2017 Jaguar F-Pace: What's It Like to Live With?

What do you want to know about?

• Introduction
• Monthly Update for April 2017
• Exploring InControl Touch Pro, A Pricey Entertainment and Nav System
• Monthly Update for May 2017
• Monthly Update for June 2017
• Performance Tested
• Monthly Update for July 2017
• Monthly Update for August 2017
• Monthly Update for September 2017
• Monthly Update for October 2017
• Monthly Update for November 2017
• Monthly Update for December 2017
• Monthly Update for January 2018
• Monthly Update for February 2018
• Monthly Update for March 2018
• Wrap-Up

Introduction

What Did We Buy?
For the last couple of years, SUVs have outsold sedans, and the trend shows no signs of slowing. Mercedes-Benz entered the SUV market in 1997, followed by BMW in 1999, Porsche in 2002 and Audi in 2005. Here we are in 2017 and finally Jaguar enters the ring with the F-Pace.

We've evaluated the F-Pace on a short-term basis and it received favorable scores in a number of categories. It proved it was more than just a pretty face thanks to its impressive performance, general interior comfort and surprising amount of cargo space.

Since it went on sale in September of 2016, the F-Pace has become the best-selling Jaguar in the company's 72-year history. Our recent track record with long-term Jags has also been favorable, with no mechanical issues to report with our 2012 XF or 2015 F-Type Coupe. We'll be interested to see if this 2017 Jaguar F-Pace will continue that trajectory and confirm our positive initial impressions.

What Options Does It Have?
The base F-Pace with a 247-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder starts around $43,000, and the range-topping S trim with a 380-hp supercharged 3.0-liter V6 will set you back $60,000 without options. We opted for a middle-of-the-road version in Prestige trim with the supercharged 3.0-liter (35t) engine that's good for 340 hp. Its price starts around $52,000.

Notable standard features for the base F-Pace include all-wheel drive, a power liftgate, keyless ignition and entry, a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, simulated leather upholstery, Jaguar's InControl Touch 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system and an 11-speaker Meridian sound system. The Premium trim adds items such as a rearview camera, power-folding and auto-dimming mirrors, and driver-seat memory functions.

Our Prestige long-termer comes standard with all of that plus xenon headlights, parking sensors, heated front seats and steering wheel, leather upholstery, a power-adjustable steering wheel, a navigation system and smartphone apps.

On top of all those features, we added the Technology package (a 10-inch touchscreen, a Wi-Fi hotspot and a virtual instrument panel); the Vision package (adaptive LED headlights, headlight washers, automatic high beams, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert); the Comfort and Convenience package (upgraded leather upholstery, cooled front seats, heated rear seats, rear-seat power recline, remote rear-seat releases and a hands-free liftgate); 20-inch wheels; gloss black exterior trim; etched aluminum interior trim; a tow hitch; a cargo area rail system; a black headliner; and the deep Odyssey Red Metallic paint.

The as-tested MSRP is $63,320, and there was no negotiation necessary since the vehicle was provided on loan from Jaguar Land Rover.

Why We Got It?
An SUV with the Jaguar name on it seems about as out of place as an SUV wearing the Porsche crest. Yet the Porsche Cayenne and its smaller cousin, the Macan, have become the best-selling vehicles in Porsche's lineup. Jaguar is hoping to see the same kind of enthusiasm for the F-Pace and early sales numbers indicate that's the case.

The question on our minds is how true to the Jaguar name the F-Pace feels when you drive it every day. Does it have the same kind of athletic feel as the sedans? Does it stand out in the SUV crowd as the F-Type coupe does against its respective competitors? And finally, is it practical in all the ways that an SUV should be?

For the next 12 months, we'll throw our F-Pace into every possible situation to see how it handles a wide variety of tasks. From extended road trips to hauling kids to school, it'll see a little bit of everything along the way. Follow its progress on our long-term road test page and on Instagram for our latest thoughts and impressions of this sleek, sporty and capable SUV.

The manufacturer provided this vehicle for the purpose of evaluation.

Monthly Update for April 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
Our 2017 Jaguar F-Pace arrived to our office late March, and we've already logged 2,585 miles on the odometer. Early consensus? We like driving this thing.

I took the F-Pace up to Santa Barbara for a weekend family get-together. We had our 50-pound dog in the backseat, and the rear cargo area filled with all kinds of baked goods, clothes and dog accessories. Jaguar says there's 33.5 cubic feet of storage back there, and we used every last piece of real estate.

I wanted to show off the fancy Jaguar to my mom, who was in the market for a new SUV, so of course I immediately caught the flu and spent the next two days in bed delirious. The F-Pace nonetheless provided everything we needed — space, namely — and a bunch of extra features such as attractive styling, a powerful engine and enjoyable handling.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
The sheer number of miles we've logged would indicate lots of freeway driving. Unfortunately, our F-Pace has yet to meet even the EPA's 18 mpg city fuel economy rating. Sure, we like exploring the acceleration from that supercharged V6, but we also hope to see fuel economy improve as our time goes on with this SUV.

Average lifetime mpg: 17
EPA mpg rating: 20 combined (18 city/23 highway)
Best fill mpg: 20.9
Best range: 313 miles
Current odometer: 2,585 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights
Interior
"Can one 6-footer sit behind another? I think it's an important question in this class, and the answer in the F-Pace's case is yes. Barely. I positioned the front seat for my lanky 6-foot self and had just enough room for my shins behind the front seatback. Headroom's fine, and the generous footroom under the front seat is much appreciated. Spacious? No, but I'll call it serviceable." — Josh Sadlier, Content Strategist

"Holy panoramic sunroof! This one goes from the visors clear to the rear headrests. It's most of the roof. Editor Jason Kavanagh — he of the periodic anti-sunroof rants — is gonna have an aneurysm. For the record, I love it."— Josh Sadlier

"The interior has an odd mix of materials that left me a little cold. It looks more German than I was expecting. Maybe it's just the trim we selected, but it doesn't give off the kind of warm, inviting feeling I expect from a Jaguar. I do like the simplicity of it all. Between the main interface screen and the minimal climate control buttons, the dashboard has a very clean look. Everything seems well put together, so I'll reserve judgment on the cabin until I get additional seat time." — Ed Hellwig, Executive Editor

Performance
"Finally, a crossover with personality! Dig even partially into the throttle and the F-Pace opens the taps on its supercharged 3.0-liter V6. Three hundred and forty horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque aren't exactly awe-inspiring on paper, but put your foot down and the subsequent thrust (and boisterous engine note) will impress even performance-minded drivers. However, I find the throttle too twitchy at low speeds. The Jag feels high-strung, like it's ready to charge ahead as soon as you push the pedal just a little harder." — Cameron Rogers, Associate Editor

Comfort
"The ride quality is pretty stiff compared to other luxury SUVs. The available adaptive suspension may help this a bit, but even our short-term test car from last year (it had the adaptive suspension) got dinged for this. In some ways, it feels like the overly stiff Audi SQ5 I rated awhile back, but it's not a deal breaker for me." — Mark Takahashi, Senior Writer

Miscellaneous
"This is a Jag? Could have fooled me. I honestly don't register any semblance of a 'this is special' vibe. It's another decent SUV, but with a weird shifter and oddly placed window switches. Caveat: I've only driven it a single day, there was traffic, and we didn't journey anywhere. It does deserve another shot." — Dan Edmunds, Testing Director

Exploring InControl Touch Pro, A Pricey Entertainment and Nav System

Two years ago one of the guys responsible for Jaguar's new entertainment system, dubbed InControl Touch Pro, was giving me a demonstration of the system's broad array of features. It looked slick, and the pretty 10.2-inch display reacted quickly to inputs. Still, I use my phone more than my car, so I asked about Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support. To my surprise, he brushed off the idea.

After logging a bunch of miles in our 2017 Jaguar F-Pace, I wish I could ask that question again. InControl Touch Pro is a $3,265 option, adding a 10.2-inch center display, navigation, on-board Wi-Fi, and a surround-sound system. It also replaces the gauge cluster with a 12.3-inch digital display. Both displays are attractive and switch between menus quickly.

But I was most interested in exploring the functionality Jaguar offers within the system in place of supporting Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. I found that, while it can do some neat things, overall it comes up woefully short of the capabilities and ease of use from the solutions from Apple and Google.

