Following its surprise appearance during the Tour de France bicycle race as a support vehicle for Team Sky, Jaguar has released a series of new images of its upcoming 2017 F-Pace that debuts in September at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The photos show prototypes of its first-ever “sports crossover” being subjected to at-the-limit floggings under extreme climate conditions in what the company says was one of the most demanding test programs it has ever devised.
While offering no new tech data on this 5-passenger midsize crossover SUV, Jaguar’s hot weather workouts came in Dubai where temperatures can top 122 degrees Fahrenheit and those inside the cabin of a parked vehicle can exceed 158 degrees. This environment tests the limits of everything from the cooling system to the infotainment screens. At the other end of the spectrum, the F-Pace spent time at Jaguar’s winter test site in Arjeplog, Sweden, less than 100 miles from the Arctic Circle. There, on 37.3 miles of handling, climbing and mixed-friction courses, the F-Pace’s Dynamic Stability Control, All-Surface Progress Control and other systems were optimized to deal with any type of road condition. Finally, validation testing for the new F-Pace included driving it over gravel-surfaced mountain passes, all with the intent of ensuring the vehicle will possess exceptional capability.
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“We developed the F-Pace to offer the ride, handling and refinement demanded from a Jaguar car, together with new levels of ability and composure on a variety of surfaces and weather conditions,” said, Andrew Whyman, Vehicle Program Director. “We’ve exhaustively tested the F-Pace in the most challenging conditions to ensure that it will exceed the expectations of our customers around the world.”
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