TURF WAR: Jaguar SUV or Range Rover Evoque?

IMAGINE Saturday's Grand National is a two-horse race - and you own them both. You can't lose.

That pretty much sums up Jaguar Land Rover right now.

The BIG FAVOURITE is the £30,000 Evoque.

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It is the fastest-selling Range Rover — 500,000 in five years — and the Halewood factory, just down the road from Aintree, builds a car every 80 seconds.

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The Evoque steered JLR to a record 25,000 UK sales last month.

The CHALLENGER is the bigger £34,000 Jaguar F-Pace, Jaguar's first SUV.

It's getting plenty of backers, too — 2,500 orders in the UK, 10,000 worldwide — and that's BEFORE anyone has even driven it.

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But JLR is happy to let its two "statement" SUVs fight over the same turf.

UK boss Jeremy Hicks said: "There is room for both."

The exploding SUV/crossover market is set to grow another 50 per cent to 1.4MILLION globally by 2020 — and JLR isn't finished yet.

There's another baby Jag SUV in the oven at Solihull. And it will have the option of electric.

So what's the F-Pace like to drive? A thoroughbred.

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A roomy, five seat family SUV with the beating heart of a Jaguar. It borrows heavily from the F-Type sports car — including the top-end 380hp supercharged V6 — but the real brilliance is the aluminium body. Less weight equals performance. Seemples. Or pair it with the entry 2-litre diesel — also in the Evoque — and you have the economy and efficiency of a supermini. Jaguar quote 57mpg and 129g/km CO2.

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There's also 4WD trickery for added all-weather grip and extreme off-road picnics.

Now designer Ian Callum has nailed his first SUV. It looks fast standing still and I'm loving that rear end.

But take my advice here. Do not go for the big, fancy 22in wheels. As dandy as they'll look on your drive, the F-Pace pours into corners much better on 20s.

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Next question. Will the Germans be worried? Yes. They'll be twitching. The FPace is £9,000 cheaper than a Porsche Macan, £3,000 cheaper than a BMW X4 — and it floors the Audi Q5 for boot space.

It has more tech than a Boeing 777 inside too. Four Intel Quad processors can stream EIGHT devices and there's a 12.3in digital dash with full-screen 3D satnav, laser head-up display and 10.2in tablet-style touchscreen.

You won't lose your keys either.

Just tap your waterproof wristband on the J of the Jaguar badge on the boot — like a contactless debit card — and open sesame.

Don't confuse it with your Fitbit though. Or your Help for Heroes wristband.

Final question. So, what's your money on? The Evoque or F-Pace? The F-Pace. It has more space, more pace — and of course it's the hot new SUV. No one else has got one. Yet.

VERDICT: Winner. By a nose.