Trackhawk Makes Jaguar F-Pace SVR Sweat Bullets in Comparo
YouTube channel The Straight Pipes pits America’s insanely-powered Jeep Trackhawk against Britain’s formidable yet sophisticated Jaguar.
There’s basically no question that the Jeep Grand Cherokee lineup is excellent. Even without the Trackhawk, Jeep has developed a slew of excellent SUVs with awesome power and capability. It’s essentially the most unique two row utility vehicle on the market right now. Jeep is probably working on a Grand Cherokee successor as we speak. However, the current model can still hang with the newer kids on the block.
That’s definitely what Yuri Tereshyn and Jakub Wrobel of The Straight Pipes found out when they evaluated the Trackhawk against an intriguing new competitor from across the pond. In an extremely thorough head-to-head match-up, the guys pitted the two SUVs against each other and voiced what they did and didn’t like about both of them. Overall, they felt Jeep really nailed the fun-to-drive quotient but was a little rough around the edges. Despite some minor flaws and one reviewer saying he preferred the Jag, it really seems like they both felt like the Jeep was the better performer.
Jeep vs. Jag
On paper, it may not seem like the Jeep Trackhawk and Jaguar F-Pace SVR can be properly compared to each other. The Jeep is rated at 707 horsepower and 645 Ib-ft of torque. And the Jaguar has 550 horsepower and 502 Ib-ft of torque. But they both have supercharged V8 engines and the same ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. Plus, while raw power is definitely a selling point for both of these vehicles, it’s not like that’s the only reason why people buy them. The duo have sophisticated all-wheel drive systems, aggressive exhausts, and excellent sounding powertrains.
The exhaust notes of the Jeep and Jag really delighted the reviewers. This is the one area where the F-Pace SVR conceivably rivals the Jeep. “Exhaust-to-exhaust I’m going to give it to the Jag. Exhaust-to-exhaust plus supercharger I’m giving it to the Trackhawk,” says Wrobel. It seems like Jeep put slightly more effort into how the Jeep sounds than the Jag. That being said, the F-Pace sounds incredible.
Perhaps as a result of their nationalities, the Jaguar only allowed itself a little craziness before it reigned in any horse play while the Jeep let things get pretty silly. “But I have noticed that in the Jag, if you floor it with traction on especially in like winter colder weather the traction will like buzz and not let you floor it,” says Tereshyn. In response to that statement, Wrobel outlined how the Jeep deals with aggressive driving. “In the Trackhawk if you put it in track mode it turns off traction and you can definitely get this thing sideways,” say Wrobel. Seems like the American is a bit more willing to get wild and crazy. That sounds about right.
Imperfect but Super Cool Trackhawk
The Trackhawk, while amazing, did have some flaws. The guys really liked Jeep’s drive modes but felt hampered by the digital tachometer. “There’s no way you can keep up with this laggy gauge,” says Wrobel. “We had no problem hitting those shifts in the Hellcat Redeye which had analog gauges,” says Tereshyn. Based on the video, Jeep designed a digital tachometer that makes it difficult to properly use the shift paddles. That’s unfortunate. “I’m totally convinced no one can hit redline in that Jeep,” says Tereshyn.
How Jeep missed an important detail like that is baffling. Fortunately, since the ZF 8-speed shifts quickly, it’s not like the shift paddles are sorely needed. It would just be nice if the issue was fixed. The Jaguar also handled a bit better and had better body control around the corners. Is that much of an issue for the Jeep though? “And if you don’t really care you can pretty much muscle through anything you need with the power you have here (in the Jeep),” says Tereshyn. Perhaps that’s not too much of a downside after all!
Overall, the pair really loved both vehicles. Tereshyn ultimately chose the Jaguar because he liked the handling of the F-Pace SVR and its ability to allow drivers to easily use the shift paddles. But he couldn’t deny that the Jeep provided more thrills. Wrobel perhaps summed the Trackhawk up with an extremely accurate quote. “I just need to state for the record that if you ever try out a Trackhawk and you don’t smile, you’re dead inside,” says Wrobel. That’s high praise. Make sure to watch the whole video to get the full scoop on why the Trackhawk is more interesting than the Jaguar. It’s a long segment but both hosts present their thoughts about both SUVs in real time while they’re driving, which makes things interesting.