THE F-PACE, Jaguar’s first SUV, has been in the global market since 2016 and over the past 6 years, it has been selling well and even won the overall World Car of the Year award in 2017.
It appeared in Malaysia in 2018 and like many SUVs in the premium luxury segment, it has not had a shortage of buyers.
With its success, it’s clear that the F-PACE ticks all the right boxes for customers and has been a well designed and engineered product from the outset.
But it has been 6 years and in an industry where someone is introducing something new every month, periodic refreshing of looks and features are necessary to keep the model fresh.
Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia (JLRM) has now begun selling the 2022 model of the F-PACE which has some cosmetic changes on the outside and updated features within. While the overall form and profile are unchanged, the sculpted bonnet has a wider power bulge for a stronger presence.
The lighting units are new and super-slim (10 mm slimmer) all-LED quad headlights that give stronger illumination. At the same time, they also create greater visual width.
The lights have a ‘Double J’ signature graphic formed with the Daytime Running Lights to identify the F-PACE from a distance.
At the rear, the new tailgate accentuates the visual width of the vehicle and below it is a redesigned lower bumper. The new fully LED rear lights with sculpted lenses are inspired by the fully electric I-PACE and feature Jaguar’s chicane graphic.
The cabin has an elegant ambience merged with elements of engineering ingenuity. The revised cockpit area has a bolder, more dynamic look with greater focus on the driver.
The new drive selector epitomises Jaguar’s approach to contemporary controls. The soft upper trim wraps round the “palm grip” and proudly features a “cricket-ball” stitch, inspired by iconic British craftsmanship. Below, the precision-engineered metal cradle is sculpted for added tactility and an engaging quality feel.
The centrally mounted 11.4-inch curved-glass HD touchscreen is the control centre for the new Pivo Pro infotainment system. Besides more intuitive operations, it also provides greater clarity for ease of viewing in any lighting conditions.
Its simplified menu structure (mimicking a smartphone interface) allows the driver to carry out 90% of common tasks within two taps from the home screen. This reduces the time spent looking towards the display panel, which is safer when driving.
The infotainment system can also connect to compatible smartphones using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto which can put favourite apps like Waze or Spotify on the display panel, and they can be operated from the touchscreen. The wireless approach extends to charging too as there is a charging pad available.
Though the cabin size is unchanged, there is a feeling of extra spaciousness with softer forms and dramatic contrasting use of colour at eye-level.
One trick used by the interior designers: light-coloured finishes on lower sections of the cabin which immerse the interior in one tone, visually enhancing the sense of space.
The 5-seater cabin has exquisitely crafted leather upholstery with the rear seats having a 40:20:40 division so that there is flexibility to carry extra cargo or people.
With the seats folded, there’s a long floor all the way to the back seats, ideal for bringing home furniture packs from IKEA.
“By offering modern luxury with this latest evolution of the award-winning F-PACE, we are raising the bar even further with this best-in-class SUV, which combines practicality, performance and comfort with a distinctive look and cutting-edge technologies,” said Syed Ahmad Muzri Syed Faiz, managing director of Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia.
“Everything in the design and the specifications, from the sleeker silhouette and all-new drive selector to the spacious and luxe interior equipped with an intuitive infotainment system, are all geared towards ensuring an enriched driving experience.
Priced from RM598,800 (inclusive of sales tax but without roadtax, registration fees and insurance) the latest F-PACE is available only in the R-Dynamic version. This has a 2-litre 4-cylinder 250 ps/365 Nm Ingenium petrol engine.