Jaguar F-Pace SVR After 3 Months

[Shrike360]

Toward the end of last year, I started planning to replace my 2011 Cayenne Turbo. It'd been a great car, and I had only one major problem with it during 4+ years of ownership, but owning an ageing German luxury car ($130k in 2011) was starting to make me nervous about what big thing was about to break. That was coupled with the fact that it felt like Porsche reaaaally didn't want home mechanics to work on it. I ended up looking very seriously at an F-Pace SVR after looking over a bunch of cars. I don't see these cars discussed much and have literally only seen one example in person before I bought it (I couldn't even find one to test drive), so thought I'd provide my thoughts on the F-Pace after a few months with it. I've been slowly building this write-up over time, so it will be a little long. Wanted to capture all my thoughts.

My requirements for the Cayenne replacement were relatively straightforward. Given my size (6'3", 220lb), it needs to be able to handle 4 6-footers as well as have a good sized trunk to deal with a 100-lb dog. While my Cayenne was quick and capable in the corners (you have to drive one to believe it), I wanted more handling capability and more drama/excitement from my runabout. The Aisin transmission was an embarrassment. Whoever okayed that transmission for a sporty SUV needed to be fired into the sun. To top it off, I also wanted a car that was simpler in design and more DIY friendly, to help make sure I could take care of it easily at home and not worry about huge bills if something broke. More on that in a minute.

Competitors
I used to be a wagon snob before picking up my Cayenne. After that car, I no longer cared. The Cayenne drove circles around my 535xi E61. Plus, I'm an avid hiker and live in a very hilly area with tons of speed bumps that almost demands a bit of ground clearance. One of the quick routes to a nearby shopping center would probably result in 10+ scraping events in my E92; I literally have to avoid that route in that car. Therefore, I really didn't care about focusing on the E63 and RS6. You're going to spend more, probably eat the same amount of depreciation as a cheaper, used SUV and get handling benefits you really won't take advantage of on a street car. Onto the competitors!

- Macan is straight up too small for me, no matter how good it drives. It's also interesting to read magazine reviews and realize every single one was fitted with 80 treadwear PZ Corsas... No ones going to use those outside of magazine test bait.
- 9Y0 Cayenne is interesting, but seem to be incredibly problematic. Tons of water pump failures that can take out the vacuum system, and can occur up to every 20k miles... Failing wastegate rod arms, etc. Any repair seemed to be $5k+ out of warranty. Oil changes takes about an hour to remove all the plastic BS. Used Porsche shopping is also a PITA, given the options list and variability.
- X3M is also interesting, though a bit limited in rear seat and trunk. Plus, the ride is compromised and the sport seats felt like torture for my beefy thighs.
- X5M has similar ride issues. Plus, it had complications like active sway bars. N63/S63 still unnerve me, no matter how many TUs are thrown at it. The spaghetti of vacuum and coolant lines just concern me. I also had dead leg issues with the comfort seats on my Mom's X5 M50; not sure the M would be a ton better for long drives.
- SQ5, nah. I want a full fat performance vehicle. Also on the smaller side.
- RSQ8, see Cayenne (but better warranty). Plus, they're still stupid pricey.
- GLC is compromised on size, GLE is bit of a boat. Plus, the M177 has some RMS issues that are $10k to fix. Also, the local dealers were a dick to my Mom when she tried to order a GLE 53...
- Stelvio is a bit space compromised. Dealers are also being Thanos snapped, and no local shops seem to work on them. The 2.9 engine is very uncommon, and I expect a nightmare to find parts for in the near future.

