Used 2018 Jaguar F-PACE 20d R-Sport SUV Review

Though it's a relative newcomer to the luxury crossover scene, the Jaguar F-Pace has already made favorable impressions with us as well as the buying public. Coming off its debut year in 2017, the 2018 Jaguar F-Pace is indeed an attractive package. It's elegant, fun to drive, spacious, and even potentially fuel-efficient, depending on your choice of engine and how much fun you want to have.

We happen to prefer the engine sitting at the high end of the power curve, a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 making 380 horsepower in the S model and 340 hp for all 35t trim variants. Jaguar has added a new turbocharged inline-four this year, though. It's good for 247 hp or 296 hp and at a more affordable price. And still available diesel engine returns an impressive 29 mpg in combined driving.

The 2018 Jaguar F-Pace occupies a unique space in the luxury crossover SUV spectrum, splitting the size difference between the small and midsize classes. However, you'll likely be cross-shopping it against smaller crossovers because it lines up with the rest of the class offerings in terms of price and power. Though the F-Pace has some drawbacks, overall we think you'll find it an alluring choice.

What's it like to live with?

For more information on the Jaguar F-Pace of this generation, read about our experiences from a full year of living with a 2017 Jaguar F-Pace 35t Prestige. We cover everything from in-car tech to fuel efficiency. The F-Pace's performance and style won many of us over, but we all took issue with its ride comfort, price and infotainment system. The 2018 F-Pace gains a few driver assist systems that were not available on our long-term test vehicle, but our observations still apply.

The 2018 Jaguar F-Pace is a compact luxury SUV that seats five. There are six main trim levels: base, Premium, Prestige, R-Sport, S and Portfolio. Jaguar also uses four engine designations: 25t, 30t, 35t and 20d. The 25t features the new turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four good for 247 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque, and the 30t version of this engine makes 296 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. The 35t has a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 (340 or 380 hp, and 332 lb-ft of torque). The 20d and its turbocharged 2.0-liter diesel (180 hp, 318 lb-ft) offer maximum fuel economy.

Engine availability varies by trim level, but all F-Paces come equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Note that Jaguar discontinued the 340-hp version of the supercharged V6 engine midway through the model year.

The base F-Pace starts you off with 18-inch wheels, a power liftgate, rear privacy glass, LED running lights, automatic wipers, keyless ignition, a panoramic sunroof, selectable drive modes, dual-zone automatic climate control, power front seats, a 40/20/40-split folding rear seat, simulated leather (LuxTec) upholstery and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. For technology, there's Jaguar's InControl Protect emergency communication services, the InControl 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Bluetooth, and an 11-speaker Meridian sound system with a USB port, an auxiliary audio jack and a CD player. A rearview camera can be added separately.

The Premium trim adds 19-inch wheels, a rearview camera, power-folding and auto-dimming side mirrors and driver-seat memory functions. The Vision package available at the Premium level adds adaptive xenon headlamps with auto-leveling and washers, front and rear parking sensors, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and a blind-spot monitoring system. The Black package adds a gloss black finish to the exterior side vents, window surrounds and front grille.

Both base and Premium F-Pace models can be optioned with a Cold Climate package that adds heated front and rear seats, a heated windshield, heated washer jets and a heated steering wheel. They can also be equipped with a navigation system integrated into the InControl Touch system.

The F-Pace Prestige includes most of the above equipment plus keyless entry, leather upholstery, a power-adjustable steering wheel, a folding rear armrest, voice controls and smartphone apps. The only things that aren't standard above are the Black package and active safety aids, which come with the Prestige Vision package (which also has adaptive LED headlights in place of the xenon units). At the Prestige level you also can specify the Adaptive Dynamics package, which adds an adaptive suspension as well as a special drive mode to optimize grip in challenging road conditions.

The next level up is the R-Sport. This version gets you 20-inch wheels, special R-Sport bumpers and styling elements, foglights, more aggressively bolstered front seats with power-adjustable thigh support, and a simulated leather-trimmed instrument panel. This is in addition to everything above with the exception of the Adaptive Dynamics and Black packages.

The S trim is similarly equipped to the R-Sport but comes with 40 extra horsepower (for a total of 380 hp) and unique S body styling. It also includes the features from the Adaptive Dynamics package.

The Prestige, R-Sport and S can be equipped with the Comfort & Convenience package, which adds ventilated front seats, power-reclining rear seats, a remote release for the folding rear seats and a hands-free, gesture-activated liftgate. There is also a Technology package, which adds a fully digital instrument cluster, 3G onboard Wi-Fi, a 17-speaker Meridian surround-sound audio system, and a different, upgraded InControl Pro 10-inch touchscreen interface with configurable menu screens and quicker response. Available as stand-alone options are a head-up display, roof rails and an Activity Key, a waterproof bracelet that allows you to unlock the car with the key still inside.

Only R-Sport and S can be equipped with the Luxury Interior and Driver Assistance packages. The former includes four-zone automatic climate control with an air quality sensor, additional rear-seat air vents and power sockets, upgraded carpets and headliner, 10-color interior ambient lighting and a cooled glove compartment. The Driver Assistance package adds adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, speed limit notification, a surround-view camera system and an automatic parking system (parallel, perpendicular and exit). The R-Sport and S can also be equipped with 22-inch wheels, though we would advise against getting them in the interest of ride quality.

Finally, the Portfolio sits at the top in price, and is available only as a 35t model. It comes with everything from the Prestige trim, plus 20-inch wheels, all features in the Comfort & Convenience and Luxury Interior packages, and premium leather upholstery and upgraded trim. The Adaptive Dynamics package is optional.

Each vehicle typically comes in multiple versions that are fundamentally similar. The ratings in this review are based on our full test of the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace S (supercharged 3.0L V6 | 8-speed automatic | AWD).

NOTE: Since this test was conducted, the current Jaguar F-Pace has received some revisions, including a new turbocharged inline-four engine and a couple new active safety aids. But our findings remain applicable to this year's Jaguar F-Pace with the V6 engine.