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Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the past two decades, you’ll know the SUV is the king of America’s roads today. Nearly every mainstream carmaker offers at least one SUV for purchase, if not more, because that’s what people are buying. There are loads of different types, as well, from the subcompact crossover SUVs like the Chevrolet Trax, all the way up to the full-size giants like the Chevrolet Tahoe and the Cadillac Escalade ESV. With so much choice ont he market, there’s bound to be a few SUVs that slip under the radar.

That fact brings us to our model in question: the most underrated SUV, in our opinion. It’s currently the only model from this iconic British marque as the brand has killed off all other models – and it has a lot more to offer than you think.

Meet The 2025 Jaguar F-Pace

The F-Pace goes into 2025 as the only Jaguar on sale in the US. It’s available in three configurations based on the various powertrains available – and buyers have a choice between “sufficient,” “ample,” an “holy crap”. The entry-level 2.0-liter engine makes 246 horsepower, which is enough to get the SUV moving. The mid-range six-cylinder is a great bet for the money, putting out almost 400 hp and changing the game substantially in terms of performance. The price difference between these two is less than $10k, and considering the features list is pretty much the same across these two models, that money goes straight to the engine and consequent drive and handling.

Sitting right at the top of the pile, however, is the F-Pace SVR P575 Edition. 567 horsepower comes courtesy of Jaguar’s 5.0-liter AJ133 V8 that’s got a supercharger strapped to its intake manifold. A sub-four second 0-60 mph time is the result, and a 178-mph top speed can be achieved if you keep your foot hard-down for long enough. Couple the SVR P575’s speed with its standard Dynamic Launch Control and active valve exhaust, it very well may be one of the best performing and sounding luxury SUVs for under $100k.

A Brief Jag History Lesson

But Jaguar hasn’t always had the best reputation for reliability, and it’s worth understanding why it was an issue and, arguably, no longer is. Back in the 1960s, Jag was bought by British Leyland, which was basically the General Motors of England. Thanks to cheap manufacturing and even cheaper parts, nearly all of British Leyland’s subsidiaries, including Jaguar, suffered from terrible reliability. It was so bad that the once-great Jaguar name was relegated to a laughing-stock. By 1984, when Leyland offloaded Jag, it was a shell of its former, proud self.

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But in 1986, Sir John Egan had taken on the issues at hand, focusing on quality control, poor delivery schedules, and low productivity, and cut costs to support improving the brand. All of this resulted in growth, but also changing perceptions, which paved the way for the Jaguar brand to become what it is today: a respected company with high-quality, high-end vehicles.

SUV Practicality In The F-Pace – Without Compromise

The 2025 Jaguar F-Pace’s selection of venerable powertrains are all well and good, but an SUV should also be practical – without sacrificing on comfort and class when you’re playing in the premium segment, like the F-Pace is. This means decent cargo space, and a slew of life-improving convenience features, while still maintaining a feel of opulence.

The F-Pace boasts a maximum cargo capacity of 70.4 cubic feet. It’s an impressive amount of room, and it shows up some of its size-based competors: the Genesis GV70 maxes ut at 56,9 cubes, while the Merc GLC-Class offers even less. The BMW X3 provides a smidge over 62 cubes. The F-Pace also beats out the Porsche Cayenne, as it comes into the fold with just 60.3 cubes of space.

There’s even more to the F-Pace, though. At base level, this is what you get standard:

• Meridian sound system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Wireless charging
• Heated steering wheel
• 11.4-inch touchscreen with a digital driver display
• Dual-zone climate control
• Perforated leather sport seats
• Emergency braking
• Blind-spot assist
• Traffic sign recognition
• Adaptive speed limiter and cruise control
• Driver condition monitoring
• Lane keep assist
• Front and rear parking assist

The supercharged SVR is even more well-equipped than this.

Why You Should Spend Your Money On The F-Pace

Straight off the bat, the F-Pace is one of the prettiest SUVs on the market today. While its shape hasn’t changed much over the last nine years, the Ian Callum-styled SUV still looks hip, and still looks mean in the best of ways. It’s modern without being angles and lines, and it’s inoffensive to most.

Athough the older Jaguar models suffered reliability concerns, the F-Pace doesn’t. JD Power rates the 2024 models at an average of 80 out of 100 for quality and reliability, with an overall score of 81 ou of 100 – these scores are based on independent and unbiased opinions of F-Pace owners. To back up these facts, the following recall information applies:

• 149 F-Pace models were recalled in 2024 for an oil leak that could cause a fire
• 5 units were affected by a potential rearview camera display image
• 229 units were recalled in 2023 for an engine cam carrier oil leak
• 2022 model years had three recalls
• 2021 model years suffered two recalls

These are low numbers in all respects. RepairPal.com ranks it as “Above Average” when compared to other crossover SUVs on the market today.

As for performance, the F-Pace is one of the most powerful V8 SUVs on the market today. The supercharged V8 pumping out 567 horsepower puts the F-Pace in esteeemed – but endangered – company, as one of the only a few supercharged SUVS left in America.

And if we look at those remaining few super-SUVs, here’s how their pricing stacks up:

* MSRP excluding destination

The Jaguar F-Pace is the cheapest of the supercharged bunch, and it’s by no means the least powerful or the slowest to 60 mph. That makes it an excellent vaue proposition, and an easier way to buy into the supercharged V8 SUV club. With V8s going the way of the dodo, the F-Pace may even increase in value in the years to come. Remember, this pricing is for the top F-Pace trim. The base model start significantly cheaper at $57,000.

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Underrated Runner-Up: The Alfa Romeo Stelvio

It’s worth mentioning another almost-as-underrated SUV on the market: the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. The Stelvio comes with just a single choice of powertrain, a 280-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo four-pot, which does beat the F-Pace’s base power rating of 246 horses. The hot version, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, bows out of the lineup for the 2025 model year. It’s a shame, as well, because the Quadrifoglio boasted a power rating of 505 horsepower from its 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6.

The Stelvio isn’t as large as the F-PACE in terms of cargo area, with it receiving the classification of compact crossover SUV. Regardless, it doesn’t have much cargo space, with just 56.5 cubic feet of maximum space, less than most other compact crossovers on the market. It’s also a bit expensive, starting at $51,195. For less than $6,000 more, you can get yourself into the bigger, prettier, and more useful 2025 Jaguar F-Pace. The tragic thing is, the F-Pace won’t be around following the 2025 model year, as it, too, will receive the proverbial ax in favor of Jaguar’s incoming all-electric lineup.

Sources:
Jaguar, AlfaRomeo,
RepairPal.com