By Philip Ruth–
Well, isn’t this grand. After two long years of COVID-19, here comes monkeypox.
Just as lockdown fatigue starts to lift, we’re back to the stark advisories of socializing within our existing bubbles, and to avoid physical connection with others until the vaccine has stuck more arms. This is all while COVID-19 is more potent and transmissible than ever.
The cruelest part for me was skipping the Dore Alley street fair for the third year in a row; same with Lazy Bear in Guerneville. They’re where I’d catch up with friends I hadn’t seen in a while—in this case, a long while. As we cope with another impactful virus, I’m back to my primary pandemic activity, i.e., going for long drives.
The two we’re looking at this week would be fun tools for the job, all while they give very different experiences. Here we’re comparing luxury compact SUVs: the BMW X3, that in this case is in a sporty M40i trim and with a $62,400 price, versus the Jaguar F-Pace SVR at about $37,000 more. You’d spend more for the faster X3 M that would be more comparable to the F-Pace SVR, though the most-loaded X3 M is still more than $10,000 cheaper than the tested $99,089 F-Pace SVR.
The X3 M40i and F-Pace SVR are flattering extensions of their brands. Silky and propulsive is the Jaguar, while the BMW is sharp and enthusiastic. You wouldn’t mind having both in your garage.
Getting the negatives out of the way: I dislike the F-Pace’s narrow windows leading to tighter visibility. Meanwhile, the X3 could use more steering feel to better express the M40i’s impressive athleticism.
Otherwise, go ahead and dig into the automotive feast these two lay out. What the BMW’s steering lacks in communication is met with directness and firmness. The Jaguar is also very direct, and it adds some smoothness, particularly in transitional behavior, such as steering off-center to tackle a curve. The BMW charges forth, while the Jaguar acts like it had the idea all along.
The Jaguar was a stormer, with its sub-four-second 0-60 time and the feeling of a cannonball under the hood, igniting you forward. Meanwhile, the X3 M40i was a pip in town, as it scooted around with athletic ease, though with a relatively stiff ride, which was keenly felt over San Francisco’s rutted roads.
A shout-out to the Jaguar for its compelling color choice, a non-glossy green called “SVO Ultra Metallic Paint in Satin Finish.” It got tons of looks, which it should for its $7,410 option cost.
For even more eyeballs, Jaguar offers the $110,000 F-Pace SVR Edition 1988; it’s Midnight Amethyst (purple) with Champagne Gold wheels. I’ve been staring at its images online ( https://tinyurl.com/4j63xkkv ) and still can’t decide if it’s too much or just enough.
In our current state of low inventories, I checked Bay Area dealers to see if these models are actually available for purchase. I found a few F-Pace SVRs but no X3 M40is. Here’s hoping this situation continues to improve.
Philip Ruth is a Castro-based automotive photojournalist and consultant with an automotive staging service.
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Published on September 8, 2022
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