Setting it up
I went to incontrol.jaguar.com and, after accepting a bunch of legalese, created an account. Part of the process requires going outside, starting the car, and holding one of the SOS buttons for a few seconds in order for the system to communicate with something in space. The account also logs your VIN and license plate info. The latter is for assisting in emergencies or if your car gets stolen.

Through the website you can track your trips, including distance, duration, average speed, and efficiency. You could also stalk co-workers. You shouldn't. But you could.

What do you do after that? Download apps on your phone. For reference, I'm using a Google Pixel with the latest version of Android. The Google Play store lists four Jaguar InControl-related applications, each with middling reviews. I downloaded each.

Jaguar InControl Remote
The promise: Think of the Remote app like a more capable keyfob for your phone. It can lock and unlock doors, start the car with a target climate setting, and flash the lights and beep the horn to help you find the car in crowded parking lot. It also shows where you last parked and can give directions back to your car.

The reality: These features work most of the time. There's a bit of delay between making the command and the action, like a minute between hitting start and the car actually starting. I've had some functions time out, but that could be due to connectivity issues in the area. The navigate to where you last parked feature is neat, and on my phone launches right into Google Maps. Pretty sweet.

Jaguar InControl Apps
The promise: From the app description: "Jaguar InControl Apps enables you to use vehicle optimised [British spelling] smartphone apps on the vehicles (sic) touch screen by connecting your smartphone with a USB cable to the dedicated InControl Apps USB port. Once connected, the apps on the vehicle's touch screen have the same look and feel as they do on your smartphone. A variety of approved vehicle optimised apps such as: Contacts, Calendar and Music Player will be available, with more third party vehicle optimised apps becoming compatible over time for a continually fresh and personal user experience."

The reality: Untested, the number of "optimised" apps is tiny, and the majority of them see to be orientated toward owners in the U.K. My primary driving apps — Google Maps, Waze, Spotify, Pocket Casts — are not supported. Chances are your favorites aren't here either. Deleted.

Jaguar Touch Pro Tour USA
The promise: From the app description: "This simulator guides you through InControl Touch Pro's key features including its all-new predictive navigation system and its rich and engaging visual and audio experiences."

The reality: Don't download this application. It's intended to be a tour of InControl Touch Pro's capabilities, but it launches to a black screen and doesn't do anything. Not a good showing.

Jaguar Route Planner
The promise: "Set your destination from your smartphone and you'll be directed to your Jaguar as the app detects your vehicle's location. The smartphone app will then automatically sync with your Jaguar's navigation system using the Cloud so your car will be ready to take over navigating soon after you get in. Once you've finished your in-car journey, navigation is then handed back to your smartphone, which provides any final public transport and pedestrian directions to your final destination."

The reality: This app refused to accept my InControl username and password, so I figured the average 1.8-star review indicated many users had the same problem. I was wrong. This app, much like the car's navigation system, requires an entirely different account than the one I created before.

In order to activate this one, the system must have internet access. In order to get online, you have to plug in the SIM card located in the owner's manual. After waiting a few minutes, the system gets online, and you can create a profile.

After entering in all my information, including my birthdate (why does a navigation program need this?), I was greeted with the following error message:

This is a bad error message. Not only does it fail to tell you why there was an error, it also lacks an code that someone on tech support could look up. Fortunately, restarting the car cleared the error, and I was able to log in.

After all this, I booted up the Route Planner and started entering addresses. It couldn't find any. Not my home address, not my work address, and not obvious places like Starbucks or McDonald's. The point-of-interest search finds nothing in Los Angeles. But hey, at least the web portal (jaguar.here.com) works as advertised.

So does Google Maps, and that's the problem. InControl Touch works fine and has some neat ideas, but provides no significant advantage over Android Auto or Apple CarPlay integration. Further, the process of setting up InControl Touch is convoluted in comparison to those solutions, which require little more than just plugging in your phone.

Indeed, both Apple and Google say Jaguar is bringing support soon.

Monthly Update for May 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
There were no road trips on the schedule for our 2017 Jaguar F-Pace in May, but it still logged plenty of additional miles. Almost all of them were either in stop-and-go city traffic or the occasional late-night open freeway jaunt that makes leaving the office late worth it.

Regardless of the circumstances, the F-Pace made an impression on several of our drivers who got behind the wheel. Senior Consumer Advice EditorMatt Jones liked the feel of the F-Pace but couldn't get over the fact that he couldn't find the button to close the sunroof. I'm pretty sure he'll get over it.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?

Average lifetime mpg: 17.2
EPA mpg rating: 20 combined (18 city/23 highway)
Best fill mpg: 20.9
Best range: 313 miles
Current odometer: 3,893 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights

Interior
"The rear window is too small and, combined with headrests that don't fold down, really hampers rearward visibility. The rising beltline exacerbates the problem. Lane changes to the right require a bit of faith. It seems like this is one of those ownership concessions you'll have to accept. Passing a last-generation Cayenne S, with its vast widescreen pane of rear glass, was a reminder that good form doesn't require abandoning function." — Dan Frio, automotive editor

"I've been driving cars a long time, and although I don't claim to know every nook and cranny or feature of every new vehicle, I am confident enough in my automotive prowess to say, with total confidence, that I can proficiently open and close a moonroof. Well, I mean I thought that until I drove the Jaguar F-Pace last weekend.

"I picked up the Jag on a Friday night. While walking up to the SUV, I hit the unlock button on the key fob twice and held it. I usually do this when I'm getting into a car that is new to me to see if it will roll down the windows and open the moonroof. No surprise, the F-Pace key allowed for both. I love open-air driving, and I will drive with a moonroof open nearly every chance I get. So even though it was 11 p.m., cloudy and about 65 degrees out, I planned to keep the big panoramic roof open for my 40-mile commute home.

"About 10 miles into the trip, however, things started getting foggy and moisture was creeping into the cabin. I decided to close the moonroof, except I couldn't figure out how. The button that looks like it should close the moonroof doesn't, and I couldn't find any other button that looked like it would close all that glass. So I continued to drive home and just dealt with a little bit of wet.

"When I got home and parked, I still couldn't figure out how to close the roof. I spent 10 minutes trying, pressing the button that should have done the job. I pulled out the instruction manual, still no luck. I even called my co-worker Cameron Rogers for suggestions and help. No dice. All told, I spent about 30 minutes trying to figure how to shut the panel. I was beaten.

"By midnight, I'd had enough and did the only reasonable thing I could think of. I left the SUV, went inside the house and ate some spaghetti. While eating, I looked up some F-Pace forums and found a solution that was not included in the manual or the quick-start guide. (And if it was, I missed it.)

"If you stand outside the locked vehicle with the key fob and touch the door handle in just the right spot, the windows, including the moonroof, will eventually close." — Matt Jones, senior consumer advice editor

Performance
"Finally, a crossover with personality! Dig even partially into the throttle and the F-Pace opens the taps on its supercharged V6. The 340 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque aren't exactly awe-inspiring on paper, but put your foot down and the subsequent thrust (and boisterous engine note) is impressive. However, I find the throttle too twitchy at low speeds. The Jag feels high-strung, like it's ready to charge ahead as soon as you push the pedal just a little harder. It reminds me of the BMW X5 M." — Cameron Rogers, associate editor

"This transmission just doesn't like to hang on to any particular gear. It seemingly wants to shift every 500 rpm, at least in normal mode. Dynamic mode will rev the engine a little longer in each gear. There does feel like some kind of intelligent shifting going on, though. If you stomp on it with some authority from a standstill, it'll wring out first gear pretty good and sport-shift the rest of the way up the gears. But if you just lollygag it from a stoplight with soft pedal pressure, you're in sixth gear by 45 mph." — Dan Frio

Misc
"Shouldn't most Jaguars feel special? The F-Pace doesn't. The cabin's nice, and the engine and exhaust have that trademark Jag tenor. There just doesn't seem to be much personality or attitude here. Annoying ergonomics (trip meter metrics hidden in a thumb button at the end of a control stalk) might count as eccentric charm, but not personality. Not that every Jag is a machine of mystique. An S-Type from a decade ago wasn't that special. Even today's XF borders on supermarket salsa mild. I may have expected too much from Jaguar's grand entrance into the SUV race." — Dan Frio

Monthly Update for June 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
Our long-term 2017 Jaguar F-Pace got to stretch its legs on a trip from L.A. to Sacramento and back at the hands of editor Travis Langness. Outside of that, it was business as usual among the Southland's commuters, but at least it looks great doing it.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
We logged 1,792 miles on the F-Pace in June, and the road trip to Sacramento helped to push the lifetime average up 0.8 mpg while also resetting the best fill mpg and range records in the process. We're still missing the EPA's combined mpg estimate, but we are hitting the city estimate. Considering the L.A. traffic and the Jag's sporty nature, we're not doing so bad.

