Jaguar announced the upcoming F-PACE, a production crossover based on the C-X17 concept, just ahead of its Detroit Auto Show debut. The 5-door, 5-passenger vehicle is slated to arrive in Jaguar showrooms in 2016, likely as a 2017 model.
Like the C-X17, the production crossover shares an aluminum platform with the Jaguar XE, a compact sport sedan that makes its North American debut in Detroit.
Although Jaguar expects the F-PACE to deliver performance befitting the marque, the automaker also promises efficiency and practicality from the new crossover. Details about engine and drivetrain choices remain scant, but Jaguar did confirm the availability of all-wheel drive for the F-PACE. Likely available engine choices are a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 shared with the F-TYPE and XE, along with motors from Jaguar’s new Ingenium engine family.
If styling of the F-PACE production vehicle matches that of the C-X17, the look is decidedly sporty and the Jaguar brand is instantly recognizable. At press time, Jaguar provided only a teaser image revealing a taillight similar to that of the F-TYPE roadster. The C-X17 concept wears a distinctly Jaguar face up front, too, with squinty headlights and a prominent, vertical mesh grille flanked by large openings in the lower fascia.
Related: Playing the name game: Jaguar CEO dubs upcoming five-door a ‘sports crossover’
Inside, the C-X17 concept sported a futuristic and minimalist interior design and a center console splitting the rear seat and limiting capacity to four passengers. In the production F-PACE, a rear bench will accommodate a passenger in the center position, bringing capacity to five passengers.
Careful to avoid stepping on the toes of products from its Land Rover brand, Jaguar insists that the F-PACE is a “performance crossover,” not an SUV. As such, Ian Callum, Jag’s director of design, promises a “balance of style, performance and practicality” with a focus on “exceptional on-road dynamics.” Its new, lightweight architecture should help the F-PACE achieve those objectives and differentiate it from Land Rover’s similarly sized but more aged compact SUV, the Range Rover Evoque.
