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2019 Jaguar F-Pace SVR Second Drive Review | A thunderingly good performance cat

Jaguar entered the high-performance SUV game late with the F-Pace SVR, but hopping on the unstoppable freight train now is better than ignoring it completely. Just like its European competition, the Jaguar has a delightfully overpowered engine and luxury in spades, as well as handling that borders on the uncanny. But if there’s a downside to the F-Pace SVR, itÂ’s that it falls victim to the same issue that plagues its competition: not enough differentiation. From a size, shape, power and features perspective, the SVR doesnÂ’t stand out next to others like the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63, BMW X3 M, Porsche Macan Turbo or Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. But, there is a but: One factor makes the 2020 Jaguar F-Pace SVR unique among the competition. Jaguar gave the F-Pace SVR 550 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque – great numbers, but itÂ’s how the SVR makes them thatÂ’s the kicker. Instead of a smaller, twin-turbocharged engine, Jaguar tapped its 5.0-liter supercharged V8 for duty. This makes it doubly unique: the largest displacement in its class, as well as the only one to feature a supercharger, making the driving experience palpably different than the rest. With a blower and all that displacement, thereÂ’s no lag. Power hits early and with authority, throwing us back in the nicely sculpted leather buckets. The SVRÂ’s mid-range is especially impressive, and thereÂ’s no drop-off in power as the engine approaches redline. Turbocharging technology is virtually lag-free in most applications these days, but the SVRÂ’s engine is still sharper and responds quicker than the rest. The others may be as quick or quicker than the Jaguar in a straight line (the SVR hits 60 mph in 4.1 seconds), but none are able to match it in throttle response or engine character. And then thereÂ’s the sound, that glorious exhaust cackle thatÂ’s a near carbon-copy of the F-Type SVR. Our future may be electric, but the pipes on this crossover are welcome in this world for as long as they care to stay. Their cacophony of growling and crackling is louder and meaner than any other high-performance SUV on sale today. Some hooligan who thinks just like us mustÂ’ve engineered it. The only thing missing among the loud noises is that of a supercharger whine. Not even a hint of it is audible from inside the cabin, and the supercharger is the biggest performance factor that sets this car apart. Let us hear the whine, Jaguar.

Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations could build standalone models

Jaguar Land Rover may be set to turn its Special Vehicle Operations division into something much bigger than a mere in-house tuner. Bloomberg spoke to the head of JLR's high-performance, customization outfit, John Edwards, who hinted that his team may move beyond simply modifying F-Types, Range Rovers and the like. "We're certainly looking at that, and we've got the capability to do that," Edwards told AN. "Is there an opportunity for us to do a completely standalone car? Maybe." Such a move into full-scale, standalone models would be a big step, particularly for a division that's still kind of in its infancy. Bloomberg references the success of Mercedes-AMG, but the German division has had the benefit of decades of growth. AMG spent years and years building high-performance versions of all manner of mainstream Mercedes vehicles, before moving onto cars like the SLS AMG and AMG GT, which have no mainstream analog. In other words, AMG had a long time to develop a reputation building high-performance vehicles that people know and recognize before it moved into building vehicles of its own. We aren't entirely convinced that SpecOps wouldn't benefit from taking a similar approach, delivering additional SVR vehicles, like the rumored XE SVR, before striking out on its own. We'd like to know what you think, though. Is it already time for Special Vehicle Operations to build standalone models, or should it learn to walk before it runs by modifying more of Jaguar Land Rover's existing product. Have your say in Comments. Related Video:

Land Rover wins legal battle over Evoque clone Land Wind X7

Luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover, part of Tata Motors Ltd, said it won a case in China against local rival Jiangling Motors Corp for making cars that copy features of Range Rover Evoque. Beijing Chaoyang District Court said on Friday that Evoque, whose latest model was launched in 2018, had five unique features that were copied directly in the Land Wind X7 built by Jiangling Motors, leading to widespread consumer confusion. The court ruled that all sales, manufacturing and marketing of the Land Wind X7 must stop immediately and Jaguar Land Rover be paid compensation. The two sports utility vehicles have a similar shape, with the roof and windows tapering from front to back, and near-identical tail lights and character lines on the side panelling. Britain's biggest carmaker had sued Jiangling in a rare move in 2016. Despite widespread and often blatant copying, global automakers generally don't take legal action in China as they feel the odds of winning against local firms are low. Also, a lawsuit can be bad for branding if the Chinese public think a foreign company is bullying domestic competitors. The new Range Rover Evoque will be launched in China in April 2019. Jiangling could not be immediately reached for comment.