Average lifetime mpg: 18.0
EPA mpg rating: 20 combined (18 city/23 highway)
Best fill mpg: 25.7
Best range: 393.5 miles
Current odometer: 5,685 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights
Performance
"I'm almost a fan of the F-Pace's supercharged V6 powertrain. Definitely dig the engine itself — plenty of power and a nice growl, too. It's the transmission that leaves me cold, specifically its belabored downshifts in passing situations. I like a transmission that I can count on to give me that passing gear promptly and predictably. But in the F-Pace, there's often a pregnant pause between throttle input and gear engagement. Manual mode provides a work-around, but I think this performance-themed vehicle should have transmission programming to match. Maybe a software tweak can give this big cat the downshifting reflexes it deserves." — Josh Sadlier, content strategist

"Whether it's in Drive or Sport, this Jag has some pretty lackluster throttle response in the first 50 percent of the pedal travel. After that it's a bit jumpy so it's hard to find a balance. Passing on the highway is easy, but doing it smoothly isn't as simple." — Travis Langness, automotive editor

"Really like the brakes in this truck (and yes, I think the F-Pace is burly enough to merit that colloquial term; can't say the same about a Macan, for example). Firm pedal, confident stopping power, never a nervous moment. I'd call them sport sedan brakes. It's expected of this performance SUV and Jag has delivered." — Josh Sadlier

Interior
"There's a rattle coming from somewhere in the driver door, I think. I rapped my fist up and down the door panel and couldn't get it to stop. Not a big deal in my book, but a bit unusual at 4,000 miles and change. We'll see if it resolves itself or gets worse over time." — Josh Sadlier

"Not in love with the Jag's climate-control interface. For one thing, the rudimentary temperature-setting readouts (one for each side) remind me of an '80s alarm clock. For another, the fan-speed setting is indicated by tiny lights right above the fan buttons that can be hard to see at a glance. And if you want to change the airflow, that button opens up an elaborate interface in the touchscreen. Seems like something simpler could have sufficed there. I do like how the silver tabs on the vents say 'Jaguar,' though. That's fun." — Josh Sadlier

Technology
"Four times during one trip, the Jag's stereo decided to drop my Bluetooth connection and switch to the radio instead. At first, I thought it was user error and that I had pressed a button inadvertently. Nope. After the fourth time, I realized there wasn't anything I was doing that affected the stereo mode. Midsong or mid-podcast, it just switches over to the radio. Sometimes I'd go several hours uninterrupted by glitches; other times it was 10 minutes between dropouts. A fifth incident occurred later on my road trip, too: The stereo cut out completely. First a black screen, then the Jag logo and a full reboot. Something's amiss here." — Travis Langness

MPG
"On a round-trip journey from L.A. to Sacramento and back, the F-Pace performed like a champ. I was able to average 25 mpg (2 mpg higher than the EPA's highway estimate) over almost 800 miles of all-highway driving, logging our best fill mpg (25.7) and our longest distance between fill-ups yet (393 miles). The drive went up and down highway 99 in the center of California and I absolutely didn't baby the F-Pace. I traveled with traffic, passed big rigs, and had a few rest stops all while using the A/C on a hot California afternoon. Other than the lack of satellite radio, this Jag does very well on road trips." — Travis Langness

Performance Tested

SUVs have outsold sedans for long enough now to consider it a trend that's not going away. So it's no surprise that the all-new 2017 Jaguar F-Pace has joined the party. After all, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche and Audi are already in attendance, so in order to compete Jaguar needed an SUV of its own. It was a smart move since the F-Pace is already the brand's best-selling vehicle in its first year on the market. That earned it a spot in our long-term fleet, so after it had an appropriate number of break-in miles, we took it to the test track to see what it could do. Here's what we found.

Vehicle: 2017 Jaguar F-Pace

Odometer: 1,509 miles
Date: April 11, 2017
Driver: Calvin Kim
Price: $63,330

Specifications:

Drive type: all-wheel drive
Transmission type: automatic
Engine type: conventional gasoline
Displacement: 3.0 liters
Redline: 6,500 rpm
Horsepower: 340 hp @ 6,500 rpm
Torque: 332 lb-ft @ 4,500 rpm
Brake type (front): one-piece ventilated discs with single-piston sliding calipers
Brake type (rear): one-piece ventilated discs with single-piston sliding calipers

Tire size (front): 255/50R20 109V
Tire size (rear): 255/50R20 109V
Tire brand: Goodyear
Tire model: Eagle F1
Tire type: all-season, asymmetrical

Test Results:

Acceleration:
0-30 mph: 2.1 seconds (with TC on: 2.3 seconds)
0-45 mph: 3.5 seconds (with TC on: 3.9 seconds)
0-60 mph: 5.3 seconds (with TC on: 5.8 seconds)
0-60 mph with 1-ft rollout (sec): 5.1 seconds (with TC on: 5.5 seconds)
0-75 mph: 7.7 seconds (with TC on: 8.2 seconds)
1/4-mile (sec @ mph): 13.7 seconds @ 100.4 mph (with TC on: 14.0 seconds @ 99.1 mph)

Braking:
30-0 mph: 30 feet
60-0 mph: 118 feet

Handling:
Skidpad lateral acceleration: 0.85g (with ESC on: 0.86g)
RPM @ 70 mph: 2,000

Comments:

Acceleration comments:
With a broad torque curve, launching the car is fairly easy. Place the transmission into Sport mode and the chassis in Dynamic mode. Left foot brake and hold till revs stabilize at 2,300 rpm. Manually shift into second gear as the tach needle sweeps by 5,800. During regular driving, the throttle is very linear and responsive. It's a very fun powertrain to play with.

Braking comments:
Interestingly, the F-Pace has a soft ABS limit; that means you can easily threshold brake and transition into and out of ABS intervention. But, there is only a small amount of feedback from the steering wheel and brake pedal during intervention, so you have to be ready for it. Otherwise, the car pitches heavily upon braking, and the pedal feel remains consistent. 

Handling comments:
As an SUV, the F-Pace handles adequately. It rotates easier at the traction limit and with stability control on, but the stability control tends to overcorrect, so you end up trying to find the line right before intervention. Problem is, the F-Pace is heavy, and the kinematics of the suspension don't feel like they were designed for this application. As you cross the limit, you get an uncomfortable front-end judder that results in critical understeer and destroys any change in direction you may have had.

Monthly Update for July 2017

Where Did We Drive It?

Our 2017 Jaguar F-Pace saw only about 900 miles of driving this July, the fewest since its arrival in March. The bulk of those miles came courtesy of a Fourth of July holiday weekend road trip to Palm Springs in the eastern desert of California. It proved to be very comfortable despite the triple-digit heat. The rest of the month, our F-Pace stayed close to home, which is probably why the average mileage was so low. City traffic doesn't make for great mileage numbers.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?

The Jaguar's fuel economy had a serious drop from June when it registered an all-time high of 19.9 mpg. This month, its sole road trip couldn't overcome the extensive number of trips in the city, which resulted in a monthly average of only 17.2 mpg. However, that number is roughly in line with most of the months the Jaguar has been in our fleet. Our overall mileage number now sits at a hair under 18, 2 mpg shy of the EPA combined rating of 20 mpg.

Average lifetime mpg: 17.8
EPA mpg rating: 20 combined (18 city/23 highway)
Best fill mpg: 25.7
Best range: 393.5 miles
Current odometer: 6,532 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep

None.

