Facelifted Jaguar F-PACE SVR Still Our Favorite?
Jaguar promises this update gives more of what their SVR Crossover already delivered. Is that even possible with all the new emission regulations? A first hint: it has more torque than before…
Never did Beau and I agree as much as we did after driving the Jaguar F-PACE SVR back in 2019. Nothing came close to offering the supercharged-absurdity that crossover did. Quick, loud, and capably taking on corner after corner, we were thrilled and fearsome for this facelift. No need to expand on why we loved it, that much is obvious, but we feared the facelift because these don't always turn out for the best. Especially these days, with the particle filters killing off many decent exhaust notes like in the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S update (review here). But once we got our hands on the car, our fear vanished as quickly as the F-PACE SVR's V8 peaks in torque. Behold a love letter to a whining cat that will probably never rise again: the 2021 Jaguar F-PACE SVR.
Finishing facelift
A facelift is always a very broad term really. It ranges from just a few cosmetic tweaks like the latest MINI, to essentially throwing out nearly everything like when we had the W212 E63 switch from the infamous 6.2L V8 to the 5.5L Biturbo V8. The F-PACE SVR doesn’t go that far in this facelift, but the changes really are quite extensive.
Jaguar has invested into the details of this facelift. In the center console you’ll find the new 11.4” curved infotainment display. Because of its bigger size, it doesn’t really fit into the place of the original screen so Jaguar has opted for a ‘floating’ approach which works really well thanks to that curve in the display. Where the old instrument cluster lacked vibrance and resolution, this one totally changes the look and puts it back into competition with the premium Germans. The latter also holds true for the ergonomics, the layout of the menus are intuitive to use and you’re not endlessly clicking to get to import features.
But perhaps where the facelift F-PACE really shines is the finishing and choice of materials. Jaguar really put in the extra effort in this car to make the cabin a lot more luxurious. Every surface you see and feel has been upped in terms of quality, the new paddle shifters being the most touched embodiment of this upgrade. *downshifts*
One thing that hasn’t changed thoroughly are the seats but that wasn’t really necessary to be honest. They offer a great blend of providing enough lateral support, while also providing more than enough comfort for longer drives. What did change on the seats is the new stitching pattern, a pattern you can also find on the updated gear selector if you use a microscope.
Looks can be debated endlessly as they will always remain subjectively. Beau didn't like the new spoiler, I did. I didn't like the new vent openings, he did. But the function of the reworked shell of the F-PACE SVR doesn't need debating. It offers 35% reduced lift and better cooling for the brakes, which you'll need as we'll explain later on. New light units front and back add a more modern look, but effectively allow for new functions too: the rear gets a 'moving' indicator signal and the light units upfront now carry Jaguar's Adaptive Driving Beam.
More drama with more restrictions
Where the reworked suspension is a small minus compared to the prefacelift dynamic character, the changes in the drivetrain now add to the drama. Yes, you read that right: even more drama. It's hard to find words to describe just how ridiculously brutal the 5-litre V8 can be. Brutal in numbers and brutal in what it does to your senses. Due to a new torque converter that is adopted from the infamous Jaguar Project 8, the 0 to 100 acceleration time has come down to 4 seconds flat. Nick, our tech-guy, will explain below just how Jaguar managed to cut 0.3 seconds off the 0 to 100 time. Admittedly Jaguar did map the 5-liter V8 to push out 20 Nm more, now peaking at 700 Nm. But still, twenty Newtons don’t get your 2 metric tonne crossover to a hundred KPH 0.3 seconds faster.
“To cope with the increase in performance, the new F-PACE SVR shares the torque converter with the XE SV Project 8. The basic functionality of the torque converter is to transmit the power from the engine to the gearbox, which means this is a vital component in the drive train.
Firstly, the torque converter acts as a fluid clutch that allows for a different gearbox speed in relation to the engine speed. This is of course necessary in the situation where you leave the engine running when standing still. A torque converter is a secluded volume, in which fluid and two rotors house. The engine drives a rotor (let’s call this rotor A) that moves fluid inside the torque converter. Anything that has a mass and a velocity carries a momentum, and so does the fluid. The fluid hits the rotor connected to the gearbox (rotor B). At a certain engine speed, the momentum of the fluid is sufficient to drive rotor B. Usually this is just below idle, so the car starts to creep when you release the brake.
