Driving Performance

A few years ago, Jaguar came out with a sweet little crossover SUV, the F-Type. This luxury ride boasts all the sophistication and stylish designs one would expect from Jaguar, and its top trim package, the F-Pace SVR, provides a beastly 550 horsepower engine. However, at just a little more than half the price of the SVR package, you can get a base level trim. It still has the overall look of a Jag, just a few less bells and whistles. But when it comes to what lies beneath the hood, it’s completely gutless. Instead of 550 horsepower, the F-Pace 20d trim package gets you 180 horsepower. To put that in perspective, that’s about 100 less horsepower than the minivan we are currently renting on vacation.

It looks the part, but doesn’t deliver. This “budget” version allows one to say they “drive a Jag” without having to pay the price for true performance. Everything on the outside proclaims prestige and affluence, but where the *ahem* rubber meets the road, the actual driving experience would betray the owner as not being able to afford the “real deal,” even when spreading the payments over eight years. It’s posing. It’s only being willing to pay the bare minimum. It’s projecting the appearance of capabilities without being able to back it up when it matters. It’s over-promising and under-delivering.

High performance comes at a cost. It doesn’t matter if it’s a car, a piece of electronics or your own life, there is a price to be paid when something or someone is operating at an elite level. When you try to reduce the price being paid – or worse yet, put all the investment into appearances – performance suffers. We can’t afford to put all our effort into looking the part, but be prepared to perform accordingly. The world around you does it, but they are lying to those who depend on them and cheating themselves. Be willing to pay the price to deliver more than what is expected.

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