New Jaguar F-Pace 2021 pricing and spec detailed: Refreshed BMW X3, Audi Q5 rival scores new engines

Jaguar has refreshed its second best-selling model for 2021 with an extensive redesign, all-new six-cylinder engine options, a complete cabin overhaul, next-generation multimedia technology, improved safety and sharper pricing.

With UK production commencing in November, the MY21 F-Pace Series II will kick off from $74,990 before on-road costs when stock starts arriving in the first quarter of next year, making it more affordable and better value than before.

As with other recently unveiled Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) models like the 2021 Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery, the number of variants has been cut drastically, from 18 to just five.

All will be in sporty R-Dynamic configuration with all-wheel drive (AWD), which means the wheel-size minimum is 19 inches, all lighting is LED, the lower body sides are in contrasted hues and the cabin has a darker and higher-tech ambience, but three trim choices – base S, mid-range SE and flagship HSE – will also separate the 2021 F-Pace range.

On the flipside, while the new base F-Pace S P250 AWD is nearly $2000 cheaper than the old entry-level 20d R-Sport rear-wheel-drive opener and $5000 under the previous 25t R-Sport AWD equivalent, diesel fans must now fork out around $18,000 more for the lone SE D300 AWD, as all lower-spec four-cylinder diesels have been binned for Australia.

The most obvious exterior alterations are up front, thanks to a restyled nose cone featuring slimmer ‘laser-etched’ headlights boasting a ‘double-J’ motif and animated indicators, a now-wider mesh grille, reworked bonnet with a bigger bulge and more aero-efficient bumper. At the rear, the goal is to give the four-year-old SUV a wider and more imposing stance, brought by a lower-mounted bumper, smaller tail-lights and a reshaped tailgate. Also, look for the Jaguar badge on the side vents.

It’s a complete renovation inside the MY21 F-Pace, marked by wider front seating and a fresh dashboard presentation featuring a 12.3-inch digital driver-display screen with multi-configurable instrumentation and full-screen 3D mapping. There's also a floating 11.4-inch curved-glass touchscreen, better-integrated design elements with improved tactility, as well as aesthetics for all touch-point surfaces, the inclusion of JLR’s Pivi Pro multimedia system and a true surround-view camera set-up.

Along with a simplified yet beautified interface offering substantially faster and wider-ranging abilities, Pivi Pro has its own power source and SIM card for instant-on service with zero delay, as well as over-the-air updates, two-phone connection capability, Wi-Fi hotspotting for eight devices and 15-watt wireless smartphone charging with signal booster.

Additionally, the new electrical architecture Pivi Pro ushers in also allows for improved air quality and purification through Nanoe Technology, active road-noise cancellation (JLR claims this is segment-first), a user-settings memory key fob and watch-style Activity Key band that completely dispenses with having to carry a key.

There’s also an emphasis on ‘Contemporary British Design’ driving the use of open-pore wood trim, quilted leather upholstery and – at last – a new gear shifter with cricket-ball stitched detailing, replacing the controversial rising rounded item in the previous non-SVR grades. Most buttons and controls – including the power window switchgear – have been redesigned or repositioned for improved ergonomics.

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It’s all change under the bonnet as well, with the not-so-old Ingenium-series 132kW/430Nm 20d and 177kW/500Nm 25d 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel biting the dust, leaving the 25t 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol alternative to carry on as the base engine.

Now known as P250 and offered in S and SE grades, it delivers the same 183kW of power and 365Nm of torque to all four wheels via a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, for a 0-100km/h sprint-time of 7.3 seconds as well as a combined fuel consumption average of 9.3 litres per 100km.

Note that the higher-spec 221kW/400Nm 30t version of that 2.0-litre four-pot petrol unit has been ditched, along with the 280kW/450Nm 35t’s 3.0-litre supercharged V6 petrol and 405kW/680Nm 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol powerhouse in the sledgehammer SVR (which will be replaced in the not-too-distant future).

In their places comes JLR’s all-new Ingenium 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder (I6) petrol engine. In 294kW/550Nm P400 guise from $97,400 SE and $109,150 HSE grades, it uses both an electric supercharger (driven by a 48V motor) and a twin-scroll turbocharger to help the mid-sized SUV bolt past 100km/h in 5.4s, on the way to a 250km/h top speed.

On the diesel front, there’s just one (down from 10 ) options – the aforementioned SE D300 from $94,940. It’s motivated by an all-new 221kW/650Nm 3.0-litre I6 twin-turbo diesel, capable of accelerating from zero to 100km/h in 6.4s and sipping 7.4L/100km, the latter with the aid of 48V mild-hybrid electric vehicle tech using captured energy through a regenerative braking system.

Overseas markets also offer a P400e plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, combining a 105kW EV motor, 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine and lithium-ion battery plus on-board charger, for a 2.2L/100km combined average and 0-100km/h in just 5.0s, but that’s been overlooked for Australia.

Finally, on the safety front, the F-Pace now includes a Clear Exit Monitor (great for not dooring cyclists), improved adaptive cruise control and a driver condition monitor to help keep fatigue in check.

As before, the F-Pace employs JLR’s D7 platform shared with the current XE medium and XF large sedans, as well as the Range Rover Velar, making them all monocoque bodied vehicles. It continues with a double-wishbone arrangement up front and an integral link rear-end set-up, with the new I6 models standardising adaptive dampers for a greater degree of ride-comfort or firmer suspension tune.

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More information, including specific equipment listings for all the grades, will be provided later on.

F-Pace sales are down 40 per cent year on year, with just 229 registrations to the end of August, putting it in tenth place in the over $70,000 Large SUV segment, behind the Porsche Cayenne Coupe (315 units), Range Rover Velar (399), BMW X6 (414), Porsche Cayenne Wagon (499), Volvo XC90 (584), Volkswagen Touareg (769), Audi Q7 (998), Range Rover Sport (1140), Lexus RX (1209), BMW X5 (1718) and Mercedes-Benz GLE (2074).

That decline is well ahead of the 18 per cent fall the class has experienced this year, though the GLE’s complete redesign last year and its subsequent 147 per cent jump in sales has kept both the latter and the segment comparatively buoyant.

2021 Jaguar F-Pace pricing before on-road costs: