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Jaguar’s F-Pace SUV gets torture tested ahead of Frankfurt debut

Carmakers generally like to keep the testing of new models on the DL, but in the age of the Internet testing can provide a handy way to remind the public of models that may have dropped off people’s radar screens during a lengthy development period.

The Jaguar F-Pace will debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, but in the meantime, Jag wanted to show what its first SUV could do in climatic extremes.

The F-Pace was sent to Jaguar Land Rover’s testing facility in Arjeplog, Sweden, where temperatures can plummet to a chilly -40 degrees Fahrenheit, and rarely reach above 5 degrees. It also spent some time in Dubai, where it was exposed to temperatures of 122 degrees Fahrenheit (in the shade, Jag says), and where direct sunlight can bake interiors with 158-degree heat.

Images released of the F-Pace so far show a vehicle that remains pretty close to the C-X17 concept that debuted at Frankfurt in 2013 as the first preview of Jaguar’s first utility vehicle. Hopefully the production version will be a little less ungainly once the camouflage is stripped off.

Under the skin, the F-Pace will feature all-wheel drive, Jaguar’s All-Surface Progress Control low-speed cruise control, as well as a range of engines shared with other Jaguar and Land Rover models. That’s likely to include turbocharged four-cylinder engines from the new Ingenium line, and the company’s trusty 3.0-liter supercharged V6.

The F-Pace will likely be a smallish crossover, competing with the likes of the Audi Q5, BMW X3/X4, Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class, and Porsche Macan. It will probably prioritize sporty on-road handling over off-road ability. That’s what Jaguar sibling brand Land Rover is for, after all.

The name F-Pace, incidentally, is a reference to “Grace, Pace, and Space,” a Jaguar ad tagline from the 1950s and ’60s. This crossover should offer plenty of space, but we’ll just have to wait and see about the “grace” and “pace.”

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Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
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