What's the difference?
Jaguar has announced that by 2025 it will only make and sell electric vehicles. That’s less than four years away and means the F-Pace you’re thinking about buying could be the last Jaguar with an actual engine that you ever own. Heck, it could be the last car with an engine you ever own.
Let’s help you pick the right one then, because Jaguar’s just called last drinks.
An updated Sportage is a big deal for Kia. It's the brand's best-selling model in Australia and around the world, and arguably has never faced more and stiffer competition.
There's a new Mazda CX-5 around the corner, this time with a hybrid, and Toyota has just whipped the covers off its new RAV4. And that's before you mention Hyundai, Volkswagen, Honda or the litany of Chinese newcomers all here for slice of the pie.
Kia tells us this mid-life update is designed to look better, drive better, offer better tech, better safety and better equipment right across a vast range that includes petrol, diesel, hybrid, two-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, turbo and non-turbo alike.
So the question is, is all of that enough to keep the Sportage fresh in the face of all this new competition? Let's go find out.
The F-Pace has been gifted new styling, new engines and more practicality making it an even better SUV than it already was. You could seriously pick any of the grades and be happy with your purchase. Then there’s the question of the engine…
Jaguar says there’s a few more years left in the combustion engine yet, but we know exactly how many years – four, because the company has gone on the record announcing it will go fully electric by 2025. The question for you is – how will you ring out the end of an era – with a four-cylinder petrol, a six-cylinder turbo diesel, an inline turbo six petrol or a cracking V8?
The sweetspot in the range is the R-Dynamic SE 400, with just enough luxury and more than enough grunt.
The Sportage still feels like a super solid offering in its segment, plus the addition of more hybrid options is only going to help.
It does feel a little under-specced in the lower grades, though, considering the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach taken by its Chinese rivals.
I feel like I should almost whisper this bit, given it's a dirty word at the moment, but that diesel engine, it's a real peach, and if I wasn't afraid of being run out of Sydney's inner west with pitchforks, that's probably the one I'd be choosing.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.