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https://www.barrons.com/articles/the-2022-f-pace-svr-one-of-jaguars-last-v8s-is-built-for-performance-01640805531
The 2022 F-PACE SVR is an important machine for Jaguar. Not only is it the top-performance option of its bestselling vehicle, but it tolls the bell as one of the automaker’s last V8s before the engine disappears forever.
The end of fossil fuel engines has been on the books at Jaguar since the 2018 introduction of its award-winning, all-electric I-PACE. It’s no secret Jaguar will go fully electric across all of its models by 2025. Meanwhile, across the street at JLR’s Coventry, U.K., headquarters, the Land Rover line wants full electrification itself before 2040.
That very green, yet very quiet era remains a few years away—so performance-centric driving lovers can still cling to their beloved eight cylinders for a while longer with an F-PACE SVR that received an entire makeover for this model year, including aesthetic, engineering, and technological updates.
With an MSRP starting around US$84,600, this F-PACE arrives with a reengineered, 5.0-liter, 550 horsepower engine. The resulting power is satisfying, if not overwhelming. Still, the car claims an official zero-to-60 time of 3.8 seconds. An eight-speed automatic transmission with sport shifters keeps the power flowing to the all-wheel-drive system. Electric power assisted steering and upgraded, 15.6-inch, four-wheel disc brakes on 21-inch wheels round out the key bangs and whistles.
The driving experience skillfully splits the difference between stately comfort and aggressive performance. Grounded and well-balanced, the F-PACE feels like a much smaller vehicle—as though you’re behind the wheel of a well-built 4,500 lbs. hatchback. The JaguarDrive Control allows you to select Sport or Eco driving modes—though that raises the question of why anyone would want to select anything but Sport mode in a SVR (Special Vehicle Ratings) Jaguar. Sport is the entire point of owning the trim level.
In keeping with the sporty theme, a highlight of the F-PACE SVR—as with all of the sport Jaguar models—is the deft and perfectly-tuned suspension. Double wishbone in front and multi-link astern, the feel of the vehicle tightens in Sport Mode and unveils the suspension’s full capability.
The real treat of driving the F-PACE SVR is when you can hammer the throttle to escape traffic or launch from a stoplight. The Jaguar engineers let just a little extra air and fuel mixture dance around the cylinders to shatter the F-PACE’s civilized ambiance with the playful fireworks of a rally car.
Noise like that—and the vibration accompanying it—adds to the sensual experience of driving as much as excellent suspension or ample torque. Still, the necessities of 21st-century existence and the battle against climate change means the eight pistons helping to make all the noise will join hand cranks and manual transmissions as automotive artifacts across the industry.
That makes driving a build like the 2022 Jaguar F-PACE SVR a bittersweet experience. In years to come, engine roar will become an echo of the past out of environmental necessity. It’s almost time to say goodbye.
For fans of throaty exhaust notes, there was hope that an unforeseen consequence of the pandemic would be a slowdown in the gradual irridacitio of the V8. Still, at Jaguar, 2025 marches forth from the horizon.
In an interview with Penta, Jaguar Land Rover CEO Thierry Bolloré wouldn’t give the Jag V8 a reprieve. He’s still confident that the 2025 full electrification deadline will stand. While he acknowledges the national infrastructure is not yet in place to feed an all-electric fleet for any automaker yet, he doesn’t believe any pandemic hangover will prevent its construction over the next three years.
“The journey to electrification has already been uncertain to some degree,” Bolloré says. “What is certain is electrification will happen. When and how quickly we get there depends on three factors: Consumer requirements, manufacturers’ ability to bring product to market, and the availability of infrastructure to support it.”
Bolloré calls it all “a chicken or egg game” as the automotive industry waits to see if electric cars force the infrastructure to grow, or if a growing network of charging spots and other necessities will make buying electric cars more palatable.
“I think we are now at the point when it’s clear electrification is where the future is headed,” he adds. “We’re now seeing legendary, historical cars from the past being electrified retroactively. We’re seeing vehicles that weren’t considered candidates for electrification, such as American pick up trucks, joining the movement and not losing functionality. Consumers are moving into the market, and manufacturers will meet that demand “
For performance-hungry drivers who remain unashamed of fossil fuel-guzzling power trains, Bolloré invites them to enjoy special designs like the 2022 Jaguar F-PACE SVR while they can.
“I don’t think they have to worry about us taking away powerful engines for the time-being,” Bolloré says. “We’ll still be building them for a while, so go have some fun with one.”
The 2022 F-PACE SVR is an important machine for Jaguar.
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