Practicality
Now the F-Pace. Arguably, the car is in between an X3 and X5 in practicality, but not external dimensions. Juuust enough space to fit 4 6-footers in the car (thank you thin bucket seats), pretty close to the X5. The trunk is a bit longer and slightly narrower than the Cayenne (41W"x40L" F-Pace, 44W"x37L" Cayenne), though the Cayenne rear seats slide. The sloping rear windows compromises space a bit versus the X5, but it's real similar to the Cayenne. Steel sprung, static rollbars, no rear steer. Engine has existed since the 90s and has been steadily built up. Aluminum block with iron sleeves. The major weakness I can find on this whole car is the plastic cooling system components. You have to remove the supercharger to get to all the pieces. Luckily, you can find full metal replacements and permanently solve this for about $3k. Poking around, the car frankly reminds me of early 2000s German design. Other than they decided to place individual grounds on the strut towers. You have direct fuse box access in the engine bay and trunk. Installed the mats and found the rear seat bottom could be popped right up, and right back down. Jaguar actually provides factory lift (pinch weld) and jack points for a floor jack, though the jack points kind of suck. This car did motivate me to finally order a Quick Jack. Also, there are US shops who provide rebuilt engines for ~$12k if you do manage to pop an engine.

Regarding the pricing. Absolutely go for a 2021+, since the facelift has a major interior upgrade, an upgraded torque converter and other chassis fine tuning. You can find low mileage examples for $50-70k all day long depending on what MY you want. The newer MY cars seem to be screwed together better. I have some dashboard creaking that I need to bring to the dealer. The factory warranty is a transferable 5yr/60k miles, and CPO adds an extra year with unlimited miles. CPO is also transferable. As a result my 2021 is covered through August 2026, and August 2027 with CPO, despite being a 3rd owner. The 3rd owner part did bug me a bit. But the car had oil changes every 5k and had full frontal PPF protection. It didn't look abused, just caught in a weird situation. All in, I got the car for mid 50s shipped to me with 23k miles on the clock and a great color combo of blue over white.

Exterior
This car looks real good. Gets attention in the fact that it's not the typical luxury car and no one knows what it is. The Cayenne largely got ignored, since it just looks like another soccer mom SUV. For some reason, the E92 has gotten extremely popular of late. Everyone seems to love it and acts friendly to it. F-Pace can't really compete with that. I have noticed the base F-pace drivers don't like looking at you in an SVR, which is worth a chuckle.

Like a lot of used luxury cars, finding something in an actual color is a challenge. The Ultra Blue I found is one of the more common color options. There are a bunch of other colors, including an amazing British Racing Green, but JLR charges out the nose for those. I was a little mixed on this blue, because of how light it can be. But it has really grown on me. It straight up glows when it's overcast or raining. Perfect for the PNW. It is maybe a bit Smurf...

Interior
The interior is very stylish with the white, and reasonably practical. Having a modern car with full wireless Android Auto/ Carplay is quite the change. Fully configurable instrument cluster. Center screen is straight forward to use, if sometimes a little finicky to hit the smaller on-screen buttons. Has a good 360 camera and standard adaptive cruise, too. Adaptive cruise can struggle in areas with lots of road direction changes, which the 958 didn't have an issues with. But it does bring you to a stop and have stop and go systems. Storage space is a bit limited. There's an under center-console storage I'll throw my phone into when I don't care about wireless charging. Underarm storage is also limited because of depth, so I throw my park passes into the glovebox.

The mix of leather, Alcantara and vinyl really does make the interior feel upscale. There are some hard plastics in the lower areas of the car. I'm perfectly okay with that for practicality reasons, but need to note it. It's a very nice place to sit, though not as lux as the smothered-in-leather 958. I saw Smoking Tire complain about the seat belt rattling against the seat, but you can push the seat belt above to eliminate that. The seats are awesome, but a bit lacking in adjustability. At my height, my neck is touching the headrest if I lean all the way back. The armrest on the door is too narrow for me to use in my seating position, and the steering wheel could extend further out to really improve things. I also feel like an inch lower seating position would make it feel really sporty. It takes a bit of adjustment to find the best overall seating position. Doesn't quite match the insane amount of leather the Cayenne had, but it's good mix of luxury and practicality while being much easier to maintain. With the window height and seating position, it feels like you're sitting in a lifted sedan. Physical controls are haptic, which are pretty average for haptics. Proper haptics feel pretty good, this is a step down from that, but tolerable.

