Cat’s out of the bag with Jaguar C-X17 SUV SUV crossover

Purr-fect ... Ken rates the Jaguar C-X17 Concept

JAGUAR still insists its C-X17 SUV crossover is just a show concept.

Having just driven it, I am 100 per cent convinced that it will be on sale by late 2015.

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The C-X17 is not only the most radical model Jaguar has ever produced, it also takes the company out of its traditional comfort zone of sports cars and saloons.

The test may have been only a small drive but the impact of the Jaguar C-X17 was huge.

With the skyscrapers of Dubai as a backdrop, the C-X17 looks every inch a Jaguar – despite its very different profile.

The C-X17 is very much a hand-built show concept so I never got the chance to seriously open it up but it looked and felt the part.

And while the show car has a lively 3-litre V6 petrol engine, the production version will get Jaguar’s all-new 2-litre diesel and petrol versions.

They will deliver class-leading 50mpg-plus economy and low emissions – equal to family cars.

Bigger high-performance petrol and diesel versions will also be available to satisfy buyers wanting more power.

Whatever engine is under the bonnet, the C-X17 has genuine road presence. This crossover turns heads in the same way as a sports car.

And I expect the production car to be very close to this, with just a few of the show car’s more extravagant exterior design touches removed.

As Jaguar’s advanced design director Julian Thomson told me: “Jaguar are not about doing flashy concept cars and then not delivering in the production version.”

Thomson admits Jaguar are arriving late into the market.

He said: “We are late to the crossover SUV party so we have to make a statement.

Outcry “It has to be the best-looking model on the market, and the best-driving.

“We believe we can deliver both of these objectives to make the C-X17 a compelling prospect.”

He also reveals designing an SUV was a challenge.

He added: “Typical SUVs don’t look like a Jaguar – they are very functional and tall vehicles. With the C-X17 we had to get the proportions right and
make it much sportier and beautiful.”

If the exterior is likely to have only subtle tweaks, the interior is more of a show concept, although the sleek futuristic dashboard and centre console
will make it into production.

Jaguar’s vehicle engineering manager Graham Wilkins has the job of making the C-X17 drive like a real Jaguar.

He said: “Our aim is to make the C-X17 drive as well as any Jaguar saloon car. You don’t usually get sophistication in an SUV. We want our model to feel as if it’s gliding over the road. It has to be rewarding to drive.”

In many ways the C-X17 is Jaguar’s Porsche Cayenne, just more stylish.

But if it is half as successful as the Porsche, Jag bosses will be very happy.

The Cayenne now outsells the 911 and is Porsche’s best selling model, despite an outcry from traditionalists when it came out.

The only disappointing thing is we will have to wait a couple of years before the C-X17 hits the showrooms.

But after my drive, I am totally convinced it will be well worth the wait.