Coventry - The world is in love with SUVs, and those with extra loot to spend are even more in love with SUVs that are so powerful they can almost affect the earth’s rotation.
The latest entrant to this exclusive club is the Jaguar F-Pace SVR, the fastest vehicle yet from Jaguar’s SUV stable.
With outputs of 405kW and 680Nm the engine is a slightly detuned version of the 423kW/700Nm 5-litre supercharged V8 petrol found in the F-Type SVR.
That’s enough to slingshot this super-SUV from 0-100km/h in just 4.3 seconds and onto a 283km/h top speed, according to Jaguar.
The fastest F-Pace joins a rarefied club of fire-spitting adventure vehicles like the BMW X5 M, Mercedes-AMG GLE 63, Range Rover Sport SVR, and Porsche Cayenne Turbo.
Jaguar’s beefed up the suspension and steering to deliver the handling and agility to match the straight line performance.
Enlarged front air intakes and side fender vents reduce lift and provide extra cooling while also optimising high-speed stability. Giving the SVR some added visual sizzle are flared wheel arches, lower body mouldings for a more low-slung look, and bonnet vents that also provide extra cooling for the supercharged V8.
The rear’s identified by a unique spoiler, a quartet of tailpipes, and aerodynamic strakes in the bumper.
The uprated chassis has progressive front and rear springs that are respectively 30 and 10 percent stiffer, and an anti-roll bar that contributes to a 5 percent reduction in body roll.
Lightweight forged 21- and optional 22-inch alloy wheels are 25mm wider at the rear compared to the front and contribute to the SVR’s enhanced handling. The brakes are enlarged to massive 395mm front and 396mm rear discs, but they’re also lighter due to an advanced two-piece construction.
The F-Pace SVR also features Jaguar’s Variable Valve Active Exhaust System which not only gives this Jag a jurassic roar but is also 6.6kg lighter than the standard F-Pace system.
This is the first F-Pace to employ Jaguar’s rear Electronic Active Differential (EAD), which works together with the torque on-demand all-wheel drive system and adaptive suspension to keep this big SUV better pinned to the road. At the press of the Dynamic mode button the vehicle goes from merely wild to berserk, sharpening the throttle, gearing and steering responses.
Inside, the range-topping F-Pace is dolled-up with slimline performance front seats that provide enhanced lateral support and have signature ‘lozenge’ quilting and embossed SVR logo. The rear seats are also heavily sculpted, and the SVR-branded steering wheel gets tactile aluminium paddle shifters.
The F-Pace SVR will go on sale in South Africa in the second half of 2018, at a price yet to be announced.