There is enough space for 4 6-footers to fit. I can fit behind myself at 6'3, but just barely. The shape of the front seat really helps, since you can just put your legs around the fronts. Headroom in the rear is a bit tight at my height, but I'd still call it 6 footer approved. A little smaller than the Cayenne, but similar to an X5. Sunroof is big, but doesn't open a lot. About the size of a typical sunroof. The Cayenne was awesome in that you had almost a convertible when you opened up the roof. That's a disappointment. The Cayenne also was built like a tank. Slam a door shut and you feel how solid it is. Doors on the Jag feels a bit hollow in comparison. Adding some sound deadening seems to be a thing in the Jag world. Luckily the door cards seem easy to pull and add sound deadening to. It's also not as quiet inside as the Cayenne, so this would help with interior noise levels. Will likely have that done in the future. Sound system is okay (and this is the 825W system), but midrange is a bit lacking. The speakers are readily replaceable with your own high end stuff. The M3 definitely feels like an older sports car in comparison. If you have the extended leather on the E9x, I'd say it still holds up in terms of quality, but not technology and usability. I wish I could swap the Jag seats over to the M3... Interior build quality is a bit mixed. After having it a few weeks, I started encountering creaking components, including the passenger side dashboard. I suspect the move from a hot weather to cooler weather climate is making it worse. The answer will likely be felt tape. I hear the build quality on the 24 and 25 cars is better.

Drivetrain
The AJ133 is what I'd describe as a Euro LS. Power everywhere in the rev range and it makes a good noise throughout. Redline is 6500 and ~6800 if you switch to dynamic. It wants you to rev it out for the power. A lot more charismatic than modern turbo engines in the other cars. Gives you a bit of burble, cracks and pops while you're playing with the revs on a spirited drive. Hard full throttle upshifts are met with a serious crack. That said, it doesn't match the musicality or drama of the S65 while on a decent run. If you tune it, the tuner can modify the exhaust valve to stay open at all times, which I imagine helps with making it properly raucous. Or you can just pull a plug in the trunk to keep it open 100% of the time. 21+ cars have a lot less burble tune then the early F-Paces and F-Types. I much prefer this, as it's not overdone. One other note is the engine literally looks like it could be a crate engine. Very cube-like dimensions.

In terms of capability, the AJ133 does pull hard. Below 60, it is an absolute weapon, and it doesn't need launch control to achieve that (ahem, S58). Around town, you always have power on tap. You're not waiting on turbos to spool up. 3rd gear is when the pull starts letting off, probably because 3rd is a longer gear. The other benefit vs the turbo cars is that the instant torque lets you play with the chassis any time you want. Stock for stock, seems to be about the same speed as an X3MC on a roll looking at the CarWow test. It doesn't have the crazy launch control, though. It's really quick, but doesn't deliver the teleport level acceleration a SC E92 provides. I would say it's quicker than my tuned 958, largely because of gearing. Once out of warranty, I'll be doing pulleys and tune to bump it up to 660hp (from 542). Saw a 2023 F-Type R achieving 570 AWHP on a Mustang dyno with this setup.

Transmission wise, the ZF8 tuning is leagues above the 958's Aisin. In typical driving situations, it's a great match to the smoothness wanted of a typical DD. Then you put into dynamic mode, and it absolutely slams the shifts. Shifts up are met with a crack in the back, and downshifts are granted near instantly. In standard drive + comfort mode, though, it can be a little delayed in giving you power when you slam the pedal down. Sure the entire package can't match a proper S65, but I can't fault it in a modern performance DD. And the burbles and shouts are still entertaining.

