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2022 Jaguar F-Pace SVR Road Test | Enjoy the hot-rod SUV while it lasts

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. -- Jaguar has been steering away from sedans, which makes good business sense. With the demise of the XJ and XE, the company’s lineup is as taut as itÂ’s been in recent memory. ThatÂ’s OK, the F-Pace plays a lot of roles. ItÂ’s the most practical and best-selling Jaguar, and in SVR trim, itÂ’s the embodiment of the modern muscle crossover. In fact, it's a legit hot rod. This is our first chance behind the wheel of the SVR since it was updated for the 2021 model year along with the rest of the F-Pace lineup. In short: the powertrain is slightly torquier, the brakes and suspension are bolstered, the cabin gets JaguarÂ’s Pivi Pro infotainment, and the front end is tweaked with new headlights and body work. ItÂ’s subtle. Driving the F-Pace SVR is anything but. The product of JaguarÂ’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO), the SVR is a series of visceral experiences, some of them raw and adrenaline-inducing, some of them surprisingly calm. In Sport mode the Jaguar shifts quicker to accelerate harder and the full-throated roar of the exhaust is on display. In Eco or Comfort modes, things are chiller, but I still usually cued up the active exhaust system, which can be switched off and on with a button near the gear shifter.  The supercharged 5.0-liter V8 is old-school, fierce and one of the reasons you buy this Jaguar. With 550 horsepower and 516 pound-feet, itÂ’s firmly in the upper class among performance-oriented SUVs, and the 3.8-second sprint to 60 mph is impressive for a compact crossover thatÂ’s on the larger size for the segment. While the V8 is a quickly disappearing throwback, Jaguar hasnÂ’t used it as prolifically as American or German luxury brands throughout its 100-year history — often skipping from six to 12 cylinders — depending on the car and the time period. Driving the F-Pace SVR with its supercharged eight cylinders is to experience the apogee of JaguarÂ’s 2010s pivot to V8 muscle, before the brand transitions to electric vehicles by the end of the decade. It's best to live in the present in the F-Pace SVR. On a wide-open Saturday morning, I dial up Sport Mode, crack the windows to let in the exhaust note and set out for a day trip to visit family on the other side of town. With the snow disappearing on this warm late winter morning, I make the most of a fleeting opportunity to push the F-Pace a bit, with quick launches and enthusiastic acceleration into open gaps on the expressway.

2017 Jaguar electric SUV to draw stylistically from C-X75

Jaguar is gearing up to launch its first all-electric model. And given the direction the industry is going – to say nothing of previous reports – it should come as little surprise that it'll be an SUV. And though details are few and far between at this point, some information is beginning to surface. According to British publication Autocar, the forthcoming electric crossover will draw its stylistic inspiration from the C-X75 concept. For those who may not recall (or haven't seen the new Bond flick), the C-X75 was Jaguar's idea for a hybrid hypercar to compete with the likes of the McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder, and LaFerrari. After initial plans for a turbine powertrain were scrapped in favor of a small twin-charged four-cylinder hybrid, plans for production were ultimately shelved. But the vehicle resurfaced for a starring role in the new 007 film Spectre. If the decision to put a defunct concept in a new movie struck you as odd, reports of the electric crossover's design direction may cast it in new light. By putting the C-X75's design in the public spotlight, Jaguar Land Rover could be preparing us for the SUV's arrival. But then that could prove entirely speculative at this point. The model is set to slot in, size-wise, beneath the new F-Pace, and join a new wave of electric crossovers coming to market. The Tesla Model X will be first when it launches next year, and Audi is expected to launch its Q6 E-Tron Quattro in 2018. The Jaguar could split the difference and surface as soon as 2017. Volvo is also tipped to be preparing an electric crossover based on the XC90 to follow in 2019 as well. It may be too early to speculate on the electric powertrain that will motivate the new Jaguar, tipped to be dubbed E-Pace. However reports that parent company Tata is developing lightweight electric in-wheel hub motors could give us an idea of the direction in which Jaguar could head. Expect it to borrow its aluminum platform from the XE and F-Pace, with production potentially to be undertaken by Magna Steyr in Austria. Of course, the E-Pace won't be the company's only EV. It has several prototypes in the works, and we can expect it to roll out additional production models in the coming year.

Jaguar Land Rover is going to call itself 'JLR' and spin off brands

Embracing the current popular philosophy that less is more, the executives at Jaguar Land Rover plan to officially rename their company “JLR” and to create a new “house of brands” that will emphasize name equity and refocus its vehicle offerings. In simple terms, the British-based, India-owned company will split into four separate brands: Range Rover, Discovery, Defender and Jaguar. While this shift may appear to be essentially a function of marketing and dealership bookkeeping, the over-arching reason is to give some of the brands more visibility. Details of the plan, which would reconfigure showrooms in Britain into discrete brand footprints, were discussed this week at a presentation by JLR CEO Adrian Mardell. “The reality is Range Rover is a brand and so is Defender,’” said creative officer Gerry McGovern. “Customers say they own a Range Rover. In luxury, you need absolute clarity. Land Rover Range Rover SV Autobiography doesnÂ’t give it. We love Land Rover, but there isn't as much equity as Range Rover, and Defender is increasing massively.”  Underlying the effort is plans to reinvent Jaguar as an electric-only luxury brand, Mardell said that this was “unfinished business” for him since he joined Jaguar 32 years ago. “The Jaguar of 32 years ago is where weÂ’re going back to and the right place for us to be." He further acknowledged that JLR had been “quiet” recently in the face of semiconductor chip shortages, but allowed that that situation was easing at his company.