NEW YORK: From the searing heat and dust of Dubai to the ice and snow of Northern Sweden, the new Jaguar F-Pace has been thoroughly tested to the limit in some of the most inhospitable environments on earth.

As the first performance crossover from Jaguar, the F-PACE offers a blend of performance, design and practicality.

To ensure that every system functions perfectly under the most extreme conditions, the new F-Pace has been subjected to one of the most demanding test programs the company has ever devised.

At the Jaguar Land Rover test facility in Arjeplog, Northern Sweden, average winter temperatures rarely -15°C and often plummet to -40°C.

The 60km purpose-built handling tracks, mountain climbs, inclines, split-friction straights and off-road areas are ideal for optimising the calibration of the all-wheel drive system – including dynamic stability control and all-surface progress control.

The work done ensures that the F-PACE delivers the connected steering feel and agility fundamental to Jaguar dynamics DNA - whether on asphalt, snow or ice

In Dubai, ambient temperatures can exceed 50°C in the shade.

When vehicles are left out in direct sunlight, cabin temperatures can soar up to 70°C, which is exactly what's needed to ensure that everything from climate control systems to infotainment touchscreens function perfectly in extremes of heat and humidity.

In addition to hot weather highway driving, the cooling system of the F-Pace has been further tested under very high load by driving the vehicle in city traffic where the vehicle experienced a combination of high ambient temperatures and low airflow.

For the first time in a Jaguar development program, the F-Pace has also been driven over gravelled mountain passes as part of its validation tests.

Following the tests, the F-Pace will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, with North American sales beginning in mid-2016.

"We developed the F-PACE to offer the ride, handling and refinement demanded from a Jaguar car, together with new levels of ability and composure on a variety of surfaces and weather conditions,” said Jaguar F-Pace vehicle program director Andrew Whyman.

“Just as we paid obsessive attention to detail over the engineering of every single component, we've exhaustively tested the F-PACE in the most challenging conditions to ensure that it will exceed the expectations of our customers around the world," he added.



 

Keywords