First things first, let’s get the obvious objections out of the way: if you’re concerned about fuel economy, affordable maintenance, and road noise, the Jaguar F-Pace SVR is absolutely not the right car for you. The F-Pace SVR is brash, deafeningly loud, crudely offensive, and borderline anti-social, but for some people–the right people–its imperfect attributes are precisely what make Jaguar’s super-SUV so uniquely captivating.
An uncommon occurrence for a brand-new car of our current era, the Jaguar F-Pace SVR has a distinct character like no other. You either harbor a deep, unrelenting adoration for supercharged, V8-powered Jaguars, or you utterly despise their sheer crudeness–there is no in-between. That unapologetic nature of Jaguar’s most exciting offerings is what loyalists of the brands have always cherished. In a sort of “if you know, you know” fashion, Jaguar has long appealed only to those buyers who truly appreciated the brand’s relative insanity–its emotional appeal. The F-Pace SVR (along with the recently-discontinued F-Type), resembles the last remnants of a Jaguar that now, to the detriment of long-time fans and many loyal buyers, no longer exists.
Cole Attisha
The soul of a Jaguar SVR is irreplaceable and inimitable
Now that Jaguar has announced its intention of discontinuing its entire lineup in favor of pricey, fully electric passenger cars, I grip the textured-leather steering wheel of the F-Pace SVR even tighter than I used to. I know that as I pack on the miles, slamming through its gears and listening to the raucous growl of its active exhaust system, there’s nothing left out there that could ever replace its soul when the lease ends and it has to go.
That’s something that a lot of people fail to understand about cars these days–we used to laud vehicles that felt innately human, for better or for worse, because that humanity allowed us to form bonds and relationships with our cars that not only imprinted memories of driving them into our minds, but also memories of life itself that occurred during our ownership of those cars. Like the nostalgic scent of an old school hallway’s carpeting or the distinct taste of grandma’s baking that you haven’t experienced in decades, the sound and feel of a V8-powered Jaguar transports your mind to a better place–an ancient time–that can no longer be accessed in the physical world.
Cole Attisha
The F-Pace SVR offers more visceral thrills than its rivals for less money
It’s not like there aren’t other V8-powered super sedans or performance SUVs out there, either. Porsche will still sell you a Cayenne with a twin-turbocharged V8, Aston Martin offers the AMG-powered DBX, and even a Range Rover can be had with a BMW V8. However, not only are each of those options exponentially more expensive than the F-Pace SVR, they simply don’t make you laugh as uncontrollably hard as the SVR does when you plant your right foot to the floor and pull back the paddle shifter, only to hear the inimitable whip-crack of the ZF 8-speed gearbox rushing the supercharged, 542-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8 to its absolute limit. For me, what makes the F-Pace SVR so irreplaceable is simply that–it feels unlike anything else out there. Sure, a Cayenne Turbo GT can accelerate so much harder that you’d think the F-Pace forgot to launch, and a DBX will surely turn more heads as you drive down your city’s main strip, but nothing can match the angsty, underdog charm that the F-Pace SVR so perfectly exudes.
Cole Attisha
The F-Pace SVR is simply phenomenal to drive
Picture this: You’ve got a supercharged, 5.0-liter V8 pumping out 542 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. All that muscle is mated to a ZF 8-speed automatic that doesn’t let any of it go to waste and sends it to all four wheels. Sure, it’s an SUV, but with a curb weight of just 4,535 pounds, it’s only about a hundred pounds heavier than a Porsche Macan GTS, despite packing two extra cylinders and over a hundred more horsepower. In “Dynamic” mode, shove it into a tight hairpin, and you’d be surprised how little body roll gets in your way. Jaguar’s all-wheel drive system moves the power around to exactly where you need it to be, affording you precise traction and grip and almost entirely eliminating understeer.
Despite its precision handling, the real icing on the cake for the F-Pace SVR is how lively it is during a spirited drive. Stomp on the throttle, and you’ll hear a thunderous roar that makes an actual jaguar sound like a domesticated household kitten. Pull back the paddle shifter to move up a gear under heavy throttle, and you’ll feel a jolt akin to being struck by lightning. Thankfully, the “pop pop pop” crackles that some Jags used to make upon downshifting has been replaced by more crisp downshifts, followed by a natural rumble of the motor that suggests it’s very angry with you for slowing down. At all times, the F-Pace SVR taunts you with its power, urging you at every moment to stomp on the throttle and manipulate your very own thunder and lightning storm that takes place beneath the bonnet.
