I spent the weekend test driving the Jaguar F-Pace. While I have driven almost every car in Jaguar India’s portfolio, these have been largely limited to their luxurious sedans. So technically, this is the first luxury SUV that I have driven from the British legacy carmaker’s offering. Weekend driving turned out to be quite a pleasure on Mumbai’s relatively empty roads and was good enough for me to get a sense of the F-Pace’s capabilities on city roads.
Here are five things that I absolutely loved:
The cabin: As you would expect, the Jaguar F-Pace is an absolute treat on the inside, both for the driver and for the passengers. The plush grained leather seats are supremely comfortable and the backseats offer enough legroom for a good stretch. The interior trims with stylised accents add to the premium appeal of the cabin. Driving is an absolute pleasure with the ergonomically designed seat and the manually adjustable steering wheel column. In terms of the climate control feature, I found them to be easy to operate, unlike many premium cars, which pack the centre console with buttons, which are often confusing at first.
Parking aid: Driving in Mumbai comes with its share of challenges and parking in cramped spots is the most common of them. While most high-end cars these days come with parking aids and cameras, I put the F-Pace’s Park Assist feature to use quite generously, no matter where I went. The 360-degree parking aid with a rear view camera proved to be quite practical, given the SUV’s proportions and the tight parking slots in my apartment’s parking lot.
The Information and Entertainment Systems: I have to say just now easy it is to navigate through Jaguar’s Infotainment system, operated on a 10-inch touchscreen on the central console. Not only does this display the music and entertainment but also the navigation features. I effortlessly connected my iPhone to the system through Bluetooth (or Apple Carplay). The entertainment package is top-notch and includes a digital sound system by Meridian, perfect for those long highway stretches.
Safety Features: The SUV features little safety and security features that work quietly in the background to ensure a smooth ride. To name a few — the emergency brake assist and lane keep assist are the ones I particularly liked. In addition, the car does come with seat belt reminders, airbags and a driver condition monitor.
Panoramic roof: Few people actually write about this, but I am absolutely in love with the F-Pace’s panoramic sunroof. For me, this definitely adds to the overall driving experience of the car. By day, the cabin is bathed in natural light, giving an overall bright and energising feeling, while by night, driving through the city is a pleasure with the retracted roof. Of course, this is optional and you can choose to close the roof if you like.