The distinctive electrified rush of acceleration sets the hybrid apart from the regular internal combustion models and the P400e feels effortlessly fast off the line and powerful when you need bursts of acceleration for merging into fast-moving motorways or to safely overtake on single-carriageway roads. To be fair to Jaguar rivals like the Mercedes GLC suffer similar compromises and the F-Pace’s boot is still pretty huge but if you need the flexibility and room for kit you may be better off with one of the regular models.
The hybrid also loses over 100 litres of boot space thanks to the battery, raising the floor of the load area with an unsightly lip. Sculpted rear seats give luxurious accommodation for the two outermost rear-seat passengers but anyone sitting in the middle gets a raw deal and has to sit with their legs either side of the wide transmission tunnel. Interior quality has improved with this updated version and the upholstery and other materials all feel of suitably high quality.
You pay the price under braking and through the corners but the hybrid F-Pace is still above average in its ride and handling, only the intrusive tyre roar (even more noticeable when cruising on silent electric power) spoiling the refinement. As is typical for Jaguar the F-Pace rides really well on lumpy roads, the extra weight of the hybrid working in its favour in this regard and helping it feel even more settled. The F-Pace is a big car and feels quite intimidating to drive until you get used to it the visibility out of it is at least better than many of its type and that helps at junctions and around town. It’s also usefully cheaper than the closely related Range Rover Velar, which uses exactly the same hybrid system. The Jaguar is more powerful and faster, though. You’ll save £1,320 in first-year VED immediately over the P400, while company users stand to save a packet in Benefit In Kind taxation thanks to the much lower CO2 banding.Īgainst rivals the F-Pace sits between models like the GLC and GLE in the Mercedes range, the diesel hybrid version of the latter capable of greater electric-only range and offsetting its greater price with cheaper still BiK for business drivers. The killer blow in favour of the P400e is in tax, however. Although the P400e can cover over 30 miles on the electric motor and boasts official fuel consumption figures of over 100mpg the real-world savings will only really be noticeable if you cover short journeys and plug it in every night to charge.
The more interesting comparison is with the P400 MHEV, which confusingly costs about the same, shares a model designation and has a similar power output but uses mild hybrid technology and therefore can’t be plugged in or run on electric power alone. By list price it’s big hike over a basic petrol F-Pace in the same trim level but it’s also a lot, lot faster. The Jaguar F-Pace is a premium car and priced accordingly, though the plug-in hybrid (or PHEV) version occupies a curious position in the range.