► Latest spyshots of Jaguar F-Pace SUV
► Will be revealed at 2015 Frankfurt show
► This car powered by a 3.0-litre petrol engine
Development of the upcoming Jaguar F-Pace is continuing at, er, pace. These latest spyshots show a hard-working prototype of the first Jaguar SUV undergoing chassis honing/hooning at the Nordschleife – further evidence that keen handling and driving enjoyment is far up the new model’s priority list.
When can I see the Jaguar F-Pace production car, without the camo?
The F-Pace is still very much in the early stages of its development but Jaguar tells us it will be revealed in full at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show in September. Expect it to land in showrooms in spring to summer 2016.
What do we know so far?
According to this test car’s numberplates it’s powered by a 3.0-litre petrol engine, almost certainly the same supercharged V6 found in certain F-type, XE and XF models. That’s not the only thing it shares with the new XF as F-Pace is built upon the same platform, a slightly lengthier version of the same aluminium-intensive architecture that underpins the XE. Likewise, it’ll feature the same double-wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear.
Although the UK SUV market is traditionally a diesel-dominated landscape, the F-Pace is likely to be offered to British buyers with the petrol option, to underline its position as a sportier kind of crossover. In fact, according to Jaguar, it’s not a crossover or SUV at all, it’s a ‘practical sports car.’ For that reason, we can expect the lion’s share of power to head to the rear wheels even though it’s a four-wheel-drive car.
The rest of the engine range will also mirror the XF and XE, with Jaguar-Land Rover’s latest-generation Ingenium four-cylinder diesel engines.
What about the car pictured here?
This rollcage-equipped test car hides behind the same swirly camouflage stickers we’ve seen on other F-Pace prototypes, and features similar odd flying buttress-type surfaces bordering the rear window. They’re more likely to be temporary aerodynamic add-ons or extra camouflage sleight of hand rather than production-spec bodywork.
Jaguar-Land Rover continues to operate a dedicated engineering test centre at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, where models across the company’s range undergo a rolling programme of chassis development.