In terms of drivetrain, it is significantly smoother than the setup in the Cayenne. The system in the Cayenne reminded me a bit of a GTR in how mechanical the drivetrain bits were, very clunky. The setup in the F-pace is a bit confusing, so I had to look into it. Basically, the Jags use a RWD based transfer case, with F/R torque being proportioned by a Haldex unit. This unit can proportion torque from 50/50 up to 90/10 to the rear. Dynamic mode is 90% RWD. Rear diff is an electronically controlled clutch-based LSD. Took it for a winding road drive in pouring rain and punched it out of a straightening corner exit. Got an impressive angle from the rear end that I had to correct. I can confirm it is very RWD biased. Took it on dirt recently, and it was absolutely hilarious. Like a giant rally car, kicking up massive rooster tails.

Handling
The factory setup on this car is tuned slightly softer than something like an X3M/X5M. The ride even on the 22s is acceptable, if a bit firm. The dampers were clearly tuned for dynamic mode, and then dialed back for comfort mode. It's properly damped in dynamic, underdamped in comfort. This means there is some extra body motion making the ride a bit worse in comfort, but it softens out big road dips. For some reason, suspension is completely tied to drive mode instead of being a simple toggle button. I will mentione that after I swapped from the factory Pirelli AS to PS4S, the ride improved noticeably. Since its been softened relative to the other cars, there is a little bit of suspension movement when driven hard. Taking a corner quickly, there will be a slight bit of lean before it settles into the suspension and tracks through. There is a small amount of dive on heavy braking, and it slightly pitches back on hard acceleration. Basically, it has just enough suspension movement built in that you can feel what the car is doing but still be sporty.

One thing I have noticed in a lot of reviews is that they are delivered on the cruddy Pirelli AS tires. PS4S is absolutely transformative. Steering is surprisingly communicative, if light. There's a touch of road feel, and you can actually feel what the front tires are doing through the wheel. The steering rack is also very quick, meaning you can get the nose pointed very easily. Grip is very high, so you can build up substantial speed on a winding road. I think it's faster on those roads than a stock E9x... Heavily modded E9x is faster, though. More importantly, there is an incredible flow to how this car moves down a backroad. Same reason I bought a second E92 after testing a bunch of more modern cars. Just driving down the road it feels like you're in a rhythm, which few cars do. It feels playful and involving the entire time. It feels great, but I will mention you feel the softer setup (and ride height) on rapid transitions. The factory suspension would probably find its limits when really pushed on a track, but a performance crossover should work on the road above all. Still curious to see what this car could do with some proper coilovers (Nitron, you listening?). Velocity AP does make some progressive lowering springs, which might be an interesting addition. KW used to make a kit, too, but not sure it works on the newer cars.

Brakes are a mixed bag. Don't get me wrong, they are big and have massive cooling ducts (so big, they bump the minimum wheel size from 20" to 21"). They have very effective response and pedal control for fast driving. But around town, I'd describe them as "sticky". It's hard to come to a smooth stop, since they don't have fine control on pad release. Stock pads were toast after 25k miles, so I replaced with Porterfield R4S, which did help modulation a little. Whoever came up with the front caliper setup needs to be punched. A 4 piston caliper that is BOTTOM loading, with two bolts to the hub torqued at 81 ft lbs + 120 degrees AND red Loctite. Near broke myself removing those, and there is no way you could reach that torque except on an assembly line. I think they intended them to be top loading, but made a custom order with Brembo (or whoever) to appease dealers pushing rotor changes with pads (at $5k for everything). Rears are a sliding caliper. Very straight forward to replace, but you need OBD tools to retract the parking brake.

Summary
So far, it's been trouble free, but it's only been a few months. It does smell a bit hot when you push it, but that's reducing the more I drive it. I suspect the previous owners just didn't drive it very hard, so I'm basically doing the break-in instead. There is a bit of dashboard creaking on the passenger A-pillar, and the passenger door lower trim seems to be a bit loose. Will have the dealer mess with that. Very recently I've noticed a light shudder with the AC on at a complete stop. Not noticeable while moving, but don't recall this happening before. Maybe I got a slightly bad tank of gas. Still have another 2 years of warranty, so will be keeping an eye on it. O2 sensors are also known to go bad on these engines. I replaced the tires, battery (AZ owners) and brake pads since getting the car. Battery and pads were typically priced, tires were a bit eye watering since they're 22s. I'm also doing a winter wheel setup, so that will be even more cost. I grabbed a set of Velar SV replica wheels off eBay for $1200, and will be mounting the winters on those.

