Jaguar F Pace goes nose-to-nose with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and friends in the Scottish mountains
Keeping 150 free-roaming reindeer fed and watered on Scotland's Cairngorm Mountains isn't an easy task at this time of year - so Jaguar has given Cairngorm Reindeer Centre a 250PS all wheel drive F Pace to help get through the winter months
LISTEN up boys and girls – I can officially settle a Christmas debate which has been raging for years.
Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer is a . . . BOY.
Back in 2009 a bunch of snooty scientists caused uproar by declaring that Santa’s number one driver was female.
From a sterile laboratory — which no doubt had never seen a shred of tinsel or crumb of mince pie — some blokes with a load of letters after their names said Rudolf had to be female because only female reindeer keep their antlers at Christmas time.
Not so. While it’s true females do, male reindeer with their, er, walnuts clipped off also keep their antlers, and the many ancient cultures which still to this day put reindeer to work use gelded males to do the heavy lifting.
I consider Rudolf, Blitzen et al powering the delivery of 1.6billion presents to kids across the planet in 24 hours heavy lifting, don’t you?
The right vehicle is crucial
This is just one of many things I learned this week when I joined Jaguar to drop off a very special Christmas gift to the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre, based in the foothills of the snow-dusted Cairngorm Mountains near Aviemore, Scotland.
This time of year is no sweat for the 150 reindeer which roam the 6,000 acres on the mountain.
KEY FACTS: JAGUAR F PACE 250PS
Price: £46,960
Engine: 2.0 litre turbo petrol
0-62mph: 6.8 seconds
Top speed: 135mph
Economy: mpg
CO2: 170g/km
Length: 4.7 metres
But for owner Tilly Smith and her team scrambling through the snow to take them feed — and bring down 50 specially trained reindeer to appear at Christmas fairs and shows — isn’t so easy.
This is the UK’s only herd of free-ranging reindeer, which means the right vehicle is crucial.
So Jag has given the team a 250PS all wheel drive F Pace to get through the winter months.
Not only does it have the off-roading chops to cope with the icy terrain, in the top spec “Portfolio” it’s a well deserved touch of glamour for the herd which brings joy to so many at this time of year.
Tilly — who has written three books on reindeer — said: “We don’t have a 4x4 so this will make a huge difference.
“We’ll be able to drive where others can’t. It’s a beautiful car. We also sometimes need to transport visitors to and from the mountain, as well as cart our dogs around, so this is ideal.”
The Cairngorm reindeer have been on the mountain since 1952, when Swedish reindeer herder Mikael Utsi and his wife brought them over from their home country.
They fell in love with the area while on holiday and decided the harsh but beautiful terrain is the ideal home for the hardy animal.
After getting a degree in zoolology, Tilly volunteered in 1981 to help out the ageing owners, and met husband Alan, who was working as a keeper. Now their kids Fiona and Alex work full-time for the centre.
Today, many of the reindeer travel the country to make public appearances, but the visitor centre is bustling all year.
Adam Calland from Jaguar said: “It’s amazing work these guys are doing. We’re proud to support them in bringing joy to so many.
MOST READ IN MOTORS
“The F Pace will be invaluable to them in the harsh months.”
If that doesn’t give you some Christmas cheer, I don’t know what will.
KEY FACTS: RUDOLF AND PALS
Price: Bag of carrots and free board at North Pole
Engine: Four legs and heaps of Christmas cheer
0-62mph: Half a nanosecond
Top speed: 650 miles per second (300 times of speed of sound)
Economy: 122million miles per 24 hours
CO2: A few “droppings”
Length: 2.1 metres
- For more info, see .
READER'S CAR OF THE WEEK
HOW’S this for a proper pickup?
Thank you to Daz Fletcher from Derby for sending it, in the hope of giving his grandson an early Christmas present.
Daz says: “This is my ride – a 1959 Ford F100 Stepside. Powered by a V8.
It looks and sounds great, delivering a huge smile factor.
“The biggest fan is my grandson Mikey, who loves to park his Comet Tot Rod next to it.
“I hope to get this featured as a keepsake for Mikey.”
To see your pride and joy here send me a picture and brief description to [email protected].
It's pack to the future
Need to carry stuff as you ride your scooter or motorbike and there’s only one option – the humble backpack.
But waxed canvas or totally waterproof? 18 litres or 28 litres? Lots of zipped compartments or none? The choice is dizzying.
Here, Sun Motors’ scooter commuter David Firth runs through some of the top bags on the market and picks out the pros and cons after putting them through their paces.
