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Jaguar F-Pace P400e PHEV | Test Drive
Heading towards an all-electric future, the new F-Pace PHEV updates its look and interior, providing an extraordinary 400-hp hybrid unit.
Words Tommaso Mogge / Photos Bruno Serra
Jaguar’s past is written in glorious pages of automotive history, while the future seems to foresee a complete electrification of its entire lineup. What about the present? After all, this is the time frame we are experiencing in this very moment and which therefore interests the customer who by the end of the day will enter a dealership looking for a brand new feline. And in recent times – since 2015 – Jaguar has managed to roar decisively thanks to the F-Pace SUV, the first sports utility vehicle of the Coventry company which by then launched the smaller E-Pace and the 100% electric I-Pace. The success has thus offered the possibility to those customers still hesitant to leave their comfortable and traditional sedan and have a multipurpose car, which with those extra centimeters from the ground and a sporty look offered by a massive front and a sloping tail would not have given up on a design (this is the case of the F-Pace) that is not afraid to recall the flagship coupe of the family: the F-Type.
It is easy to get confused between all the models and the countless versions, but with the 2021 restyling Jaguar do not miss the chance to underline its commitment in the hybrid sector, offering a model that if we go to exclude the more expensive and extreme 550-hp F-Pace SVR seems like the top of the food-chain. It is called F-Pace P400e PHEV and as the name suggests it is the 400 horsepower Plug-In Hybrid version, a variant perfectly capable of operating in exclusively electrified mode thanks to a 17.1 kWh lithium-ion battery which producing 143 hp allows you to travel up to 50 km. But figures, the important ones, are not over yet. In fact, combined with the electric unit we have the internal combustion engine, which, unlike what one might assume when dealing with a 475 cm long and 2.2 ton SUV, is a modest 2-liter in-line 4-cylinder. This means that the overall mass has been kept as low as possible, without for this reason having to compromise in terms of soundproofing or equipment.
The F-Pace P400e thus manages to offer a car body that does not lose space on board, with the exception of the 128 liters of capacity lost in the load compartment compared to the petrol one, now at 485 liters. There are five comfortable seats, lots of technology and an engine that, especially with fully charged batteries, offers performance that even if not taken to the extreme as in the case of the SVR will be able to tackle any kind of situation. We are talking about a total of 400 horsepower available at 5,500 rpm, while the maximum torque of 400 Nm is available immediately, at just 1,500 rpm. Traction is obviously distributed on both axles and combined with an 8-speed automatic gearbox. Are we facing the ultimate F-Pace? I am not usually prone to absolute judgments, above all because I believe that a model can be ideal mainly based on the needs of those using it.
As for me, the P400e has demonstrated how Jaguar has managed to sharpen the look of its SUV, increasing the shapes of the headlights and the large front grille, while streamlining the visual impact of a reference model that cares more about substance that showing off an output power that very few competitors can boast, especially taking into account that by exploiting the more “eco” side of the car itself, the 2-liter is able to limit consumption in any circumstance – even on long motorway trips – and in any case deliver a truly amazing acceleration. It is inside the passenger compartment that we find the most consistent changes, mainly thanks to the great attention paid to the two digital screens: the 12.3″ one in front of the driver, fully customizable and the 11.4″ touch screen, a tablet placed above the climate controls, which fortunately remain manual. Below them we have the massive gear lever and a large storage compartment. Never before thanks to this stylistic update, the air you breathe on board is truly refined and of great taste.
The F-Pace is a pleasure to drive even on b-roads, eventually by setting Dynamic mode which gives the right weight to the steering and stiffens the suspension, making the load shifts between curves precise and predictable, while still maintaining a relaxed character. Another advantage offered by the fact of having an internal combustion engine with reduced dimensions is that the transition from electric to hybrid is practically imperceptible; at the same time, a 400 horsepower car would have deserved a more evident sound, especially when the right foot sinks the pedal to the floor. The P400e takes 5.3 seconds to sprint from 0 to 100 kph and reaches a top speed of 240 per hour, all while maintaining the comfort and smoothness you expect from a Jaguar branded car. Satisfied the eye thanks to never too angular clear lines, the F-Pace still has an ace up its sleeve and that’s exactly what comes into play as far as ground clearance concerns.
Being an SUV – regardless of whether you decide to spec it with mammoth 21 wheels, rather than 18, 19 or 20 inches, the P400e does not turn up its nose when the road leading to the refuge is no longer paved and does not hide a dirt road in conditions that are far from welcoming, especially when it comes to an elegant SUV worth over seventy thousand euro. Advancing with caution, I soon realize that although there are no ambitions to climb a vertical rocks wall, the F-Pace is perfectly capable of taking me to my destination, abandoning even the main road and reaching a spot lost in the green without the slightest uncertainty. In the most uncontaminated nature, perhaps the most important feline currently on the list is at ease as much as in traffic. And it is here, where the only noise is that of the birds chirping and the wind that caresses the leaves, that thanks to a hybrid technology that is truly exploitable in the real world, you have the opportunity to go where you would never want to pollute or make noise coming out of your exhaust.
The way back offers the opportunity of further tinkering with the 3 hybrid modes at your disposal: EV mode allows you to move only with the electric motor, while Save allows you to preserve a portion of the charge to be used later. Hybrid is instead the default one and which – for example downhill – recharges a few kilometers in the batteries, thus limiting the average final consumption to surprising values that we have attested to about 16 km/l, this in driving conditions that also include urban and off-road sections. The P400e can therefore be considered the most interesting F-Pace currently available, but as it is logical to imagine it does not come away with a few pennies. In fact, it takes at least € 73,790 which becomes € 90,860 if you want to tick all the boxes and opt for the R-Dynamic HSE. The good news is that the probable electrified future is a lot less scary when you get a taste of this kind.
JAGUAR F-PACE P400e PHEV
Engine 4 cylinder Plug-In Hybrid, 1.997 cc Power 404 hp @ 5.500 rpm Torque 400 Nm @ 1.500 rpm
Traction All-Wheel-Drive Transmission 8-Speed Automatic Gearbox Weight 2.189 kg
0-100 kph 5,3 sec Top Speed 240 kph Price from €73.790
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