Logbook Highlights

Interior
"This F-Pace isn't a small vehicle by any means, but it does feel small from behind the wheel. It's no accident. Like most Jaguars, the F-Pace has a cockpit design, which means the cabin is designed to wrap itself around the driver and, to a lesser degree, the front passenger. The way the dashboard cascades down into the center console divides the cabin in two, and the instrument cluster is only visible to the driver. Some designs go even further by tilting the center console toward the driver, but the F-Pace is a little more welcoming in this respect by offering equal access to either front passenger. All in all, it's a design that makes the F-Pace feel more like a sport sedan and less like a lumbering SUV. To some it feels constricting, but I happen to like it." — Ed Hellwig, senior editor

Comfort
"The Mrs. and I drove the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace to Palm Springs to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday weekend. As luck would have it, we arrived in the middle of a brutal heat wave. Being a SoCal native, I'm not scared of a little heat. But climbing into the sauna-hot interior of a vehicle that's been basking in the desert sun just ain't fun. I dreaded getting into the Jaguar to head home.

"While walking to the SUV, I rolled down the windows and popped open the tailgate from the key fob, letting some of that demon breath dissipate. To my surprise, settling into the Jaguar wasn't terrible. And after starting the F-Pace and turning on the A/C, it only took about 2 minutes before the cabin was almost ... comfortable.

"This may not seem like a big deal. But if you're a person who parks outside often like I do, and lives in a warm climate like I do, having a vehicle that doesn't seem intent on melting you is pretty great." — Matt Jones, senior consumer advice editor

Performance
"After driving the F-Pace over the last few months, I've become convinced that there's no need for anything bigger than a V6 in a vehicle of this size. There's more than enough torque down low, and even at higher speeds on the highway it has all the passing power you really need. Would it be just a little more fun with another 50 horsepower? Sure. Would it sound better with a small V8 lurking under the hood? Definitely. But when it comes to day-to-day driving, a well-tuned V6 is more than adequate for this particular Jag." — Ed Hellwig

Monthly Update for August 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
Our 2017 Jaguar F-Pace has been in the fleet for about five months now, and as a result our attentions are turning more toward the details of our Burgundy Brit. While the driving dynamics continue to impress, as does some of the functionality, a few other notable bits are coming to the fore. After all, just because something looks cool doesn't mean it isn't irritating.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
We pedaled our F-Pace about 1,200 miles in August, mostly around L.A. and its neverending sprawl. Mileage was, shall we say, less than ideal, but it's not unsurprising given the athletic nature of the Jag's powertrain. We averaged 16.6 mpg for the month, which dropped our lifetime average just a bit more over last month.

Average lifetime mpg: 17.6
EPA mpg rating: 20 combined (18 city/23 highway)
Best fill mpg: 25.7
Best range: 393.5 miles
Current odometer: 7,823 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights
Performance
"This rig's on-road handling is legit. I took it south on Topanga Canyon Road today from the 101 to PCH [Pacific Coast Highway], which is a pretty twisty route in places. The F-Pace took it all in stride, staying remarkably flat through corners for an SUV and responding immediately and accurately to my steering inputs. I was following a C6 Corvette and didn't feel out of place. Opinions may vary about our Jaguar's ride quality, but I think we can all agree that the handling is spot-on." — Josh Sadlier, senior manager, content strategy

Technology-Audio
"The sound system in this F-Pace is impressive. It's the 11-speaker Meridian system that comes with the Prestige trim level and there's quite a bit of adjustability. There are multiple modes/settings to futz with, an easy-to-understand menu structure in regard to audio adjustments, and impressive sound quality. If I had one gripe, it would be the massive range of adjustability in volume. From zero to 62 is way too much. You crank and crank and crank the knob and you're still only at half volume — way too low for any respectable rock song." — Travis Langness, automotive editor

Comfort
"It's 99 degrees currently. It feels hotter than that actually. The Jag is full of people and everyone has asked if I can turn up the A/C. The air-conditioning is currently on Max. I've tried taking it off Max to see if it would help, but it doesn't. This has got to have THE weakest (warmest) A/C out of all the luxury SUVs. It's a little unbearable. I think I'm going to buy a portable unit to help out in this thing." — Rex Tokeshi-Torres, vehicle testing technician

Interior
"I wasn't a fan of our long-term Jeep Renegade's Easter egg extravaganza, but I'm charmed by what Jag's done with the phone function on this touchscreen. A photo of a red British phone booth in a field tells you all you need to know about what that button does, with a welcome dash of dry humor. I see what Jaguar's trying to do here — veer toward Germanic engineering excellence while retaining the better elements of British character. So far so good." — Josh Sadlier

"Jaguar's been using this rotary shift knob for years now, and the big story is that it automatically retracts when you turn the car off. That may be a fun parlor trick at first, but this design also opens up some useful storage space that would otherwise be consumed by the shift gate and boot. For example, it provides a perfect slot for my sunglasses case, whereas in many cars I have to stuff the case vertically into a cupholder, which gives me one less place to stash my wallet and phone. Might seem like a small thing, but it makes the day-to-day driving experience that much more pleasant." — Josh Sadlier

"I usually respond to Jaguar's novelty rising shift knob with a massive involuntary eye roll. The window dressing factor trumps functionality in much the same way as [it does on] the Model X's ridiculous falcon-wing doors. But this afternoon this shifter turned the corner from silly to repugnant. It's hot and sunny this weekend, and the rim of this thing is shiny metal right where you grasp it. Hours of retained heat seared my fingerprints when I shifted out of Park, and 'Ouch!' was not among the four-letter words I blurted out. Can we please stop getting too tricky with basic controls? Different isn't always better."

"This dashboard, is it for real? Just some circles and no numbers? What a waste of a fully configurable wide-screen display. I hate it." — Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing

Monthly Update for September 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
September was a month that found our 2017 Jaguar F-Pace on the road often. We subjected the Jaguar to its share of stop-and-go angst. That's to be expected on Los Angeles roadways. But over the past few weeks, we also got out of town and stretched its legs a bit. The result was above-average mileage accumulation and an increase in overall fuel economy.

A long weekend of golf. A hiking trip. A drive to grandmother's house. These trips added up to extended time behind the wheel. And they shined light on a handful of characteristics that we may not have noticed during shorter drives. Road noise, air conditioning, child seats and even sun visors received special attention this month. Read on to learn why.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
Not a lot of change in the fuel economy category this month despite 1,900 miles of driving. Weekend getaways and the associated increase in highway driving did bump up our lifetime average 0.3 mpg, to 17.9 mpg, however. At the halfway point of our test, it looks as if the Jaguar still hasn't found its mpg happy-place.

Average lifetime mpg: 17.9 mpg
EPA mpg rating: 20 mpg combined (18 city/23 highway)
Best fill mpg: 25.7 mpg
Best range: 393.5 miles
Current odometer: 9,769 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep

"The low washer fluid light was being especially annoying, which is its job, I guess. So I bought a gallon and opened the hood to pour it in.

"It'd be nice if the spigot were closer to the corner of the engine compartment so I wouldn't have to hold it so high and far away while I poured, but I managed to get the pour started without spilling more than a couple of drops. The best part is the entire gallon fit into the washer reservoir. There's nothing worse than having to tote leftovers around (in a round container that can roll) until you get home to stash it a forgettable location on a garage shelf." — Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing

Logbook Highlights

Performance

"Wow! This thing is powerful. The F-Pace is deceptively quick, and the low-end response is immediate. I like the muffled growl it makes when you put the spurs to it." — Dan Edmunds

Comfort

"I like this Jag a lot, but I keep getting hung up on the road noise at highway speeds. I think there's just too much of it for a $60K-plus luxury SUV. I had to raise my voice significantly to converse with my backseat passenger today, which might be forgivable in a CR-V, but not in a premium rig that does battle with BMWs and Benzes. More sound-deadening material, please." — Josh Sadlier, senior manager, content strategy

"I'm going to agree with my colleagues that the F-Pace's air conditioning is a big disappointment. Temperatures topped 100 degrees throughout most of Los Angeles this past weekend and the Max AC setting wasn't up to task. It's easily the worst I've encountered. It makes a ton of noise and only blows mildly cool air." — Ron Montoya, senior consumer advice editor

Cargo Space

"The F-Pace had plenty of cargo space for my road bike this past weekend. I didn't even have to remove the front wheel. Folding the seats down was only a matter of pulling on two levers. The cargo cover had a slightly more complex design than than the ones in other SUVs I've seen. It has two notches on either side that hold the piece in place. It is easy to remove but is a bit tricky to line up when you need to reinstall the cover." — Ron Montoya