I do have some mod plans. As the warranty gets closer to ending, I will absolutely be throwing on the Velocity AP pulleys (crank and SC) and tune. I will probably be doing the resonator delete X-pipe, and may also do the VAP lowering springs. I think the car would also benefit from a visit to an audio shop for some sound deadening and upgrading the door mids and woofers.

I'm going to be bold and say that the F-pace SVR is the closest thing to a spiritual successor of the E9x that I've found. A performance car focused more on feel, engagement and usability than being the ultimate track weapon. The more I drive it, the more I enjoy it. The handling, agility and feedback is shocking for this class of car. It's amazing just how close it is to moving down a backroad like the E92. It's just sensational. This is also the swansong of the AJ133, and what an engine it is. Power everywhere, and has a character that none of the modern turbo engines can match. You can enjoy it just playing with gears and throttle while cruising down the road. The ZF8 remains incredible, and the drivetrain gives you most of the RWD fun without risking throwing it off the road. The car is just a joy to use. That said, it is lacking the some of the supercar craziness that the S65 can provide, and of course it won't match a fully built E92 when driven hard. But very few modern cars can replicate that feeling.

Wrapping up, if you are looking for a more practical daily or a modern, more practical one car solution, the F-Pace SVR should be at the top of your list to drive. If you have a JLR dealer nearby, this makes it an even easier decision. This is arguably the most criminally overlooked car on the market. It's so good, it had me questioning if I want to keep my E92 in the garage. I've since changed how I look at my cars from, a fun daily and my toy, to two seperate performance cars for me to enjoy depending on my mood. Kind of like having an F80 and E90 in same garage. Frankly, this is close to the F81 wagon of my dreams. It's sad that there will be no follow-up, but this is one hell of a send off for old-school Jaaaaag.

[Wspangler]

This was very well written and I greatly appreciate your thorough review!! I currently have an F15 X5 and I’m either considering adding an E90 M3 build to the garage or upgrading to a ‘21+ SVR. I’ve had an E92 and the S65 has me wanting to get back into an E9x but the lack of torque and bland interior is something that still sits in the back of my mind.

This piece you wrote makes me feel confident that either choice will bring a smile to my face when driving!

Do you still own the SVR? If so, are you still happy with the purchase?

[Shrike360]

I need to do a proper update post on the car now that it's been nearly a year. The one thing that keeps from fully recommending the car is the amount of creaks and rattles I've been dealing with. Part of it may be related to the fact that the car lived in AZ for 4 years. I swear mine needs a dashboard replacement to fully fix one of them, even if I've mostly shut it up. You can find a lot of recommendations on the F-pace forums to add some proper sound deadening to the doors to resolve the rattles.

I had one major issue, which was apparently the supercharger rotors were rattling. Never heard of this happening before on an Eaton blower, but warranty covered it and I got updated coolant pipes for $450 out of pocket with the swap.

I'm much happier with the car now that I've got some mods in place. Most crucially was the VAP lowering springs, which greatly improved both the ride quality and handling. I also added dual pulleys, and I'd say it can move down the road at roughly the rate of a stock F80 M3 with the springs and power mods. Also, did an X-pipe swap to help with the exhaust tone.

www.youtube.com/shorts/UYU8R7YuLwA

My E92 is vastly more thrilling (in both good and bad ways), but mine is heavily modified. Honestly, the M3 feels like bit of a hassle to take out and drive these days. Traffic, dogs, speed bumps and steep driveways, and the focus it takes to drive a SC 6MT E92 fast makes it very dependent on my mood. The SVR makes all of that easy and still fun, even if it's not quite as special or as much of an event. That said, I don't think there are a lot of modern cars that can match the soundtrack of the AJ V8, especially for the price.