmakers including Mercedes-Benz and Audi among others, reports Automobile.
If there is one thing that Jaguar took from the Land Rover in as far as the design of the 2017 F-Pace is concerned, it is the architecture, which shall also be the basis for the latter to develop its mid-liner vehicle on to come out sometime in 2018.
But the SUV’s styling is heavily inspired by the Jaguar C-X17 line of concept cars that were presented way back in 2013. It definitely features Jag’s current design language and is complemented by a series of high-powered engines.
Jaguar hopes that the 2017 F-Pace shall serve as a successful springboard as it forays for the first time in the increasingly competitive SUV segment.
Not too ambitious
Some critics say that the British luxury carmaker did not get too ambitious with the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace in giving its first ever SUV a completely unique look.
The headlights still carry the signature ‘J’ Blade design which can also be found on the 2017 Jaguar XE and the 2016 Jaguar XE.
Even the interior of the SUV also draws plenty of similarities from its sedan siblings as far as the focus on luxury and refinement are concerned, notes Top Speed.
The luxurious feel is defined by the range of contemporary trim options available for the SUV. And depending on the trim, customers can actually choose from authentic metal finishes like the meshed aluminum to more crafted veneers like Satin Grey Ash.
The instrument panel of the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace is also similar to the ones found in the XE and XF sedans. It also features two analog dials and a central FT display as part of the stand-alone configuration.
However, there is an option for a larger 12.3-inch visual instrument cluster that comes with four different visual themes, full-screen navigation, and crystal clear HD. Below the large display is a series of buttons that has been placed quite cleanly and kept the design of the entire center console tight and with less clutter.
A projected best-seller
The four-wheel drive is, in fact, projected to become an instant best-seller of the car manufacturer and surpass its entire current lineup which sold 16,000 units in the US last year.
In order to pump up fans with the upcoming release of the 2017 F-Pace, Jaguar has launched a new video early last month featuring Jose Mourinho driving the new SUV on a frozen lake in Arjeplog, Sweden.
The side of the SUV is pretty simple, save for a pair of side gills that extend over the front doors, and an inverted crease in the bodywork that gives the SUV an agile stance.
Over at the back, it’s more of the same in the sense that Jaguar did not try to do anything spectacular or controversial with the design, opting for something a little more consistent with its range of sedans.
The 2017 Jaguar F-Pace was officially introduced in September last year during the Frankfurt International Motor Show and then again at the Los Angeles auto show in November.
As a 2017 model, the SUV will come out of the retail markets in the second half of this year, and is bound to give the Porsche Macan a strong competition in the already competitive segment.