Jaguar will cease production of its last internal combustion cars at the end of the year, becoming an electric only manufacturer, also moving further upmarket. Ending 90 years of the celebrated Jaguar leaper brand as it navigates a new future. According to Jaguar’s chief creative officer Gerry McGovern “the new electric model is the result of brave, unconstrained creative thinking and unwavering determination – the foundation stone for a new family of Jaguars that will look unlike anything you’ve seen before.”

For many Jaguar aficionados it’s a sad day, 90-years of history and heritage lost, even the Jaguar leaper badging will disappear with the company only expecting to retain around 10- 15 percent of its existing customers. Jaguar bids farewell to its internal combustion cars with a limited-edition supercharged V8 SUV – the F-Pace SVR 575 Ultimate Edition SUV. Just 60 will be available for our market and given the change of direction and low production run they will in my opinion become a highly sought-after collectable.




In some ways I parted with this high-end Jaguar performance SUV with a tinge of sadness that it is probably the last time I will savior the delights on an internal combustion V8 Jaguar.
The F-Pace has been around in its current guise since 2016 and was given a significant mid-life update in 2021, however this high-end all-wheel-drive Ultimate Edition looks menacing even before you fire the potent 5-litre supercharged V8. The SVR tag stands for Special Vehicle Racing, the quad-cam engine with variable valve timing specially tuned to produce 423 kW of power and 700Nm of torque. On startup you know immediately you’re going to have one hell of a ride.

The test car in standout Sorrento Yellow looked stunning offset by a number of gloss black styling elements from the grille, bonnet vents, gills, roof rails, window surrounds and badging. The gloss black extending to the 22-inch alloy wheels contrasted with red brake calipers on large, ventilated discs front and back. Bright Yellow may not be to your liking, but you can also select British Racing Green, Ligurian Black in Satin and Icy White in gloss, however on this performance brute Sorrento Yellow really looks the part.



Carrying over from the more standard F-Pace SVR is assisted cruise control, a rear parking camera, auto braking and parking, parking sensors, power front seats, heated seats in both rows, 13 speaker premium sound, wireless phone charging and voice recognition. There’s also carbon-fibre trim, a head-up display, privacy glass, LED headlights and running lights, a power adjustable steering column and semi-aniline leather trim. Everything you would and should expect for a performance SUV at $182, 235 plus on-road costs.


There’s also satellite navigation, wired and wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto, a premium Meridian sound system, DAB and digital radio, and a full panoramic sunroof with shade cover. The interior as you would expect for an high end Jaguar highly finished with quality materials and great perforated leather seats although for my taste and maybe showing my age I would have likes a little more timber finish to give it that British feel. Whilst with space for five adults with good head and legroom all round it is best as a four-seater with the transmission tunnel compromising space in the rear although outboard passengers get heated seats, their own air vents, a pair of JSB ports and a 12-volt outlet plus the benefit of two cupholders in the fold-down armrest.

The touchscreen may be small at 11.4 inches however it features very clear graphic and is augmented with dials and push buttons that make its so much user friendly to many of the large touchscreens emerging on many neigns. The F-Pace’s infotainment system easy to use and very intuitive, the satellite navigation system benefiting from being able to be mirrored into the digital instrument cluster for easier reference. The instrument display able to be configured in a number of ways via a controller on the steering wheel. One real benefit is the ability to locate the vehicle on your smartphone via the Jaguar remote App, you can also lock and unlock the doors, operate the climate control ahead of entering the vehicle to pre warm or cool it and also check on your fuel level



Performance wise this highly competent luxury SUV doesn’t disappoint. A press of a button augments the quad exhaust system, and the resultant sound immediately lets you know the SVR 575 Ultimate Edition is a performance SUV. The 5.0-litre supercharged V8 an aural delight, and despite this SUV tipping the scales at 2144kgs, able to propel this large SUV to 100km/hour in just 4 seconds. Give it its head on an open road and this is one hell of a beast but conversely this big V8 is equally at home around town at low revs, the robust eight-speed automatic with manual shift paddles able to tap its massive torque in a most comfortable and relaxed manner. Quite simply, there’s nothing like a large V8 for relaxed motoring.

Drive it taken to all four wheels via a torque vectoring system and with the recent bout of wet weather its surefootness on a slippery road surface was most reassuring tapping the 700Nm of torque with ease and offering great grip. The whole drive experience aided by the SVR 575’s electronic dampers that even in the firmest Dynamic setting provide a cosseted ride and controlling its 2133kg. heft in a very competent manner on a winding road. Here, the torque vectoring setup distributes more power and torque to the front wheels under heavy cornering and its most reassuring.


The ability to also control the torque via manual shift paddles on the steering wheel makes it a drivers delight with the added benefit of the crackling exhaust note on downshifts and steering that is precise and effortless. The whole drive experience also augmented by an extensive range of Jaguar advanced driver assist systems (ADAS).



In some ways I parted with this high-end Jaguar performance SUV with a tinge of sadness that it is probably the last time I will savior the delights on an internal combustion V8 Jaguar.

How Jaguar will navigate its future from January 1 with an all-electric high end upper luxury model range will be interesting to watch. This Jaguar F-Pace SVR 575 Ultimate Edition SUV one of the final acts in what has been a wonderful 90 years of Jaguar grace and pace – quite simply a wonderful era of motoring provided by a British company that post war was one of the great automotive success stories, one that today is revered by a group of dedicated enthusiasts the world over.

The Jaguar Drivers Club of Australia today is one of the largest and most active in the collector car world and it will be interesting to watch just how this new era for the company affects interest in the brand.