2021 Jaguar F-Pace Is Fast and Fabulous
Jaguars have a long history of style and performance with sedans and sports cars.
When they waded into the SUV world, it was not exactly a surprise (because lots of car makers were doing the same thing), but it was still a curiosity. It seemed like a leap for a manufacturer known for sports cars, coupes and sedans to take on an SUV. Jaguar said, “Challenge accepted!” Not only did they rise to the challenge, the F-Pace won the 2017 World Car of the Year.
Now in its second iteration, the F-Pace has been updated. And it’s beautiful. The 2021 F-Pace starts at $52,400, and comes standard with AWD. The 2021 F-Pace S I tested was $59,395 and had a turbocharged AND supercharged V6. It also comes standard with AWD. After a bunch of options and the delivery fee, my test car had a price of $73,420.
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Who is the 2021 Jaguar F-Pace for?
- Smaller families
- Couples
- People who like a lot of high-end features and are willing to pay more for them
- People who like a little bit of capability with their speed
The 2021 Jaguar F-Pace Handles the Pressure
How does the F-Pace live up to the high standards of high quality comfort, class, and performance? The F-Pace looks gorgeous, as it should. I like the look of Jaguars, and the F-Pace is consistent with the overall design language. The Eiger Gray metallic paint job highlights the creased metal and sensual curves. Large air intakes in the front feel proportional to the F-Pace, working nicely with the grille. The slanted headlights sitting atop the intakes are narrow but don’t appear unbalanced. More like a highlight; more like they are just inviting you to race. My test car had an exterior black package that looked very high-end. It added $375 to the price of the car, just so you know.
The F-Pace has Some Hits and Some Misses
The 21” wheels (an upgrade) are definitely a hit. They have a satin dark grey accent that give a hint to the details awaiting you on the inside. The interior is polished, but not aggressively shiny. All metal surfaces are satin, and that treatment follows in the trim pieces that help make the interior feel so thoughtfully executed. There is an open storage area under the center stack that has the satin trim on it, and the trim also spans the dashboard. While it’s beautiful to look at, it does feel a little plasticky around the gearshift. At the gearshift panel, the drive mode knob raises and lowers and is nifty, especially for people who are in the car for the first time. The ignition button is there too. Anyway, because this is a high-touch area, I noticed the feel of the panel regularly.
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An Anomaly Doesn’t Offset the Rest of the Interior
In an odd offset to the luxurious interior is the lid for the center console. It looks like a little garage door. It’s all plastic and feels a bit out of place. This door slides open and closed and covers the cupholders. It makes all the sense in the world, as the cupholders need to be accessible; and flaps would obstruct your but the look isn’t quite what I expected.
The Seating Deserves an Award
These might be my favorite seats. The chevron/diamond stitching is fun and sophisticated at the same time. The bolsters of the seats have diamond patterns, the inset portions start with diamonds but then the cross pattern drops off and you just have lines reminiscent of chevrons. In addition to looking great, the seats were very comfortable. The F-Pace had some nice adjustments to the lumbar support. Not only could I adjust how much support, I could move it up and down so it was in the right spot. I could also adjust the bolstering. As if that wasn’t enough, my test car came with heated, ventilated, and massaging seats. These seats were an additional $2,325. If you are going to be in your car a lot, I would recommend it.
Rear seat passengers have comfortable, pretty seating too. They also have their own climate control system and two sets of latch connectors. The panoramic moonroof keeps it light and bright back there, too.
Another visually compelling feature is the steering wheel. It’s got two-toned leather in addition to the black and metal accents. There are a ton of buttons and control wheels here, enough to get all your cruise control options dialed in, as well as the instrument cluster display. The display is all digital so it’s very customizable so you can easily see the information that’s most important to you.
The 2021 Jaguar F-Pace’s Multimedia System is Pretty
The 11.4″ touchscreen that managed all the multimedia functions was a pleasure to use. The screen was so crisp and clear. Jaguar uses consistent, predictable icons and the color scheme is soothing. Jaguar’s multimedia, connected system is called PiviPro. You can use the system to add apps to your car, or you can use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Whatever you use, you can connect to the apps you find most helpful using those systems.
You can adjust your performance driving preferences, check the weather, use voice commands, and more using the system, too.
Did I mention performance yet?
Jaguar gave the F-Pace a turbocharged and supercharged 6-cylinder engine. For those of you into numbers, it creates 335 horsepower. It was a lot of power, and a lot of fun. There are different drive modes and in its sportiest mode, you will definitely feel a kick. It’s up to you to decide if you are into this or not. I can see how some may think it feels a bit unrefined for a Jaguar. I enjoyed it.
At the end of my test, I could definitively say it felt like I spent a week in a Jaguar. Though it’s not the luxury sedan many people may think of when they picture a “Jag,” the F-Pace certainly makes a run for that spot in your head.
Disclosure: Jaguar provided the F-Pace for my review. All impressions are my own.
Categorized:Car Reviews