Jaguar's F-Pace refresh includes its first plug-in hybrid
It's only available in Europe for now.
The second-generation of Jaguar’s F-Pace luxury SUV is out in the open, and the company has made a big deal about the changes under the roof and under the bonnet. Gone are all but one pure-gasoline (and diesel) engine models, in favor of mild hybrids and, for the first time, a plug-in hybrid. There’s been some attention paid to clean up the F-Pace’s exterior, but the major focus has been improving the interior.
Jaguar has worked hard to address claims that the F-Pace’s interior had substandard materials and a slow infotainment system. This new vehicle has an 11.4-inch HD touchscreen with the same Pivi Pro system found on the latest Land Rover models. You’ll also be able to access Apple CarPlay as standard, while Android Auto or Baidu CarLife are available depending on your territory. The company is also boasting that, should you press the Purify button, you can filter out PM2.5 particles from the air and ionize the cabin air for cleaner breathing.
The cabin also offers active road noise cancellation, connected car features and a guardian mode that lets you tell the car when it’s not likely to be used. If you don’t regularly drive late at night, for instance, you can tell the vehicle to alert your phone if someone’s driving around in it at 3am. This feature is, for now, available only in the UK, but it may roll out elsewhere in future.
Of course, with climate change being a thing, we’re not sure any company in good conscience can sell pure fossil-fuel vehicles any more. That’s why three of the four diesel and two of the four petrol-driven models are mild hybrids, with electric assist only available to get you off the line. That goes into a 48V lithium-ion battery that’s charged when slowing or braking and deployed when the car is stopped.
The most interesting model is the 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo PHEV, which offers up to 33 miles of electric-only range. According to the company, you’ll be able to 32kW fast-charge the 17.1Kwh battery to 80 percent in a half hour, or a full hour when charging at 7kW. The UK’s average daily commute is a little less than half that figure, meaning that your daily driving could be entirely electric-only.
We expect the PHEV model to become a best seller in the UK, thanks to the company car tax rules that push cleaner vehicles. The F-Pace PHEV claims (emphasis on claim) CO2 emissions of 49g/km, making it far cheaper for employees with company cars to own. Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV, one of the few SUVs eligible for clean car tax credits, has become a surprise hit in the UK, with 50,000 models sold in six years.
Unfortunately, the new F-Pace is only available in Europe right now, with orders beginning today, and deliveries expected to begin at some point in January 2021.