Interior

"Every time I drive our more-than-$50,000 Jaguar, I am shocked that it doesn't have extendable visors. I guess commuting with a T-shirt stuck in your window to keep the sun out of your eyes is one definition of luxury." — Will Kaufman, associate staff writer

"I'm not a fan of the high door panels in the F-Pace. I'm not sure if it's designed this way for safety or to simulate a cockpit feel to the interior. If you need to reach for something outside the vehicle and are of average height, you may have to brush up on your arm stretches. For example, I needed to grab a ticket at a parking lot and had to stretch my arm out as far as I could to pull it from the machine. I was a few millimeters away from having to open the door and reaching for it. I didn't try it, but I imagine it would be a similar awkward situation if I needed to grab something from a drive-thru window." — Ron Montoya

"Despite midsize SUV proportions, the F-Pace has plenty of space for child seats. The seats are easy to install thanks to highly accessible lower anchors. And with a full-size seat in each outboard position, the center pass-through is still fully functional. The same can't be said for all crossovers this size. Perhaps most important, both adult and the kid behind them have ample legroom." — Mike Schmidt, senior manager, vehicle testing operations

Monthly Update for October 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
As expected, we did our normal commuting and the like in our 2017 Jaguar F-Pace in October. But I did manage to head up to Northern California for a weekend getaway with my wife. As you'll see in the following comments, I was a little underwhelmed with the F-Pace's long-distance touring abilities.

Overall, though, our Jag is running strong and earning a lot of favorable comments as it heads into the second half of our yearlong test.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
I thought I might be able get a new fuel economy high on my round trip from Fresno, California, to Pescadero, California. It was a lot of highway driving, about 400 miles' worth, and my average driving speed was reasonable. But I didn't even come close. My best tank for the trip came in at 22.2 mpg.

For the month, our Jag averaged 19.6 mpg over 1,422 miles.

Average lifetime mpg: 18.0
EPA mpg rating: 20 combined (18 city/23 highway)
Best-fill mpg: 25.7
Best range: 393 miles
Current odometer: 11,191 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights
Performance
"By far the most fun car I have ever driven, powerful and nimble-feeling but with a size that commands respect. Even though it's considered a compact SUV, it didn't feel that way at all. I made it a point to take the winding roads of Sepulveda on my way home because it felt so good." — Laurel Carden, social media manager

"Our F-Pace is legitimately entertaining. It willingly dives into turns like few other SUVs, and its supercharged V6 doles out muscular power and an appealing exhaust note. I often find myself planting our F-Pace's throttle and clicking through the gears with the shift paddles just for fun and cornering with enthusiasm. This kind of engaging personality in a SUV is rare indeed." — Brent Romans, senior editor

Comfort
"To be honest, I didn't think it was that comfortable. It felt somehow masculine with the big leather seats. Someone taller and wider would probably appreciate it a lot more than I did." — Laurel Carden

"I've driven our F-Pace on a few multihour trips now. Each time, I haven't found the driver's seat to be overly comfortable. After two or three hours in the saddle, I start getting fidgety and a little sore. Making adjustments to the seat positioning and lumbar support hasn't helped." — Brent Romans

Interior
"A few months ago my co-worker Josh Sadlier mentioned a rattle from our Jag's driver door. I can hear that rattle, but it's now overwhelmed by one coming from the dashboard, which buzzes anytime you drive over rough pavement." — Brent Romans

"It's remarkably easy to hit your head getting into and out of the F-Pace. The low, sloping front roofline combined with the relatively high driver's seat makes me brush my hair on the A-pillar almost every time I get in. And I'm only 5-foot-9. One of these days, I'm sure I'll be paying attention to something else and really bonk my head." — Travis Langness, staff writer

"I agree with my co-worker Josh Sadlier's comment from our September update: This isn't a particularly quiet SUV by luxury standards. There's a fair amount of road noise coming into the cabin at highway speeds, and I can often hear the engine and exhaust. Now, I dig the snarly V6 when I'm driving around town, and the noise levels are far from being deal-breaker territory. It's more of a quality that a potential F-Pace buyer should be aware of." — Brent Romans

Cargo Space
"The F-Pace is a little bigger than typical small luxury crossover SUVs (the BMW X3, for example) but a little smaller than typical three-row models (the Acura MDX). From a utility standpoint, it's a happy medium that I can agree with. The available cargo space with the rear seats up (33.5 cubic feet) is enough for typical tasks you'll likely need it for, such as grocery shopping or Costco runs. Need more? Folding down the 60/40-split rear seats is easy. Just pull a cargo area-mounted lever and they flop forward automatically to create a nearly flat load floor." — Brent Romans

Miscellaneous
"I don't think this is all that great of a vehicle for long-distance driving. In addition to the seat comfort and road noise issues noted above, our F-Pace also has a smallish gas tank. While we did stretch one fill-up to almost 400 miles back in June, it's more likely that you're going to be filling up after just 300 miles or so." — Brent Romans

Monthly Update for November 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
November was a relatively quiet month for our long-term 2017 Jaguar F-Pace. It stayed close to home, touring the Los Angeles basin and occasionally voyaging beyond the Orange Curtain (that's Orange County for you non-locals). As such, it was a light month, milewise, for the big British SUV.

Nevertheless, we learned some new things about it.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
You might expect the commuting-heavy driving the Jaguar experienced for November didn't result in stellar fuel economy, and you'd be right. However, its 18.4 mpg result for the month is a smidge higher than its EPA city rating and its overall lifetime average to date.

Average lifetime mpg: 18.2
EPA mpg rating: 20 combined (18 city/23 highway)
Best-fill mpg: 25.7
Best range: 393.5 miles
Current odometer: 12,259 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights

Comfort
"The Jaguar F-Pace always brings me joy whenever I get to drive it. It's not that it's perfect; several editors have commented on how subpar the interior is. The cooled-ventilated seats make me happy, however. Even in the midst of a three-hour commute (to travel 33 miles), the seats keep me cool under pressure. It makes everything that much better." — Rex Tokeshi-Torres, vehicle testing technician

Interior
"I've been in the F-Pace for two days and I still can't figure out how to get into and out of the car without looking like a fumbling fool (which I am; I just don't want to look like it). As Travis noted last month, the roofline is low and the driver seat sits high. I think there are three additional factors that inhibit ingress/egress: a narrow door opening, a wide doorsill, and my ideal driving position, which happens to be far behind the F-Pace's side roof pillar. I find it so strange that a midsize crossover, which should offer better ingress and egress than a sedan, is giving me so many problems." — Cameron Rogers, staff writer

Utility
"The steep rake of the trunklid means that when it's open, I need to duck my 6-foot frame under it. Unfortunately, the latch mechanism protrudes down a few very, very hard inches. Taller buyers are advised to watch their domes when loading and unloading the trunk." — Will Kaufman, associate staff writer

"Will and I have the same problem with bonking our melons on the Jag's tailgate, which prompted me to peruse its owner's manual for a way to raise the max opening height. Lo and behold, the max opening height is adjustable. You simply set the desired height manually, then press the tailgate's close button for 10 seconds. That's it! Now the tailgate will clear even the tallest staffer's skull." — Jason Kavanagh, senior road test engineer

"There's another tailgate surprise I found in the owner's manual. The F-Pace's tailgate can be opened via gesture control. Swing your foot under either corner at the back of the Jaguar and the tailgate opens. Easy peasy." — Jason Kavanagh

Performance
"I really like the steering response in this rig. That's not something I've found myself thinking about in many SUVs, but the F-Pace is certainly on the performance end of the spectrum. Every steering input is met with an immediate and proportional response, as if the F-Pace were a sport sedan. If you want more Novocain in your drive, there's always the related Land Rover Range Rover Velar, but I like how Jaguar's staying focused on its sporting mission." — Josh Sadlier, senior manager, content strategy

Monthly Update for December 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
I spent the latter half of December in our long-term 2017 Jaguar F-Pace, inheriting a dirty car full of crumbs and dog hair, and not so full of fuel, from colleagues who shall go unnamed and who couldn't be bothered to file a comment or two about their seat time in the big English cat. Shame.

