While the 20d is significantly cheaper than the 30d, it’s not particularly well-priced
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Jaguar's first-ever SUV, the F-Pace, has been applauded for the immaculate designing skills of Ian Callum and his team, and also the prowess of the engineering department at Jaguar.
Redlining at as low as 4,250 rpm is how you tell it's a diesel. Pics/Sanjay Raikar
Jaguar's pursuit for perfection continues in the form of this new F-Pace 20d - a smaller, less powerful version that welcomes J-LR's more frugal Ingenium engine. So, what is the fuss all about? To begin with, the F-Pace 20d is available in the Prestige variant, which means you get all the bells and whistles like a massive touchscreen infotainment system with multiple connectivity options, leather upholstery, steering-mounted controls, a massive sun-roof, automatic climate control, powered seat adjustment, and ample space for five adults.
Refinement is the name of the game for this Ingenium engine
The biggest change, however, sits under the bonnet. In 2014, J-LR reduced their dependency on Ford engines by introducing the all-aluminium Ingenium engines, a family of versatile powertrains developed in-house to reduce cost and emission. In 2017, Jaguar equipped the F-Pace in India with this Ingenium, 2.0-litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder diesel engine.
The first thing that we noticed about the engine was its refinement. The diesel engine chatter was well smothered. The smoothness of the Ingenium engine accompanied the refinement as we got going. The 1,999-cc motor with its 180 PS and 430 Nm of torque proved to be utterly smooth at almost all times. Besides, the eight-speed automatic transmission does a good job of keeping the engine running in the sweet spot. Apart from that, the F-Pace 20d also comes with four drive modes - namely, Dynamic, Normal, Eco and Ice/snow and sand - which come in handy.
The power comes in at 4,000 rpm, which helps with top-end delivery. However, it is the arrival of 430 Nm of torque at 1,750 rpm that sets the pace for the fun that lies ahead. The normal driving mode always makes sure that the engine is running at optimal speed.
However, if you are the kind who likes to take charge, then the F-Pace won't disappoint. We simply switched to the Dynamic mode and watched the digital tachometer turn red and take centre-stage on the instrument console.
However, despite the theatrics, the refinement and smoothness stayed the same. What changed, however, was the way the engine responded. As we nailed the throttle, the revs went higher than in normal mode, giving the sense of urgency as the digital speedo needle rushed to triple digits rapidly.
These attributes allowed the F-Pace 20d to go from 0 to 100 km/h in just 11.3 seconds. This timing would have been faster if we had turned the Dynamic Stability Control off. The thing that impressed us was the smooth and linear acceleration despite the aggression we showed. The F-Pace would have easily gone over 200 km/h, but we ran out of road to experience that. The overtaking time was also impressive as the F-Pace took just less than nine seconds to go from 40 to 100 km/h. However, fuel-efficiency is not really that impressive at 9.12 km/l overall.
However, the F-Pace is not quite capable of doing in the same way its cousins at Land Rover can, and that's off-roading. The slightly firm suspension setup may provide decent enough ride quality on most of our roads, but when it comes to off-roading, the F-Pace seems reluctant to venture out into the wild.
The Ingenium engine is smooth, refined and quite capable. The fit-and-finish is superb and the build quality excellent. The cabin exudes luxury and top-notch features along with commendable space. But, a tag of R78.50 lakh (ex-Pune) seems too high, especially when you look at the competition.
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