Land Rover Range Rover Evoque vs Jaguar F-PACE

If you are in the market for a small luxury SUV there are a dizzying array of options. Nearly all offer comfortable interiors, the latest infotainment and safety technology, and refined, responsive driving dynamics. So how does any vehicle stand out in this segment? The 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque manages to distinguish itself as a capable vehicle when venturing off paved roads. Most crucially, the Evoque delivers these abilities without sacrificing on-road comfort.

The Range Rover Evoque was redesigned for the 2020 model year. Land Rover then updated the infotainment system for 2021. For 2022, the Evoque gains more features and adds the more potent mild-hybrid powertrain that was temporarily discontinued for the 2021 model year. These features all contribute toward a capable, comfortable crossover that distills elements of its larger Range Rover siblings into a small-SUV format.

There was a time when the notion of a Jaguar SUV would cause much harrumphing and the displacement of monocles. The stalwart British automaker has traditionally been known for sports cars and fast-yet-luxurious sedans, but market trends demanded an SUV. So the 2022 Jaguar F-Pace tries to channel the spirit of previous Jags into a high-riding utility vehicle package.

The Jaguar F-Pace arrived for the 2016 model year as Jaguar’s first SUV (it’s since been joined by the smaller E-Pace and all-electric I-Pace). It thus introduced Jaguar’s “Pace” naming convention for SUVs, derived from the brand’s old marketing tagline “grace, pace, and space.” That’s fitting because, to succeed and keep star-crossed Jag alive, the F-Pace needs all three.

This crossover SUV has done wonders for Jaguar’s bottom line, but it still faces tough competition from rivals like the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class, and Volvo XC60, as well as the newcomer Genesis GV70. To help distinguish it from the wares of sibling brand Land Rover, the F-Pace focuses more on sporty driving dynamics than off-road capability.

Following a major update for the 2021 model year, the F-Pace rolls into 2022 essentially unchanged. The F-Pace lineup includes a base four-cylinder powertrain (in P250 and P250 S configurations), a V6 mild-hybrid powertrain, (available in the F-Pace P340 S and P400 R-Dynamic S variants) and the V8-powered Jaguar F-Pace SVR performance model. We tested a mid-level F-Pace P340 S model.