Bosch European Motors

The 2017 Jaguar F-Pace fits right into the middle of one very important luxury-crossover battleground that now includes just-right mid-sizers like the Mercedes-Benz GLC, BMW X3, Cadillac XT5. Yet what makes this luxury vehicle quite different is that it neither starts as an existing car that鈥檚 been made more rugged nor a rugged vehicle that鈥檚 been given more carlike attributes. In short, the F-Pace is what it is, and it was created as a vehicle that feels like a sports car inside, yet has some of that additional capability on the outside. Callum, who can be credited with the more modern look of Jaguar that the brand has developed over the past decade, with models like the XF and XJ sedans, and then the F-Type sports car, appreciates simplicity and elegance. It speaks volumes that, unlike many designers, Callum doesn鈥檛 dream of the day when instrument panels have been retired for touch screen; he鈥檚 a big proponent of simple functionality, in physical buttons and tactile switchgear.

From our walkaround and chat, here are some Q&A insights from Callum on why the F-Pace looks the way it does, and how this model fits right in as a Jaguar. You鈥檝e said in the past that an SUV wouldn鈥檛 be a good fit for Jag. What makes it different now? The first time I was asked was 16 years ago. My answer was no, we have other things to do that were more important to me. We have to build a sedan range, we have to fix the family, and we have to build a sports car range. 鈥檛 a priority. And then as the years went by and we fixed the priorities, we got that right and the world was telling us on no uncertain terms this is what they wanted鈥攅specially in the U.S. China, where in the next two years this segment is expected to grow another 40 percent. So not to be in this sector would be a little naive, for the sake of purity.

Dealing with these proportions, that鈥檚 not an easy thing to do. It runs against you all the time. I鈥檓 happy when I see this car on the road, I know it鈥檚 not an F-Type, but it feels very much in the family. And that was deliberate; you see F-Type cues all over it. The F-Pace uses a completely new platform. Why this packaging and this size? The nice thing is that it was a blank sheet of paper. We didn鈥檛 have a given platform or floorpan to work on. We didn鈥檛 have a wheelbase or track to work on. We sat down with the first principles, and amongst us, the engineering team and myself, we worked out what we wanted out of this car dimensionally, and how the wheels would sit. And how the car would generally look. We鈥檝e never had that before. It was a great opportunity to do exactly what we needed to do.

Our mission was to create something that was clearly packaged a certain size鈥攖he dimensions of the car were something we all agreed upon鈥攁nd my mission was to create the most elegant SUV I possibly could, given those dimensions. As I said to the design team, we鈥檙e not going to negotiate those dimensions鈥攚e often do on sedans, and especially sports cars, because our mission is to get everything right. But we had to meet particular dimensions, that鈥檚 what these cars are like. The F-Pace is less rugged-looking than most utility vehicles. Is this to help differentiate it from Land Rover? It wasn鈥檛 the intent. The intent was to make it look like a Jag. And if the consequence of that is that it doesn鈥檛 look so rugged, then so be it. But I think it looks quite tough. The primary attribute of this car is really on the road use. I鈥檓 sure it鈥檚 very capable off-road鈥攊n fact I know it is. But it鈥檚 not the way we want to pitch this; we want to pitch the car as most sport utility vehicles are driven, in urban situations. Primarily it has to be elegant.

It has to have a sense of beauty about it. The proportions are challenging, because beauty鈥檚 usually about lowness and sleekness, but we鈥檝e transferred that to something that鈥檚 a bit more utilitarian, a bit more practical. 鈥檛 deny it, it鈥檚 something that has to be done. It鈥檚 not like packaging a two-seater sports car. The sheetmetal is remarkably smooth and uninterrupted. Are the aggressive sculpting and creasing on some models' side sheetmetal things that you find unattractive, or just not Jaguar? It鈥檚 not Jaguar; I think it鈥檚 unattractive, and it鈥檚 confusing. What I try to do is create lines and forms that people can understand easily. Some cars I look at and think there are so many lines in them you don鈥檛 know where the emphasis is anymore. Every new line has to complement the other one rather than destroy it. I look at a lot of cars and think that there are lots of lines here, I don鈥檛 know what the focal point is. And I do believe here I have a focal point; it鈥檚 in the creases and the haunches and the surfacing.