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If a snarling, supercharged V8 isn't enough to make you stand out from the crowd, SVO Bespoke helps separate you by offering up a selection of specialised colours.
Published: 4 August 2022, 15:53
AUTOTRADER
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The ebb and flow of the automotive landscape is often impossible to avoid. We've seen an increase in electromobility and the swing towards electrification on a large scale. Buying trends have also seen the humble sedan make way for the SUV. Taking this a step further is the performance SUV. It's a section of the market that I still struggle to understand; why try to make a high-riding, 3-ton people mover go, stop, and turn like a performance car?
If you're one of those that have the desire to climb into a performance SUV, you're spoiled for choice. There's a smorgasbord of choices from BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and even Jeep, but for the more discerning customer, a performance SUV can only come from the British Isles and it wears either a Land Rover or Jaguar badge.
Jaguar's SVO (Special Vehicle Operations) understands the desire for something a little different from the norm, something special and unique, something that genuinely gets people talking not only for the way that it goes or sounds, but the way it looks as well.
Styling
It's no secret that South Africans love limited editions and custom offerings. We're of the largest consumers of M-division, AMG and Porsche products in the world by percentage; there's a reason why we only get the Golf in GTI guise locally now. Jaguar Land Rover's SVO department leveraged this and in 2021 offered up a selection of 27 custom-ordered Range Rovers that were coated in specialist colours and given uniquely local names in the process. Names like zi Khaleni Plum, Namaqua Orange, and Egoli Yellow all helped capture the imagination.
A second round of speciality colours have made their way to South Africa, adorning 48 Range Rover Sports and Jaguar F-Pace SVRs, including our Gloss Avocado test model, a colour that was as distinct as it's soundtrack. While SVO may have dubbed it "Avocado", the F-Pace SVR carried a decidedly military look and feel in the olive-like colour, offset by the gunmetal trimmings and black accents.
Unless it's the Verde Mantis of a Lamborghini Huracan, I don't think I'd ever actively seek out a green car but I will have to admit that the guacamole-hue of the F-Pace SVR grew on me. In a world filled with silvers, whites, and blacks, the muted notes of the Jaguar were welcomed. It's hardly a "Look at me" colour, but offers a sense of individuality and personalization that is easy to accept and live with.
Space & Interior
Other then the exterior colour, the Jaguar F-Pace SVR is largely unchanged and remains elegant and filled with character, a welcomed change from the stoic, anodyne offerings from the competition. There's just a certain something special in the Jaguar (and Land Rover) wares that makes each drive feel special. Admittedly, as journalists, we don't spend extended time with the vehicles but in the time that we do, even the final drive we take in them feels like an occasion. Perhaps it just takes longer for the shine to wear off, but either way, there's a specific something that makes each drive feel like an occasion.
The supple leather, raised stitching and satin brightwork is offset by the race-inspired SVR bucket seats with their embossed logos and quilted leather detailing. Rear seat passengers are treated to equally fine appointments and luxury with generous headroom and an Alcantara roof lining.
Comfort & Convenience
I'm still rather enamoured with the Pivi Pro dual sim infotainment system in the Jaguar F-pace that utilizes an 11.4-inch curved screen. I first saw this unit in the smaller E-Pace and was immediately taken with the crisp resolution, quick response and ease of use. It's a little more complex than some other entry level systems but the wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless charging are both features that I appreciate. This unit was made an update for the 2022 model year SVR and the SVo Bespoke edition builds on this.
SV Bespoke allows for a multitude of interior trim and colour combinations for those wanting to take their personalization to the next level and create a truly unique offering that best expresses their personalities. The 12.3-inch curved digital driver display offers up a host of display options depending on the desired theme and driving modes.
Performance
The 2022 update of the SVR package saw the engineers iron out some of the kinks in the power delivery of the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine. The switch to the same torque converter as the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 has allowed them to bump the torque output to 700 Nm and shave three tenths off of the standing start sprint to 100 km/h which now comes up in only 4.0-seconds. Part of this also attributed to the new Dynamic Launch control feature that ensures optimal transfer of power to the wheels during hard acceleration.
It's tough to fault the 8-speed automatic gearbox when cruising or pressing on and the AWD driveline helps the SVR feel surefooted and stable. It's nowhere near as dynamic- or sharp-feeling as the opposition, coming across as more sledgehammer than scalpel, but I can appreciate it for what it is. It's a brutish, howling cathedral that checks up suitably well. Jaguar have revised the brakes to ensure that drivers experience a better pedal feel when calling on the 396 mm disc brakes.
Fuel Economy
Let's be perfectly honest here, when the sound from the front of the car sounds like a WWII Spitfire being pushed through the gate and the rear sounds like the 30 mm rounds being fired from the wing armament, you stop caring about the cost of fuel or driving in a sedate manner. Jaguar will claim a fuel consumption of 12.2 but frankly, you're a sociopath is you try and operate an SVR F-Pace in a frugal manner.
Safety
Big brakes and AWD aside, the F-Pace is as safe as proverbial houses. 6 airbags and a plethora of driver assistance systems, including lane keep assist, blind spot warning, adaptive cruise control, all help to make the SVR a safe vehicles and take some of the stress out of driving a 700 Nm SUV.
Price
A base-spec Jaguar F-Pace SVR will run you R1 991 869 before you even start looking at the options list and it's for that reason that the SVO version varies in price the way that it does. The hand-crafted, curated nature of the vehicle will cost a premium and it's best to speak to your Jaguar representative to find out what these additional options will costs you at the end of the day.
Competitors
To keep up with the F-Pace SVR, you have to look towards the BMW X3 M Competiton or Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S and you'd better not forget about the Porsche Cayenne either. These German offerings do what they claim admirably but I still believe that they fail to capture the imagination the way that the Jaguar does.
Verdict As much as I detest the principle of the high-performance SUV, the SVR in its Gloss Avocado colour, stands out and starts to make sense to me. It's not going to shatter lap records and it won't shatter your spine either. It manages to be a brute with a gentle demenour and a sense of humour. It has character by the truck-load and for that I can appreciate it and would even go as far as to say that I like that. It's not trying to be everything to everyone and is unapologetically British, stiff upper lip and all.
Interested in buying a Jaguar F-Pace ?