Jaguar F-Pace In Hong Kong, circa June 2016

After some minor delay and a few months' teasing, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has finally unveiled the F-Pace CAV in Hong Kong on June 24 at the Aberdeen Marina Club -- a place of serenity and tranquillity.  Despite offered in two trims only, local dealership British Motors is extremely optimistic in the vehicle’s reception, even lavishing a lot on print media advertising.

Meanwhile, a more powerful supercharged V8 variant (courtesy of the SVO team) is currently in the works.  So if sales continue to soar, then there’s a good chance this variant could reach town sometime in 2017, although, nothing is being promised at this point.

F-Pace = Fast-Pace?

Not exactly "Freaking awesome" as some web outlet would call it, but at least it's fast enough -- this is no badge-engineered Land Rover!

Based on the 2013 C-X17 concept, the F-Pace focuses in on-road performance and agility rather than the Land Rover brand's hardcore off-road capability, sharing similar 4WD tech previously used in the XE and XF (as well as the MY2017 F-Type S and R coupes), but with model-specific dynamics tweaks.  The F-Pace is also the first ever Jaguar-branded 4WD application in town, as local-spec XE and XF are not offered with this drivetrain. 

Chassis and cabin

The F-Pace also shares the lightweight but stiff iQ-Al (D7a) aluminium architecture, promising high torsional rigidity.  Front double wishbone suspensions are similar to that of the XF and F-Type, but the rear Integral Link subframe-mounted multi-link suspensions are entirely new, allowing for greater tuning to provide good balance between handling and ride quality, despite being more costly to manufacture.  The F-Pace will still retain some light-duty off-road capabilities through advanced drive modes via the ZF 8HP automatic, but may not be capable enough to be subjected to Land Rover’s Terrapod terrain simulation demonstrations, according to marketing staff.

Cabin size-wise the F-Pace’s slots between the XE and XF, with decent legroom for the rear seats and features 40/20/40 split-folding seatbacks, even though the centre stack release button (for centre load-through) is too deeply hidden below the centre headrest.  Airy inside?  Quite so, but not stellar.  BTW, for effective occupant entry/exit, original running boards (either fixed or retractable type) are definitely recommended

Pricing, trims, and equipment

Initially the HKDM F-Pace lineup consists of just the base 35t Prestige (340hp) and top-tier S First Edition (380hp), with the R-Sport trim expected to return later.  The former starts from HK$699k, $789k with the Activity Pack, and goes right up to the latter at $1.169M, which is near-fully equipped but costs slightly lower than a standard S with the same gamut of options, as in the case of the US and Japan where 275 and 50 of the limited worldwide 2000 quotas are being allotted to, respectively.  Hong Kong has no definite quota limit, and additional offerings will depend on subsequent sales reception.

Amongst the notable options is the model-exclusive Activity Key, standard in the S First Edition, comprising a programmable RFID rubber wristband which provides sports users an auxiliary, battery-less means to vehicular entry (but no engine start-up feature), and to protect the main keys (when stored inside the cabin in deactivated state) from water damage.  Looks like the local press seemed to have had some fun with that during their test-driving exercise, even without the water part...

Meanwhile, the premium 10” widescreen InControl Touch Pro interface makes a rare appearance in local HKDM Jag demo cars, which simply puts the standard 8” InControl Touch to shame, the latter also lacking the CD/DVD drive, which JLR could and should have standardised, as we understand many mid-aged mature drivers still prefer CD playback to the modern file-based (or memory-based) alternative.  No CD playback on a Jag, only digital connectivity?  Seriously?  

Think the S First Edition may is way too dear?  So is a properly-equipped 35t Prestige at a budget of ~$900-950k, to include upgrades like Activity Pack, power rear seats features, 19” wheels with summer tyres, user-adjustable vehicular dynamics controls, smart key system with Activity Key, InControl Touch Pro (bundled with full digital driver’s binnacle) and Meridian 380W speaker system (770W version not really necessary), surround camera (definite must for CUVs), and sliding panoramic roof (instead of the fixed version on base specs).  Four-zone climate control will however depend on real-life frequency of rear passenger occupancy.  

“Spoiler Alert?”

The F-Pace is being constantly compared with Porsche’s Macan range, from a worldwide perspective.  The latter may excel in disciplines such as model diversity, chassis/drivetrain enhancements and custom upholstery designations, but the former wins in price, trunk size and utility (only ~20L less than on the Cayenne, yet capable of loading four golf club sets), plus a higher vehicular fording depth. 

A potential "Macan killer?"  Not so fast!  Media test drive on the 35t Prestige is nearing completion as we speak, and It will be up to the local auto press to decide if Jaguar’s first CAV offering is indeed doing a capable job under local road conditions, in terms of vehicular/drivetrain dynamics, versatility, overall ride quality, and fuel economy.  MGJMW won’t be involved in the testing but will be anxious to learn the results.

So what’s next from JLRHK?

Apparently the next SUV/CAV to arrive in town would be the Evoque convertible.  Honestly MGJMW doesn’t have too much affinity to it (or anything with a soft canvas top), but given the hot summer it will surely attract some rich crowd.  How would the HKDM version look like, and how much it’ll be priced at?  Stay tuned to this blog for more details.