2017 Jaguar F-Pace: First Look

Competes with: Bentley Bentayga, Land Rover Range Rover, Porsche Cayenne Turbo

Looks like: The Bentayga’s rounder, swoopier second cousin

Drivetrain: It will launch with a pair of 340- and 380-horsepower supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 engines with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission. A 180-hp 2.0-liter diesel four-cylinder will be avilable later.

Hits dealerships: Mid-2016

Wealthy car shoppers who aren’t too pampered to make their own Costco shopping trips will soon have another opulent option. Hot on the heels of Bentley’s 2017 Bentayga, the seemingly growing trend of high-luxury, high-performance SUVs from European automakers continues with Jaguar releasing details about its all-new F-Pace at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. This production incarnation of the C-X17 concept is inspired by the British automaker’s F-Type sports car in style and driving dynamics, and a suburban soccer-practice shuttle in function.

Exterior

The F-Pace’s exterior is in line with other sporty crossovers and actually bears a strong resemblance to the Bentayga, particularly in shape and front-end styling, but with more rounded edges, curvy character lines and skeptically squinting LED headlights compared with the Bentley’s signature circular peepers.

The F-Pace’s body is composed of a reported 80 percent lightweight aluminum with additional weight savings coming courtesy of a composite tailgate and magnesium elements such as a cross-car beam. The forged 22-inch wheels, sculpted rear haunches and overall muscular appearance, Jaguar said, are meant to set the pace for the F-Pace’s formidable performance capabilities.

Interior

Jaguar promises that the F-Pace’s five occupants will have plenty of head- and knee room, and 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space. Tech features include the automaker’s InControl Touch Pro system operated via a 10.2-inch touch-screen; a high-speed Wi-Fi hot spot to which as many as eight devices can be connected at a time; a head-up display; and a navigation system that provides door-to-door directions the driver can follow in 3-D on the 12.3-inch HD virtual instrument cluster.

In conjunction with the F-Pace’s arrival will be the global introduction of Jaguar’s Activity Key, a waterproof, shockproof wristband with an integrated transponder allowing the driver to lock the key fob inside the vehicle while participating in an activity — say, surfing — that doesn’t lend itself to carrying a key ring in pockets.

Under the Hood

Jaguar announced several powertrains, including a pair of diesel engines, but not all of them are coming to the U.S. Stateside, the F-Pace will get power from the supercharged V-6 in the F-Type coupe, good for 380 horsepower, a zero-to-60-mph sprint of 5.1 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. Also available is a 340-hp, supercharged V-6. Both are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. After launch, a 180-hp 2.0-liter diesel four-cylinder will be avilable.

Safety

Advanced safety features include an autonomous braking system that uses a stereo camera with a pedestrian-detection function, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, an intelligent speed limiter and driver condition monitoring that detects if the person behind the wheel is drowsy or distracted.

Jaguar has not yet announced pricing or launch-date info for the F-Pace, but we do know that shoppers will have six trim levels to choose from: Pure, Prestige, Portfolio, R-Sport, S and First Edition. Jaguar said the First Edition model is limited to 2,000 units globally.