First drive impression: Jaguar E-Pace

By Martin Pretorius 

Platform sharing done right.

Jaguar purists probably had a collective apoplexy when the F-Pace landed about two years ago, for this is a brand which became famous for their luxury saloons and sports cars, yet this was, of all things, an SUV! But there's no reason to fault Jaguar's logic in entering this market segment: people lap up these faux-4x4s by the thousands, and besides, the F-Pace is a really appealing product in its own right.

With this recipe, Jaguar seemed set to rake in some serious profits, just like Porsche did (and still does) with the Cayenne and Macan. Putting it simply, selling SUVs earn the money which enables specialist manufacturers to develop the sports cars and luxury sedans we really want.

Now, Jaguar has done it again, but instead of using their own platform like they did with the F-Pace, they dipped into the family-parts bin. More specifically, they decided to harvest some Land Rover bits, to create their entry-level SUV. The result is called the E-Pace, and it intends to muscle in on the territory currently occupied by other premium manufacturers, specifically aiming at the BMW X1, Audi Q3 and Mercedes-Benz GLA. There is however a slight twist to this tale, as the E-Pace straddles both the lower- and mid-range premium SUV segments in size and price, so it also competes with the larger X3, Q5, and GLC.

Obvious Jaguar design inspiration

Unlike the F-Pace, which kind of looks like a high-riding XF estate, the E-Pace draws its styling inspiration mostly from the F-Type sports car. If you're wondering how well a tall-boy SUV could carry off the styling cues from a low-slung sportster, you can now rest assured that it's possible to create a successful marriage of contradicting influences. There's no awkward bulbousness to its appearance, yet the family lineage is clear.

Up front, there's a gaping, protruding grille, flanked by swept-back headlights. Both these elements are clearly F-Type inspired, as is the pronounced shoulder line running down its flanks. The latter terminates in the tail lights, which again shows strong F-Type influence, accentuated by the rear quarter windows with their up-swept lower edges. Overall, it's a hugely attractive effort, and manages to evoke some sports-car emotions without making a mockery of the source of its inspiration.

It started out as an Evoque

While the F-Pace is built around Jaguar's primarily rear-wheel driven platform (albeit with the addition of full-time all-wheel drive), the E-Pace can trace its lineage to the Freelander II – one of the last vestiges of Ford's ownership of these companies. But, evolution then ran its course: the Freelander II was re-developed into the Range Rover Evoque, which was then reworked into the current Discovery Sport. 

From the Disco Sport’s well-sorted platform springs forth the new E-Pace, again with substantial updates to suit its aspirations to become a real Jaguar. It even gains liberal use of aluminium, magnesium and composite materials, all in an effort to shed weight and gain strength. In fact, it's so intensively re-engineered that it's almost impossible to notice its rather more humble ancestry.

Ingenium engines are more than competent

One of the most noticeable changes presented in the E-Pace is the wholesale move away from the Ford-derived engines, with which its ancestors were saddled. This is the first model range in the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) stable to be powered entirely by JLR's new Ingenium engines, and at first acquaintance, they're more than up to the task.

There is a wide array of Ingenium mills on offer, in both petrol- and diesel flavours, and spanning the power output range from 110 kW (for the entry-level diesel) to 221 kW (for the top-spec petrol). All units displace 2.0-litres, are turbocharged and direct-injected, and use aluminium for both cylinder blocks and heads.

Here's the full run-down of the engine range: Diesels start out with the D150 variant, which delivers 110 kW and a staunch 380 Nm. Next up is the D180, with 132 kW and 430 Nm. The diesel range is topped by the D240, which produces 177 kW and 500 Nm, courtesy of a sequential twin-turbo arrangement. The D240 manages a 0 – 100 km/h sprint in 7.4 seconds, according to Jaguar.