Cole Attisha
Jaguars are all about how they make you feel–inside and out
The F-Pace SVR isn’t the first Jaguar I’ve gotten to know this well. When I was very young, my grandfather purchased a black-on-black 2001 Jaguar XJ8 as a retirement gift to himself. I vividly remember standing out front of my elementary school, observing a sea of Volvos, Acuras, and Lexuses pulling up to pick up my classmates. As I waited for my mom’s Honda minivan to show up, once in a while, if I was lucky enough and if my mother had to work late, my grandfather would pick me up instead. When that sleek, shiny black XJ8 pulled around the corner and up to the curb, my heart raced in such a way that only another Jaguar could ever replicate.
Almost twenty years later, I bought my very own 2001 XJ8, painted in dark blue over an ivory white leather interior with gorgeous burl walnut wood strewn about the cabin on just about every surface you could imagine. Once again, as I sat behind the wheel and cruised around on sunny summer days, I felt that same feeling in my heart that I had almost entirely forgotten. Now, driving the 2024 F-Pace SVR, even though it’s an entirely different driving experience compared to the early 2000s XJ8, that feeling in my chest remains unchanged–and unmatched by any other brand. That feeling, that only those who have experienced the greatness of a fine Jaguar product and fallen helplessly in love with it could ever truly understand, is what I’m so terrified of losing as Jaguar abandons its heritage in favor of flashy electric cars designed to stir up controversy on social media.
Cole Attisha
Jaguar’s signature duality echoes throughout the F-Pace SVR, mirroring thrilling performance with plush comfort
Although the driving experience of the F-Pace SVR can be completely unique compared to more softened and sedate Jags of the past, such as the XJ8, the F-Pace can just as easily transform into the cushy, comfortable Jaguar you might want it to be on a day where you may have a bit less energy, an annoying headache, or maybe you just want some peace and quiet. Twist its drive mode selector to “Comfort” mode, switch the gearbox to its automatic setting, engage the adaptive cruise control, and then sit back and relax.
Although the SVR gives up the immensely relaxing massage seating function that’s optional in the P400 model in favor of lightweight, performance bucket seats, the V8-powered F-Pace retains the plush comfort one would expect from a luxury SUV of its caliber. Call me freakish if you must, but I believe the most comfortable way to enjoy the F-Pace is to engage the ventilated seat function to its maximum setting and to turn on the steering wheel’s heating function. Think of it as the seating comfort equivalent to a chocolate-covered caramel with a dash of Himalayan pink salt.
Cole Attisha
Final thoughts
While the F-Pace SVR might make you feel pain at the fuel pump, dread at the service facility, and slight sheepishness when your Tesla-driving neighbors sneer at you as you pull into your driveway every day, when you’re behind the wheel on an open road, the supercharged V8 Jag reminds you that you are alive, and that, yes, this is really happening. Your heart will race, your blood will boil, you’ll feel like the king of the world one day and like a complete social outcast the next. The most important thing is that the F-Pace SVR will make you feel, and isn’t that what life’s all about? Sure, maybe other vehicles from other brands will make similar emotional appeals, but none will ever make you feel things in the same, utterly charming, captivating, and distinct way that a Jaguar will.
My advice? If you believe you can stomach the cost-induced headaches and the inevitable screaming matches with your financial advisor and care enough about the experience of your life to push yourself through the hard times, run and get your hands on one while you still can, before you’re forced to own a soulless, appliance-like electric car. Live your life on your own terms. Drink in the symphonic noise of Jaguar’s supercharged 5.0-liter AJ V8 like it’s a bottle of fine, well-aged scotch on the beach mid-summer, and bathe yourself in the supple leather and Alcantara upholstery like you’re rolling around in silk sheets with a fleeting love affair. The Jaguar F-Pace SVR urges you at every moment to live in the present, to make decisions based entirely on emotion rather than logical reasoning, and to be unapologetically human. Enjoy one while you still can–I sure have.