This is a brutal, inconvenient business, but I carried on. The F-Pace would get dirtier soon enough because after a handful of days commuting and buzzing around town, I drove it out to Joshua Tree National Park, about 300 miles round trip. Many of the F-Pace's flaws became readily apparent on that quick turnaround run, along with a handful of strengths. Several more days behind the wheel reinforced many of those impressions and softened a few others.

Bottom line: The F-Pace isn't as polished as its competitors, in ways that would drive me bananas if I owned it. Yet it's still madly fun to drive.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
We added 1,646 miles to the F-Pace in December, nearly dead on target for our monthly desired miles. (We try to put 20,000 miles on our long-term cars over 12 months.) We averaged 19.7 mpg over a lot of local driving, some highway miles and one long haul out to the desert. That's a better result than November's mpg and a better average than we've had for months. It was also enough to lift our lifetime average a bit, from 18.2 last month to 18.5 mpg.

Notably, the Jaguar thinks it did better; the onboard mpg meter reports that it averaged 21.3 mpg over all those miles. Nice try.

Average lifetime mpg: 18.5
EPA mpg rating: 20 combined (18 city/23 highway)
Best fill mpg: 25.7
Best range: 393.5 miles
Current odometer: 13,906 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights

Performance
"Josh commented last month that he liked how Jag was staying focused on its sporting mission. This was a comment specific to the F-Pace steering quality, but I tend to agree. Jag needed to do something to stand apart from the Acura, Audi, Benz, BMW and Infiniti SUVs, and going hard after a sport vibe is one way to do it, not unlike what Infiniti did many years ago with the FX (and now QX70) series. Those still aren't very good for people- or cargo-carrying, but they are fast and fun. One downside: This is a bone-shaking ride that crashes over all but the smoothest road surface. One passenger was so confused by her perception of Jaguar ride quality and the reality of the F-Pace ride and asked if this was, indeed, a 'real' Jaguar. I assured her it was, made some excuse for the 20-inch wheels (the $1,500 20-inch wheels, natch), and tried to explain what was going on specific to the F-Pace, lest she write off the more relaxed conveyances of an XJ or even XF, for example." — Dan Frio, automotive editor

"This car drives like its namesake. Impeccable agility, cornering grip, suppressed side-to-side body roll — this is the first Jag I've driven that actually feels like a cat. Or at least a hungry, playful cat. The XF we had a few years ago was fast as snot (5.0-liter supercharged V8) and offered a nice highway drive, but it felt too big to take corners with some abandon. The F-Pace inspires a bit more confidence with its flat handling and caffeinated V6 ready for a burst of speed coming out of a turn. Ironic that the best-handling Jag is an SUV." — DF

"Notable difference between Dynamic and Normal modes. Dynamic just sharpens up everything: pedal feel, transmission response, steering, suspension. Don't know what the mpg penalty would be for driving in Dynamic all of the time, but it'd be worth it. There's also an Eco mode, but why bother?" — DF

Comfort
"When you choose the F-Pace, you choose to sacrifice rear legroom. Even my 12-year-old feels a little cramped back there when the driver or front passenger seat are slid slightly aft. The F-Pace would be a hard sell as a primary car for a family with two teenagers." — DF

Interior
"Many hours behind the wheel now and I'm still looking for the window switches where they should be (in the driver-door armrest) and not where they are (driver-door window sill). This catches me every time, without fail. What's in the armrest instead? Driver-position memory buttons." — DF

"Rattles coming from everywhere now. They pop up, go away, but there's always one around. The most current one is coming from behind the driver's head, possibly in the curvature between the rear passenger window and the roof. I'd be an annoyed owner if the F-Pace was showing this kind of shabby build quality at 14,000 miles. Driving out to the desert on an old highway, I thought the F-Pace would start shedding parts of its interior: headliner, pillar covering, seat belt anchors. This was not off-roading; this was just hustling across some desert highway." — DF

Utility

"Surprised and impressed with the cargo area. It's deep and swallowed more camping gear than I expected. You sacrifice rear legroom for the utility, but it'll be an acceptable trade-off for those who won't be using it primarily as a family car. Our F-Pace review says its cargo space behind the upright second-row seats is best in class (33.5 cubic feet). Dropping those seats opens 63.5 cubic feet, second only to the Volvo XC60. That's impressive utility for an SUV biased toward sport. Only thing I didn't like, at least in my camp cargo scenario, were the floor tracks and tie-downs. Useful for sure when you want to secure things from bouncing around behind the second row, but they create a channel of wasted space. The tie-downs are removable, so maybe it's a moot point, unless you're prone to losing small items like that." — DF

Miscellaneous
"The devil is in the details in this car, and there are many details. One nitpick: the shift paddles. They're plastic. OK, fine. Shift paddles aren't going to make or break the car. But they feel flimsy. And a car that asks you to separate yourself from $60,000 shouldn't feel flimsy. Anywhere. The paddle shifters in an older Mitsubishi Outlander are magnesium! These don't even need to be that. Nickel, steel, hardened steel, whatever. Oak. Something better than the plastic wafers there now." — DF

Monthly Update for January 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
It's been a somewhat slow 31 days for our 2017 Jaguar F-Pace. After 10 months, this stylish SUV is nearing the end of its stay in our long-term fleet, and many staffers have moved on to newer, shinier things.

The biggest news items this month stem largely from maintenance. We received a recall notice for a problem in which the infotainment screen would randomly blank out, a problem Travis Langness detailed in our June 2017 update. We also discovered the double whammy of a crack and a chip in the windshield, so we'll have to replace it soon. And we still can't get used to the location of the window controls, no matter how many miles we log.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
Our F-Pace covered 1,238 miles this month, slightly less than average, and consumed 62 gallons of gas. That calculates to 19.9 mpg, landing January's fuel economy result right on the EPA's 20 mpg combined rating. Still, the F-Pace's 18.4 mpg lifetime average is closer to its city rating, which is indicative of the kind of driving we've been doing.

Average lifetime mpg: 18.4
EPA mpg rating: 20 combined (18 city/23 highway)
Best fill mpg: 25.7
Best range: 393.5 miles
Current odometer: 15,143 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights
Maintenance
"A recall notice arrived this month describing a problem where the F-Pace's entertainment display can intermittently go blank. We'll be going to the dealer in February when the software update is ready." — Mike Schmidt, senior manager, vehicle testing operations

Interior
"Like many of us, I thought I would get used to the location of the window controls. I still haven't. Every time I go to roll the window up or down, I always go to the door lock buttons. It's strange that it feels like a natural spot to put the window controls there, but apparently it does, and the F-Pace's aren't there." — Carlos Lago, senior writer

Miscellaneous
"While pulling into the gas station, I glanced at the little fuel arrow, as I usually do, which indicates the side the fuel door is on. It pointed to the driver's side. So I pulled up to the pump, hopped out and ... no fuel door. Hopping back into the car and pulling around to another pump, I saw what happened. The fuel gauge has an arrow that points to the fuel level bar. Why does there need to be an extra arrow? I don't know. But since I pulled in on a half-empty tank, I mistook it for the gas flap indicator." — Jonathan Elfalan, road test manager

"Hopped in the F-Pace today and discovered something no one wants to see: a crack in the windshield. And directly beneath it? A big chip. The effect is similar to when you walk up to your car and see a flat tire. It's frustrating because you can't blame anyone, but you'll have to spend some money to fix it. So it goes." — Carlos Lago

Monthly Update for February 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
It seems that the slow 31 days from our January update bled into the 28 days of February for our 2017 Jaguar F-Pace. The F-Pace served in roles familiar to us all: going to work, going home, and running errands. Not exactly exciting, but routine in the way that we aim for in these tests, which is to show the true ownership experience for these cars.

In February, we chose to address a couple of recalls, visit the dealer for scheduled maintenance, and investigate a possible leak in the coolant system. More on that below.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
We drove 721 miles in February, quite a bit less than average, and consumed 41 gallons of gas. That averages out to 17.7 mpg — nearly the F-Pace's EPA-estimated city mpg rating — and reflects exactly how we used the SUV this month: doing a lot of street driving.