Petrol choices are slightly simpler, with only two variants on offer. The P250 produces 183 kW and 365 Nm, and the P300 churns out a commendable 221 kW and 400 Nm. The fastest petrol (P300) accomplishes that all-important 0 – 100 km/h sprint in only 6.4 seconds. All-wheel drive is standard across the range, as is a 9-speed ZF automatic gearbox.

It's very practical, too

While cabin space is nowhere near as generous as you'd find in the larger F-Pace (especially for the rear seats), it's still class-competitive. The E-Pace scores extra points with its unusually cavernous luggage compartment, however – with the rear seats in use, there's still a solid 577 litres of space available, partly thanks to the standard space-saver spare wheel.

Front seat occupants have enough room to move around, even with the rather fat centre console eating into the available room. Leg-, shoulder- and head room up front is more than adequate even for a 1.95m-tall male, with not even the addition of a sunroof having a noticeable impact on cabin space. It's also luxuriously trimmed, with stitched leather all over and generally high-quality materials everywhere you'd care to look.

The tech is thoroughly up-to-date.

Infotainment and connectivity ranks highly on JLR's list of priorities these days, and the E-Pace is no exception. Controlled via the standard 10-inch touch-screen, which uses a 10-inch display unit for all camera-, navigation-, and entertainment functions, Jaguar's Touch Pro system is quite user-friendly and far less clunky in operation than most of their earlier efforts. Additionally, a 12.3-inch TFT display unit can be ordered to serve as the instrument cluster, while the optional Head-Up Display (HUD) is outstandingly clear, even when viewed through polarised sunglasses – a feat very few HUD systems can accomplish.

Jaguar's InControl connected car features are also available, which allow drivers to connect to their cars via a smartphone app, enable remote checks on the vehicle's status (such as whether the car doors are locked and its windows closed, how much fuel is in the tank and so on), and creates an in-car 4G Wi-Fi hotspot. On the subject of mobile devices, the interior is graced with no fewer than 5 USB charging points or 4 12-volt outlets (in which case the USB count drops to 2). 

Driver assistance which actually works...

Adaptive cruise control is mated to a lane-keeping assistance system, which enables the E-Pace to stay in its lane and manage traffic jams on your behalf. Many cars offer these functions, but it's the smooth and unobtrusive operation of this system which impressed most during our (far too brief) introductory drive.

The same applies to the (optional) active LED headlights, blind-spot monitoring system, and surround-view cameras. The E-Pace also includes self-parking abilities, which work well for both parallel- and perpendicular parking bays.

It also drives well

Make no mistake, the E-Pace is no sports car – but then, neither are any of its competitors. It does try valiantly to impersonate a sports car, however, and exhibits very high grip levels from the tyres, a strong resistance to understeer, and generally predictable responses along with considerable agility. Comfort is decent as well, although the low-profile tyres fitted to the launch vehicles did have a marked influence on the ride quality. 21-inch wheels are optional, but should probably best be avoided...

The engines are a bit of a mixed bag, because the diesel is grumbly at low speeds and the petrol feels a little short of breath at high engine speeds. That said, it's entirely competitive with anything coming from Germany or Japan, even if that still doesn't really make it exceptional by any means. The gearbox is really well-sorted, and slips through its ratios much smoother than any JLR thus equipped we’ve ever driven. We spent time with both the D240 and P300 variants, and of the two, the D240 was the most surprisingly potent: 500 Nm goes a long way to impart an impression of eagerness to a car of this size.

Perfect for its segment

With sports car-inspired looks, a comfortable and well-appointed cabin, plenty of modern technology, reasonably Jaguar-like driving dynamics, and more than adequate performance, the E-Pace ticks all the boxes for a vehicle in this class. It's not even that expensive, with lower-trim variants starting just shy of the R600 000 mark, although it's easy to tick enough options to push a P300 well past the R1-million mark. That applies to all its competitors as well, mind you – this class isn't exactly known for affordability or value. But in a segment which often prioritises style over substance, the Jaguar E-Pace is a well-rounded, very competent offering, and it should result in a significant uptick in sales for JLR as a whole.