Jaguar's F-Pace SUV revealed... nearly

We’ll let you into a secret. Unless they’re total pie-in-the-sky, most motor show concepts are usually done long after the car they’ve been created to preview has been signed-off. Wack on some cartoon wheels, a few bits of carbon fibre flim-flam, and reduce the glass area a bit, but otherwise it’s the real deal. Stand back and bask in the glory…

If you don’t believe us compare this, our first full, unexpurgated look at Jaguar’s F-PACE SUV/crossover/‘ultimate practical sports car’ (not sure about that last one), with images of the C-X17 show pony that trailed it. That was at Frankfurt two years ago, and the new car will make its world debut there in a fortnight’s time.

No, we can’t really tell them apart, either.

Even so, if you’re a) a helpless purist or b) related to a great British train robber, it’s possible that the idea of a Jaguar 4x4 might still consume you with uncontrollable rage. Even Jaguar insiders privately concede that the idea of a crossover felt a little odd when the idea was first mooted. But with the worldwide SUV market predicted to total 20 million units by 2020, there’s no room for sentiment here: this is business, pure and simple.

We’ll have to wait another few weeks for the full debrief, but here’s what we know or can surmise. Firstly, the F-PACE looks like an SUV that has eaten a Jaguar F-type, in a good way. It’s about as pretty a multi-purpose vehicle as we can think of, balanced and beautifully surfaced, and up there with Porsche’s brilliant Macan.

Secondly, as it uses the same aluminium-rich chassis architecture and suspension as the XE and XF, we fully expect the F-PACE to, er, set the pace when it comes to handling and ride, while CO2 emissions and overall efficiency should also be class-leading.

Thirdly, even if nobody actually ends up using any of it, the LR bit of JLR has a world-beating knowledge base when it comes to off-roading technology and ability, so the F-PACE won't just be a superficial SUV.

Stand by for more from the sweaty halls of Frankfurt on September 14th.