F-Pace to sharpen handling 26 | 08 | 2015
JAGUAR AIMS TO set new standards of ride and handling dynamos when it launches its new F-Pace performance crossover. The car. which will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month, will go on-sale in Scotland early in 2016.
Jaguar says the F-Pace — designed by Scot Ian Callum — will feature technology designed to ensure it is the most rewarding driver’s car of its kind.
The F-Pace will be specified with chassis dynamics technology adapted from the acclaimed Jaguar F-Type sports car, and offered with a sophisticated All-Wheel-Drive system which delivers torque-on-demand.
Jaguar’s Vehicle Integrity team, led by sports car development expert and Chief Engineer Mike Cross, is currently engaged on development programmes designed to ensure the new F-Pace will offer an unrivalled breadth of dynamic ability.
“We haven’t made any compromises or exceptions: the new F-Pace must be a true Jaguar and deliver the Jaguar dynamics DNA”, said Cross.
“We’ve tested ride and handling to extremities in all environments and in all conditions, and the result is that the new F-Pace is as engaging and rewarding to drive as it is going to be enjoyable to own. As soon as you get into the vehicle you know immediately that it’s a great place to be.”
Related: Jaguar F-Pace pushed to the limits
The F-Pace will be manufactured using Jaguar’s Lightweight Aluminium Architecture, which will enable the new performance crossover to handle with precision and control, yet without sacrificing ride comfort.
Taking full advantage of the body structure’s inherently high stiffness, the sophisticated Double Wishbone front suspension and Integral Link rear suspension provide the best possible starting point: tuned to perfection, they make the new F-Pace incredibly responsive yet also ensure that the impacts, undulations and extreme cambers of even the most challenging roads are handled with ease.
The F-Pace’s electric power-assisted steering system ensures the steering wheel rim and the tyre contact patch is calibrated to ensure the new F-Pace responds immediately to the slightest input, giving a truly connected feel.
Already successfully featuring in the F-Type, XE, and new XF, the system gives exceptional feedback. Combined with the Torque Vectoring technology first developed for F-Type and the torque on-demand all-wheel drive system, the new F-Pace delivers outstanding agility in all weathers and on all surfaces.
To make development and testing even more efficient, the Vehicle Integrity team’s subjective assessments are fed back into the computer-aided engineering (CAE) tools used by Jaguar’s Vehicle Dynamics CAE team.
This improves the models and therefore delivers even better simulation results – and vice-versa. This iterative loop of continuous improvement ensures that prototype vehicles are continuously optimised, benefiting the tuning and assessment process.
Related: Jaguar F-Pace on Tour
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Jim McGill