Yahoo Autos 2022 Jaguar F-Pace SVR Road Test | Enjoy the hot-rod SUV while it lasts
BIRMINGHAM, Mich. -- Jaguar has been steering away from sedans, which makes good business sense. With the demise of the XJ and XE, the company’s lineup is as taut as it’s been in recent memory. That’s OK, the F-Pace plays a lot of roles. It’s the most practical and best-selling Jaguar, and in SVR trim, it’s the embodiment of the modern muscle crossover. In fact, it's a legit hot rod.
This is our first chance behind the wheel of the SVR since it was updated for the 2021 model year along with the rest of the F-Pace lineup. In short: the powertrain is slightly torquier, the brakes and suspension are bolstered, the cabin gets Jaguar’s Pivi Pro infotainment, and the front end is tweaked with new headlights and body work. It’s subtle. Driving the F-Pace SVR is anything but.
The product of Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO), the SVR is a series of visceral experiences, some of them raw and adrenaline-inducing, some of them surprisingly calm. In Sport mode the Jaguar shifts quicker to accelerate harder and the full-throated roar of the exhaust is on display. In Eco or Comfort modes, things are chiller, but I still usually cued up the active exhaust system, which can be switched off and on with a button near the gear shifter.
The supercharged 5.0-liter V8 is old-school, fierce and one of the reasons you buy this Jaguar. With 550 horsepower and 516 pound-feet, it’s firmly in the upper class among performance-oriented SUVs, and the 3.8-second sprint to 60 mph is impressive for a compact crossover that’s on the larger size for the segment.
While the V8 is a quickly disappearing throwback, Jaguar hasn’t used it as prolifically as American or German luxury brands throughout its 100-year history — often skipping from six to 12 cylinders — depending on the car and the time period. Driving the F-Pace SVR with its supercharged eight cylinders is to experience the apogee of Jaguar’s 2010s pivot to V8 muscle, before the brand transitions to electric vehicles by the end of the decade.
It's best to live in the present in the F-Pace SVR. On a wide-open Saturday morning, I dial up Sport Mode, crack the windows to let in the exhaust note and set out for a day trip to visit family on the other side of town. With the snow disappearing on this warm late winter morning, I make the most of a fleeting opportunity to push the F-Pace a bit, with quick launches and enthusiastic acceleration into open gaps on the expressway. Satiated, I slip back to cruising speeds as my passenger falls asleep. He’s 4-years-old and it’s nap time.
Now, the F-Pace SVR shows its stuff as a comfortable family hauler. It’s relatively high off the ground and has decent clearance, so I felt a sense of traditional SUV security from the driver’s seat. There’s good visibility and even the door sill is at a nice level. I could prop an elbow up, crack the window and let in some early spring breeze. The steering offers decent feedback and the brakes provide strong stopping power after a little pedal travel. Still, the SVR isn’t the handler of the class, as the Mercedes GLC 63 and Audi SQ5 are more buttoned-down during energetic driving.
