Beauty pageants are not necessarily about looks, especially when it comes to automobiles. But the WCOTY jury decided on the Jaguar F-Pace to win both the big prize and the 2017 World Car Design Of The Year. And in contrast to my innate antipathy toward crossovers, I earnestly think the F-Pace deserves both accolades.
The most obvious explanation is pretty straightforward: if the other two finalists would’ve been crowned 2017 World Car Of The Year, I’d would have been controversial, to say the least. More to the point, the all-new Volkswagen Tiguan and similarly fresh Audi Q5, two crossovers that are not exactly lookers, nor do they bring anything fresh in the area of design.
Then there’s the matter of perceived quality, brand status, and dynamic capabilities. In all three spheres, the Jag has the upper hand despite the fact the plastic used for the interior doesn’t feel exactly premium. Or the fact that Jaguar turned from a sports car maker into an SUV-building company because that’s the type of vehicle in demand today. Or the fact that the platform is shared to some extent with the second-gen XF. Taken as a whole, the truth of the matter is, the F-Pace just works as a sporty crossover SUV.
"The F-Pace was designed and engineered as a performance SUV with exceptional dynamics, everyday usability and bold design,” commented Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover. “Winning these two awards endorses the talent and great work of our teams that have delivered the world’s most practical sports car and Jaguar's fastest selling vehicle,” he concluded.
And the F-Pace is about to get even better in a matter of months, with Jaguar now busy fine-tuning the force-fed V8-powered SVR at the Nurburgring. The added grunt and improvements brought to the chassis will put the F-Pace SVR in the firing line of the Porsche Macan Turbo with Performance Package, Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, and the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S 4Matic+.
Then there’s the matter of perceived quality, brand status, and dynamic capabilities. In all three spheres, the Jag has the upper hand despite the fact the plastic used for the interior doesn’t feel exactly premium. Or the fact that Jaguar turned from a sports car maker into an SUV-building company because that’s the type of vehicle in demand today. Or the fact that the platform is shared to some extent with the second-gen XF. Taken as a whole, the truth of the matter is, the F-Pace just works as a sporty crossover SUV.
"The F-Pace was designed and engineered as a performance SUV with exceptional dynamics, everyday usability and bold design,” commented Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover. “Winning these two awards endorses the talent and great work of our teams that have delivered the world’s most practical sports car and Jaguar's fastest selling vehicle,” he concluded.
And the F-Pace is about to get even better in a matter of months, with Jaguar now busy fine-tuning the force-fed V8-powered SVR at the Nurburgring. The added grunt and improvements brought to the chassis will put the F-Pace SVR in the firing line of the Porsche Macan Turbo with Performance Package, Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, and the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S 4Matic+.
And finally - announcing the WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR 2017 - JAGUAR #FPACE ! #WCOTY pic.twitter.com/dxX6bfm44d
— World Car Awards (@WorldCarAwards) April 12, 2017
Congratulations @Jaguar from all of us at @WorldCarAwards! A double win is always special! #WCOTY https://t.co/YM9QIwspmd
— World Car Awards (@WorldCarAwards) April 12, 2017