Average lifetime mpg: 18.4
EPA mpg rating: 20 combined (18 city/23 highway)
Best fill mpg: 25.7
Best range: 393.5 miles
Current odometer: 15,864 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
Our long-term F-Pace was due for a 16,000-mile service, so we scheduled that along with the IP screen recall that Mike Schmidt wrote about in last month's update and a recall for tie-rod ends. We also addressed the low coolant warning (it just needed a top-off) and received a quote to replace the cracked windshield (also mentioned in last month's update).

Logbook Highlights
Maintenance
"A warning indicator lit up on the digital dash indicating the windshield wiper fluid reservoir was low. There was a half-gallon of wiper fluid at the office and the F-Pace's tank took all of it with plenty of room to spare. Curious about its capacity, a little research shows the tank volume is 1.8 gallons! It's deceptive because the entire tank is deep in the fender, and its design is such that you can only see the top of the tank. So if you have an F-Pace and you get the warning, have no fear about leftover wiper fluid!" — Calvin Kim, road test editor

"The service center at Hornburg [in Santa Monica] was packed when we arrived a few minutes prior to our scheduled time. We waited five to six minutes just to pull in and park the car. Our adviser processed the car quickly and addressed all of our concerns. On the agenda:

1: 16,000-mile service
2: Recall for the IP screen blanking out
3: Recall for tie-rod ends
4: Low coolant warning
5: Replace windshield

"The car was ready later that day at 5 p.m. Service was free under Jaguar's maintenance plan. Both recalls were performed under warranty, as was a coolant level top-off. No leaks were detected. We got a quote of $1,600 for the factory windshield and passed. More on that at a later date. We'd use this location again, though, assuming we have one to three weeks to plan for it." — Mike Schmidt, director of vehicle testing

Performance
"This Jaguar SUV can really move when it needs to. I was merging into traffic from the on-ramp when I noticed a vehicle pull out of its lane, get into part of the shoulder, and then to try to speed through and pass the gridlock by trying to get into my lane. They were bearing down on me rather quickly so I decided to hit the accelerator since I had some room in front of me. The F-Pace easily sped forward to avoid any close incidents. This kind of thing happens often here in L.A. and you really do have to keep your head (and eyeballs) on a swivel." — Rex Tokeshi-Torres, vehicle testing technician

Monthly Update for March 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
Time is running out on our 2017 Jaguar F-Pace. We've got about one month to go before we wrap up our yearlong test. Tempting as it may have been to, say, send off the SUV on some sort of grand adventure in March (like driving to Alaska as an encore to our Jag XF trip years ago), we mostly stayed close to home. Notable highlights included replacing the windshield and taking it on a short family road trip for the Easter holiday. This month we also managed to eke out slightly better fuel economy than we're accustomed to, but we also fell short of our monthly mileage target.

Read on to learn more.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
We drove about 1,000 miles in March and averaged 20.8 mpg. That's a little better than what we've been getting in the past. The 340 horsepower thumping out of our F-Pace's supercharged V6 is seductive, though, so I'm not surprised that we're getting about what the EPA says to expect for city driving.

Average lifetime mpg: 18.5
EPA mpg rating: 20 combined (18 city/23 highway)
Best fill mpg: 25.7
Best range: 393.5 miles
Current odometer: 17,176 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
We installed a new windshield in our F-Pace in March. Here's what Mike Schmidt, our senior manager of vehicle testing operations, had to say about that process:

"The windshield on the F-Pace got a chip several months back. Then a few weeks later a crack started in a completely different location. The crack was about 5 inches long and threatened to grow into the driver's line of sight, but instead it held steady. So we didn't act until the Jaguar was due for scheduled service.

"We shopped around for a new windshield. Hornburg Jaguar in Santa Monica was performing our service, so it made sense to get a quote there first: $1,600 to install a factory replacement. Safelite was our next stop since we've had good luck there in the past. Option 1 was an aftermarket windshield for $700. Option 2 was for an original equipment unit (Pilkington) for $1,152.

"Since we don't own this car, our hands were tied. We opted for the Goldilocks glass, which fell right about in the middle of the price range. We set up an appointment online to visit the Westminster Safelite location. The staff was friendly and professional. I'm pretty sure every single person who worked there said 'Hello' or 'Good morning' to me. It was a pleasant experience and I'll give this store my business again next time."

The total cost was $1,152, and it took about two hours to complete.

Logbook Highlights

Performance
"Geez, this cat wants to run. Acceleration is so effortless and the chassis is so stable that I find myself going way over the speed limit without meaning to. I'd catch myself, rein it in, and then five minutes later I'd be back where I was. There's no sensation of speed hardly at all. It doesn't help that the F-Pace's speedometer is kind of small and indistinct. I'd have to get one with the head-up display that puts the speed readout directly in front of me; otherwise this Jag has the potential to be very bad for my driving record." — Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing

Comfort
"I commented on this back in October of last year and I'll say it again: Our Jaguar F-Pace is not an ideal long-distance driving companion. Based on the expectations I have for a luxury SUV, it's just not quiet or smooth-riding enough to be truly comfortable for multi-hour drives on the highway." — Brent Romans, senior editor

Interior
"The light-colored leather upholstery on our F-Pace's driver's seat isn't looking so great. We've got blue stains on the outside bottom bolster and then general grime and dirt on the rest of the bottom cushion. We've encountered this before on other test cars over the years with light-colored upholstery, so it's hardly a problem specific to our F-Pace. A good cleaning regimen should do wonders. Or just don't buy an F-Pace with the light interior." — Brent Romans

Technology-Audio
"I was driving our Land Rover Discovery earlier this month and now I'm driving the F-Pace. Unfortunately, it's been a month of subpar infotainment systems. They're the same system, so my comments on the Disco apply here. The poor native smartphone integration, lack of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and slow system response times are major drawbacks." — Brent Romans

Cargo Space
"I loaded up my family in the long-term F-Pace for a recent road trip for the Easter holiday weekend. While I don't find the Jag particularly enjoyable to drive long distances, it does have a useful amount of utility as there's a bit more rear cargo space (behind the second-row seats) than other small luxury SUVs such as the Audi Q5 or BMW X3. For my trip, I was able to load up a few suitcases and bags behind the second-row seats without having to pack all the way to the roof." — Brent Romans

Miscellaneous
"I've had a few friends comment favorably about our F-Pace recently. In each individual instance, the friend had seen it parked and said something like, 'Wow, a Jag. Pretty sweet ride, Brent!' It's been a little surprising, honestly. From my standpoint, the F-Pace has been out for a year now and it's just as attainable as other luxury SUVs like the BMW X5. But analyzing the comments, I think that people still associate a high degree of brand cachet with Jaguar. The F-Pace is also still a relatively rare sight on the road. Combine the two and you've got a high-status SUV." — Brent Romans

"Here's another thing that diminishes the F-Pace's appeal for long-distance travel: driving range. Even when driving on the highway, you'll be fortunate to get past 300 miles before needing to stop for gas." — Brent Romans

Wrap-Up

What We Got
Automakers that aren't in the compact crossover game right now need to rethink their approach. Nearly every carmaker offers a four-door crossover in its lineup, with brands such as BMW, Mercedes and Porsche representing the sport-luxury end of the spectrum. A few years ago, Jaguar joined in with the F-Pace.

For our long-term test, we wanted a midrange trim level, nothing with an extra-long list of options but not a base model either. We opted for the 35t Prestige with its midtier engine — a 340-horsepower 3.0-liter supercharged V6 — and a respectable level of features. We wanted to see if the F-Pace was a midlevel luxury five-seater that was both practical and fun.