Stubble & Co – The Backpack (£85, stubbleandco.com) -
Lightweight, classic and stylish. At 18 litres, it’s the smallest on this list but storage is still strong. One external vertical zip pocket for regular-use bits and bobs, and two open side pockets for water bottles, papers etc. Inside there’s a laptop section and another small zipped pocket. The magnetic top covering is excellent for ease of access. Leather flashes and tags round off a classy option.
ITIWIT 20L Watertight Backpack (£29.99, decathlon.co.uk) -
The perfect rucksack for the all-weather rider. As the name suggests, once this is rolled down and clipped up, not a drop of rain gets through – it simply rolls off the water-repellent shell. At 20 litres, space for your bits is not an issue. At thirty quid, this is ludicrously good value.
Proviz Sports Reflect 360 (£69.99, provizsports.com) -
The safest bag on this list. It may look understated, but the grey fabric turns luminous when the light fades. There is also retro-reflective material on the shoulder straps so you will stay seen from front-on too. This dry bag is totally waterproof – even in near-biblical downpours, the contents are untouched.
Camden Watch Company Waxed Canvas Backpack (£125, camdenwatch company.com) -
The waxed canvas here is the crucial element. By the looks of it, this would take an absolute pounding in really wet weather. Sure, it does require a bit of drying out when it rains – and it’s not great for the leather straps – but, vitally, nothing gets through to the inside so your bits stay perfectly dry. The two external and one large internal pockets add functionality too – plenty of space for a laptop in there.
Moshi Tego Backpack (£169.95, moshi.com) -
By far the priciest on my list but this backpack packs plenty. First, looks – it’s a thing of sleek, futuristic beauty and this isn’t just for show. The material is water-resistant and “cut proof”, so it stood up well to the rough and tumble of scooter commuting. There are reflective flashes under the hard outer shell to keep you seen too. And there are so many brilliant extras – an integral microfibre pouch for sunglasses, and a RFID-blocking zip pocket to keep your wallet safe from card scammers.
- For more bike and kit reviews search “Bike World” on YouTube or find Bike World on Amazon Prime.
MUST-HAVE GIFTS FOR CRAZY CAR FANS
This is a public service announcement – you’ve got just two days to finish the Christmas shopping.
If you’re struggling to think of something for the car fan in your life, or just want to point friends and family in the right direction of a gift for yourself, here are a few suggestions.
Land Rover Defender Multi-Tool (£12, shop.landrover.com) -
No fewer than 11 useful tools are packed into this handy gizmo, with a range of spanners, a bottle opener and a handy tyre tread depth gauge being just some of the highlights.
Best of all, it’s shaped like a true British icon and comes in a handy faux suede pouch.
Book A Classic (from £50, bookaclassic.com) -
Think of this clever new service as the Airbnb of the classic car world, with customers able to book and drive the car of their dreams.
Search thousands of vintage beauties, which are lovingly maintained by owners, then select a date that works.
The site has everything from classic Bentleys, Jags and Lamborghinis to buses, speedboats and even a tank.
Pirelli P Zero Sound Bluetooth speaker (£2,588, mementoexclusives.com) -
OK, so you could probably purchase a nice second hand car for the price of this, but it’s not often you get to own a real slice of F1 history.
Pirelli produced this real 1:2 scale replica of the P Zero tyre for F1 teams to use during wind tunnel testing.
Now, it has been transformed into a powerful Bluetooth speaker and one of the coolest house adornments any petrol head could want.
LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron (£329.99, shop.lego.com) -
Only a lucky few will ever set foot in Bugatti’s range-topping hypercar, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give a little slice of Chiron this Christmas.
Comprising 3,599 deeply technical Lego pieces, this model features an eight-speed gearbox with moving paddle shifters and plenty more to keep (big) kids entertained.
P&Co. Travel Mug (£13.99, pand.co) -
A British brand trading on the cool custom motorcycle and hot rod cultures, P & Co. offers a range of clothing and accessories that is so hip it hurts.
This excellent travel mug features the brand’s “Caffeine & Gasoline” motto, while simultaneously helping rid the planet of nasty single use cups.
Porsche dog lead (£52, shop1.porsche.com) -
Porsche fans can show their dedication to the brand by clipping their pet pooch to arguably the most over-engineered (and expensive) dog lead in the world.
There’s even a matching collar available, should you wish to complete the package.
Unfortunately, RUF weren’t involved in the design of this one.