While we don't expect Land Rover levels of toughness and capability, new photos of the upcoming 2017 Jaguar F-Pace show that the brand's first-ever luxury SUV is prepped for extreme weather and conditions. Jaguar's plan is to bill the F-Pace as a "family sports car" more than a rough-and-tough off-roader, but nonetheless, testing in both sweltering heat and frigid cold give us a sense of what the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace can handle.
"We developed the F-PACE to offer the ride, handling and refinement demanded from a Jaguar, together with exceptional levels of ability and composure on all surfaces and in all weathers," said F-Pace vehicle program director Andrew Whyman, in a statement.
The development process for the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace included extreme testing in both Dubai and Northern Sweden. Temperatures in Dubai could reach as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit even in the shade, while the SUV's cabin could get as hot as 158 degrees if left in direct sunlight. On the other side of that coin, Jaguar's test facility in Northern Sweden could get as cold as -40 degrees, and still the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace needed to perform handling, hill-climb, and braking exercises to refine its all-wheel-drive system.
From Jaguar's photos, we can make out some key elements of the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace's design through the vinyl wrapping. With smoother and more flowing lines than Land Rover's SUVs, the F-Pace adopts many of its cues from the F-Type and upcoming Jaguar XE sedan. The grille up front is cribbed from the XE, nestled between narrow headlights, which lead to a smoothly arched hood. Elegant curves over the roof and sides of the body terminate in a roof-mounted spoiler and stubby rear-end, adorned with the F-Type's trademark narrowing taillights.