Performance

"Finally, a crossover with personality! Dig even partially into the throttle and the F-Pace opens the taps on its supercharged 3.0-liter V6. Three hundred and forty horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque aren't exactly awe-inspiring on paper, but put your foot down and the subsequent thrust (and boisterous engine note) will impress even performance-minded drivers. However, I find the throttle too twitchy at low speeds. The Jag feels high-strung, like it's ready to charge ahead as soon as you push the pedal just a little harder." — Cameron Rogers, staff writer

"This transmission just doesn't like to hang on to any particular gear. It seemingly wants to shift every 500 rpm, at least in normal mode. Dynamic mode will rev the engine a little longer in each gear. There does feel like some kind of intelligent shifting going on, though. If you stomp on it with some authority from a standstill, it'll wring out first gear pretty good and sport-shift the rest of the way up the gears. But if you just lollygag it from a stoplight with soft pedal pressure, you're in sixth gear by 45 mph." — Dan Frio, staff writer

"Whether it's in Drive or Sport, this Jag has some pretty lackluster throttle response in the first 50 percent of the pedal travel. After that, it's a bit jumpy so it's hard to find a balance. Passing on the highway is easy, but doing it smoothly isn't as simple." — Travis Langness, staff writer

"As an SUV, the F-Pace handles adequately. It rotates easier at the traction limit and with stability control on, but the stability control tends to overcorrect, so you end up trying to find the line right before intervention. Problem is, the F-Pace is heavy, and the kinematics of the suspension don't feel like they were designed for this application. As you cross the limit, you get an uncomfortable front-end judder that results in critical understeer and destroys any change in direction you may have had." — Calvin Kim, road test editor

MPG

"On a round-trip journey from L.A. to Sacramento and back, the F-Pace performed like a champ. I was able to average 25 mpg (2 mpg higher than the EPA's highway estimate) over almost 800 miles of all-highway driving, logging our best fill mpg (25.7) and our longest distance between fill-ups yet (393 miles). The drive went up and down Highway 99 in the center of California and I absolutely didn't baby the F-Pace. I traveled with traffic, passed big rigs, and had a few rest stops all while using the A/C on a hot California afternoon. Other than the lack of satellite radio, this Jag does very well on road trips." — Travis Langness

"We drove about 1,000 miles in March and averaged 20.8 mpg. That's a little better than what we've been getting in the past. The 340 horsepower thumping out of our F-Pace's supercharged V6 is seductive, though, so I'm not surprised that we're getting about what the EPA says to expect for city driving." — Brent Romans, senior editor

Comfort

"The ride quality is pretty stiff compared to other luxury SUVs. The available adaptive suspension may help this a bit, but even our short-term test car from last year (it had the adaptive suspension) got dinged for this. In some ways, it feels like the overly stiff Audi SQ5 I rated a while back, but it's not a deal-breaker for me." — Mark Takahashi, senior writer

"I like this Jag a lot, but I keep getting hung up on the road noise at highway speeds. I think there's just too much of it for a $60K-plus luxury SUV. I had to raise my voice significantly to converse with my backseat passenger today, which might be forgivable in a CR-V, but not in a premium rig that does battle with BMWs and Benzes. More sound-deadening material, please." — Josh Sadlier, senior manager, content strategy

Cargo Space

"The F-Pace is a little bigger than typical small luxury crossover SUVs (the BMW X3, for example), but a little smaller than typical three-row models (the Acura MDX). From a utility standpoint, it's a happy medium that I can agree with. The available cargo space with the rear seats up (33.5 cubic feet) is enough for typical tasks you'll likely need it for, such as grocery shopping or Costco runs. Need more? Folding down the 60/40-split rear seats is easy. Just pull a cargo area-mounted lever and they flop forward automatically to create a nearly flat load floor." — Brent Romans

Interior

"I've been in the F-Pace for two days and I still can't figure out how to get into and out of the car without looking like a fumbling fool (which I am; I just don't want to look like it). As Travis noted last month, the roofline is low and the driver's seat sits high. I think there are three additional factors that inhibit ingress/egress: a narrow door opening, a wide door sill, and my ideal driving position, which happens to be far behind the F-Pace's side roof pillar. I find it so strange that a midsize crossover, which should offer better ingress and egress than a sedan, is giving me so many problems." — Cameron Rogers

"The light-colored leather upholstery on our F-Pace's driver's seat isn't looking so great. We've got blue stains on the outside bottom bolster and then general grime and dirt on the rest of the bottom cushion. We've encountered this before on other test cars over the years with light-colored upholstery, so it's hardly a problem specific to our F-Pace. A good cleaning regimen should do wonders. Or just don't buy an F-Pace with the light interior." — Brent Romans

Audio and Technology

"After all this, I booted up the Route Planner and started entering addresses. It couldn't find any. Not my home address, not my work address, and not obvious places like Starbucks or McDonald's. The point-of-interest search finds nothing in Los Angeles. But hey, at least the web portal (jaguar.here.com) works as advertised. So does Google Maps, and that's the problem. InControl Touch works fine and has some neat ideas, but provides no significant advantage over Android Auto or Apple CarPlay integration. Further, the process of setting up InControl Touch is convoluted in comparison to those solutions, which require little more than just plugging in your phone." — Carlos Lago, senior writer

"Four times during one trip, the Jag's stereo decided to drop my Bluetooth connection and switch to the radio instead. At first, I thought it was user error and that I had pressed a button inadvertently. Nope. After the fourth time, I realized there wasn't anything I was doing that affected the stereo mode. Mid-song or mid-podcast, it just switches over to the radio. Sometimes I'd go several hours uninterrupted by glitches. Other times it was 10 minutes between dropouts. A fifth incident occurred later on my road trip, too: The stereo cut out completely. First a black screen, then the Jag logo and a full reboot. Something's amiss here." — Travis Langness

Miscellaneous

"While pulling into the gas station, I glanced at the little fuel arrow, as I usually do, which indicates the side the fuel door is on. It pointed to the driver's side. So I pulled up to the pump, hopped out and … no fuel door. Hopping back into the car and pulling around to another pump, I saw what happened. The fuel gauge has an arrow that points to the fuel level bar. Why does there need to be an extra arrow? I don't know. But since I pulled in on a half-empty tank, I mistook it for the gas flap indicator." — Jonathan Elfalan, road test manager

"I've had a few friends comment favorably about our F-Pace recently. In each individual instance, the friend had seen it parked and said something like, 'Wow, a Jag. Pretty sweet ride, Brent!' It's been a little surprising, honestly. From my standpoint, the F-Pace has been out for a year now and it's just as attainable as other luxury SUVs like the BMW X5. But analyzing the comments, I think that people still associate a high degree of brand cachet with Jaguar. The F-Pace is also still a relatively rare sight on the road. Combine the two and you've got a high-status SUV." — Brent Romans

Maintenance & Repairs

Regular Maintenance:
During the 12 months we drove the F-Pace, we took it in for one scheduled service, one recall and one windshield replacement. We handled the recall, for tie-rod ends, and the 16,000-mile scheduled service in one dealer visit. The 16,000-mile service included an overall inspection, tire rotation and an oil change. We also replaced a cracked windshield (with an OEM replacement), which cost $1,152.

Service Campaigns:
Early in our yearlong test, the F-Pace infotainment screen quit on us a few times. It went blank without explanation or reset entirely. Jaguar issued a recall for this issue and fixed the problem with a system update.

Fuel Economy and Resale Value

Observed Fuel Economy:
We took delivery of our F-Pace with 423 miles on the odometer. At the end of the year, the odometer read 19,623. We used 1,021 gallons of 91 octane fuel and observed fuel economy of 18.9 mpg in combined driving. Compared to the EPA's fuel economy estimate of 20 mpg combined (18 city/23 highway), we missed the mark by 5.5 percent.

Resale and Depreciation:
Jaguar lent us the F-Pace, so we didn't have a chance to negotiate the price. We tested a 35t Prestige trim level with a starting price of around $52,000. Adding a few options raised the as-tested MSRP to $63,320. After one year, the Edmunds TMV Calculator valued the F-Pace at $45,457 in a private-party sale, representing a depreciation of 28.2 percent. By comparison, our long-term Porsche Macan S had a depreciation of just 20.7 percent. The average depreciation of vehicles from our long-term fleet is 22 percent.

Summing Up

Pros:
Robust acceleration and sporty handling, especially for a crossover. Stylish exterior and classy interior. Respectable cargo space for a compact crossover despite the steep roofline.

Cons:
Stiff ride quality, both in the city and on the highway. Lower-than-advertised fuel economy. Starting price is high and balloons a bit with options, and depreciation is above average. Missing a few key tech features.

Bottom Line:
We enjoyed driving our long-term F-Pace, but we never seemed to really love it. Crossovers are typically very popular around the Edmunds office because they combine comfort and long-distance drivability so effortlessly. But we didn't take the F-Pace on many road trips, which we attribute to the stiff ride and the absence of tech features such as satellite radio and Apple CarPlay, both of which would've made it a bit more road-trip-friendly. The Jaguar F-Pace is likable, sure, but it has an uphill battle in such a hotly contested segment.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.