Secondly, the torque converter can adjust the torque output. It does this with a stator, located between rotor A and B. The stator can alter the direction of the moving fluid, which means a torque multiplication can be effectuated.
This, combined with finetuning parameters of the gearbox, will result in a car that behaves differently compared to the previous F-PACE SVR. The more agressive torque multiplication leads to a greater force that drives the wheels.”
So yes, this is one of the rare occasions where a facelift has become a car which is actually more dramatic than the pre-facelift. In a time with OPF-filters and ever more stringent noise restrictions, this is an impressive achievement. Jaguar pushed the envelope on the F-PACE SVR to extract every single drop of potential out of that 5.0L supercharged V8. Superchargers already make a rare appearance here in Europe and the fact that Jaguar is going all-electric soon, this could just be one of the final greats to enjoy.
Sound is a very important factor when it comes to the perception of acceleration and overall speed. Jaguar SV, the in-house bespoke department, showcased on their Instagram just how they managed to keep the car on the same brutally loud level as before OPFs were mandatory. Rather than focussing on decibels, the engineers focussed on certain notes that the human ear perceives as loud. The results? An exhaust note that sounds brutally loud!
Driving refinement
One of the things we fell in love with back in 2019 was the cornering behaviour of this compact SVR crossover. The F-PACE SVR felt like it was a hot hatch, with little body roll in cornering, and little movement into the springs when de- or accelerating. Fascinating enough, it did this while still offering comfort in less performance orientated driving modes too.
Steel springs rather than air suspension are what made all the difference here, something unconventional these days. Jaguar engineers did feel the need to adjust the setup with this facelift. Reworked suspension bushes and links should offer more comfort at higher speeds in the 2021 SVR F-PACE. Beau and I found concensus in the fact the initial dive into the springs when entering a corner now feels a bit less stiff. After that softer dive, the car's interaction with lateral forces was almost as enjoyable as in the prefacelift top tier F-PACE. It's a neutral character that you simply don't expect in a crossover, a rewarding one that gives you the feeling you're in something special. It tempts you into driving closer and closer to where grip ends and skids begin.
Talking about going sideways, it brings us the next subject on the list of improvements: a retuned rear electronic active differential. Jaguar wasn't lying in their press release when they stated this "...delivers enhanced performance." Slammed into ESC Sport and the sportiest setting called Dynamic, the rear-wheel-biased AWD system makes the facelift F-PACE SVR unexpectedly tail-happy when provoked. The brand says it should inspire confidence, we say it tempts you into being the occasional hooligan. SV recalibrated the steering rack for the facelift, a more direct feel and feedback is noticeable when you start pushing the car. Back to the subject oversteer! This doesn't ever come in unexpectedly, nor does understeer for that matter. Mechanical grip seems endless and composure is only lost when you do something profoundly stupid like flooring the throttle well before the apex. Hit the throttle after the apex, and, thanks to the P8 torque converter, the drivetrain feels like it simply propels the car toward the horizon in a blink. A reworked throttle response for the facelift plays a big role here too but due to that new converter, this feels absurdly instantaneous. Stopping feels more instantaneous too for that matter, thanks to an electric brake booster, rather than a vacuum setup. This results in a shorter travel distance for the paddle, making the near 40 cm discs on all ends feel a lot bigger and far more eager.
Are we still in love? Maybe even more so.
There's no need to mention the overall quality of the updated F-Pace, it is at a level at which it can compete with the premium Germans on many turfs. Even the intriguing mixture of luxury and performance is where they perform as expected when paying € 108.240 (BE).
Jaguar SV has executed this facelift with great care, redesigning and tweaking many essential parts of what we love so, so much about the Jaguar F-Pace SVR. There's no denying that the brand has done an excellent job in updating the only Jaguar SVR currently on offer. Although many of these modifications can be translated into numbers and facts, the added emotional engagement is something we hope you'll have the pleasure of experiencing yourselves. In many ways, the update has made the F-Pace more engaging, from the more playful rear axle to the improved power delivery, it all adds up to a car that begs you to drive it. Yet one thing keeps us from falling head over heels and that's the reworked, and slightly softer, spring rate. If we'd had the pleasure of dreaming up the perfect SVR? We'd take every single update but keep the old suspension setup. Now can we have it as a long termer please? Thank you.
