Jaguar’s first SUV has driven straight into the record books by performing the world’s largest-ever loop-the-loop as part of its Frankfurt reveal.
The F-Pace and its driver, Terry Grant, encountered forces of over 6G as they completed the 19.08 meter-high loop and in doing so wrote their names into this year’s Guinness Book of World Records.
The stunt required months of planning and demanded that Grant undertake intense physical training. The astronauts that pilot the Space Shuttle experience less g-force on a typical mission than Grant had to withstand in order to complete the loop. “Driving the world’s largest loop tonight was a very proud moment in my career. The F-PACE’s supreme performance credentials and rigid lightweight structure gave me complete confidence that I had the strength and driving agility needed.”
Breaking a record is Jaguar’s way of suggesting that the first SUV in its 80-year history represents an ultimate.
“The F-Pace exudes performance yet you can fit five people and all their belongings in it. This is a car for people who love driving, who love design and who love technology — this is the ultimate practical sports car,” said Ian Callum, the company’s director of design.
With the amount of competition in the SUV market already, new entrants need to offer something special in order to stand a chance of success.
In Jaguar’s case, the company believes that offering keen drivers a car that sates their needs while also being able to bring the entire family along for the ride, will prove to be the F-Pace’s x factor.
“When we created this car we thought differently; we took a Jaguar sports car and made it family friendly,” said Callum.
However, what keeps children satisfied on a long journey is a very different proposition and that’s why, according to the company’s head of communications, Fiona Pargeter, the vehicle boasts some serious infotainment equipment including a 4G/LTE wi-fi hotspot.
“The F-Pace is packed full of innovative technology and features the world’s most-advanced in-car entertainment system,” she said.
Like Volvo did with its flagship XC90 SUV, Jaguar will be offering the F-Pace initially as a special, limited edition launch model. Just 2000 examples worldwide are scheduled for production.
