You’d hardly accuse the Jaguar F-Pace of going out with a whimper; it’s basically been carrying the brand for a while now and will be the last combustion-engined model sporting the Growler to remain on sale until the maker pauses, then transitions to a radically different new generation of EVs from 2026.
But you’d hardly call it a bang, either. Jaguar quietly stopped selling new vehicles at home in the UK in late-2024; the F-Pace has simply carried on for many export markets, including ours.
The F-Pace will soon make room for the new generation, in a literal sense. The Solihull plant that's made it for a decade will be home to three new Jaguar EVs to be built on the Jaguar Electrified Architecture (JEA) platform and the Range Rover Electric.
The closest thing to a fanfare as the F-Pace leaves us is this: the 90th Anniversary Edition, which wears an impossibly small badge but comes loaded with a lot of extra equipment.
It’s a factory model. The 90th was introduced to see out, sorry celebrate the F-Pace in the UK last year. It was made available with a variety of powertrains, but for New Zealand it only comes with the entry-level P250 R-Dynamic SE as a base; that’s the one with the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine.
The closest thing to a fanfare as the F-Pace leaves us is this: the 90th Anniversary Edition, which wears an impossibly small badge but comes loaded with a lot of extra equipment.
You’d think it would make sense to offer the special branding with the SVR supercharged V8, but Jaguar isn’t doing that anywhere in the world. Perhaps because those epic V8s kinda sell themselves.
The $124,900 F-Pace 90th comes at a theoretical $5900 premium over the standard P250 R-Dynamic SE. It’s theoretical because Jaguar NZ just sold its last one of those, so you can’t buy it any more. Ever.
F-Pace fundamentally still achieves what it set out to do at launch a decade ago: bring Jaguar driving dynamics to the fore in an SUV-package that gives away nothing in terms of practicality.
There are only 35 of these 90th Anniversary models for us. For an extra $6k, it adds 21-inch gloss black alloys with all-season tyres, red brake calipers, headlight “power wash”, heated windscreen, privacy glass, powered gesture tailgate, Meridian audio, panoramic glass roof, 3D surround camera system and heated steering wheel.
Sorry for the list of specs, but this model really is all about the… list of specs. So there you go. In some respects it highlights what was missing from the P250 R-Dynamic SE, but as we said: irrelevant now. It’s a good package as it stands.
If you want an F-Pace that wears the brand’s 90th Anniversary/end-of-an-era on its sleeve (it’s on the tailgate actually), this is it.
More to the point, the F-Pace is still a rather good vehicle. Very familiar now and a bit dated in a few areas, but fundamentally still achieving what it set out to do at launch a decade ago: bring Jaguar driving dynamics to the fore in an SUV-package that gives away nothing in practicality. The back seat is good and the 650-litre boot still highly impressive by class standards.
The turbo engine is sprightly and the 8-speed automatic shifts smoothly, although it’s a bit sluggish from a standing start; it almost feels like a dual-clutch in the way it eases forward. It’s probably the main culprit in the adaptive cruise control’s reluctance to get a wriggle on, too; if you’re doing the stop-start thing, the traffic behind gets frustrated enough that you have to help the car along with a bit of throttle.
But there’s still some Jag-magic in the ride and handling. The steering feels real and the chassis handles corners with an enthusiasm that belies the SUV centre-of-gravity. It’s still fun and full of character.
The F-Pace feels a bit trad inside, but a 2022 update brought some worthwhile upgrades including the 11.4-inch “Pivi Pro” infotainment system with a gently curved screen. Signature JLR ergonomic features like the layered climate dials (twist to adjust, press to change function) work well; the concept has been emulated by the likes of Skoda and Kia.
Okay, if you’re looking to capture a piece of Jaguar combustion-spirit before The Big Change, the $187,900 SVR is still the one to get. But if you want an F-Pace that doesn’t have a drinking problem, or one that wears the brand’s 90th Anniversary/end-of-an-era on its sleeve (it’s on the tailgate actually), this is it.