By Otsile Kadiege

Last year I had the pleasure of driving one of Jaguar’s high-performance vehicles – the updated F-Pace SVR which boasts refreshed looks, new technologies and a few mechanical upgrades.

Exterior

Much of the F-Pace SVR exterior design remains unchanged. It still has a menacing stance with a dash of elegance thanks to large trumpet-like quad exhaust tips, massive front air intakes, newly designed slim headlights with J-shaped LEDs doubling as sequential turn signals, revised slim tail lights, newly designed wheels like these 21-inch forged alloy wheels fitted to our test unit and an eye-catching Atacama Orange body paint.

Interior

Inside, the F-Pace SVR gets an updated cockpit with a new 11.4-inch HD curved display with Jaguar-Land Rover’s latest Pivi Pro infotainment system featuring Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The former has brilliant graphics, however the infotainment system could be more intuitive – there’s a steep learning curve due to far too many menus. It also features a newly designed multifunctional steering wheel with chrome finishers and SVR badging, a configurable 12.3-inch HD Interactive Driver Display as well as an excellent Meridian Surround Sound system. The cabin feels roomy and comfortable thanks to a large panoramic sunroof and four supportive bucket seats with chrome trims and ‘SVR’ badging embossed on each seat’s headrest.

The F-Pace SVR’s cabin is also spacious with enough head and shoulder room. It’s also fairly practical thanks to a decently sized luggage capacity with 650 litres. Our test car was fitted with an optional electronically deployable tow bar with up to 2400kg trailer load.

Performance

The much loved Supercharged 5.0 litre V8 making 405kW soldiers on. Torque has been increased to 700Nm (up by 20Nm) and power is fed to all four paws via an 8-speed automatic transmission. With the new Dynamic Launch function, Jaguar claims the big cat sprints from 0-100km/h in 4.0 seconds and has a top speed of 286km/h. As mentioned above, Jaguar made some minor adjustments to improve the performance of the F-Pace SVR. These include incremental tweaks to the transmission and dynamics systems, a new electronically assisted power steering system, as well as improved brake feel.

The drive

The updated F-Pace SVR is still a savage animal on four wheels. With the launch control active, it’s rapid off the line and gets up to speed very quickly. The highlight of the drive is its unmistakable soundtrack – a sound we will miss in the not-so-distant future. The F-pace SVR is a thirsty cat, but with an ear-shattering and addictive exhaust sound I couldn’t resist playing with the loud pedal which, as expected, contributed to the ludicrous fuel-consumption and an empty wallet after a few days with it. During spirited drives the large SUV handled its weight fairly well and I was glued to the comfy bucket seat when cornering at speed.

In its less sporty settings, the F-Pace SVR tones down from a fearsome tiger to Garfield. It wafts along with no raucous and the cabin is serene allowing me to cruise to some of my favourite Classical music. The suspension is also compliant as it dealt with pothole riddled Gauteng roads with relative ease.

Final word To say that I’ve enjoyed my time with the facelifted Jaguar F-Pace SVR would be an understatement of the century. It’s a posh hooligan that will leave you with a big smile on your face, but with a starting price of R1,835,700, pricey optional must-haves  and a high fuel bill begs the question – does it make sense in these trying times? Well, if you’ve got the means then go right ahead and buy one.