A premium compact utility vehicle that hits the sweet spot on price, size and features
Virtually all automakers have figured out that the key to current and future business success is in utility vehicles of varying sizes and descriptions.
That lesson hasn’t been lost on Jaguar, which launched the E-Pace for the 2018 model year. It serves as a junior partner to the mid-size F-Pace wagon that arrived for 2017.
The E-Pace name sounds like it might refer to an electric vehicle, but it uses good-old-fashioned gasoline propulsion. Jaguar’s I-Pace tall hatchback wagon is Jaguar’s sole electric, at least until the 2021XJ sedan arrives. The E-Pace rests on a front-wheel-drive platform derived from the Land Rover Evoque (Jaguar and Land Rover are owned by the same company). Like the F-Pace, however, the E-Pace has standard all-wheel-drive.
The F-Pace and E-Pace are unmistakable as kin, right down to their similarlooking front-end shapes that are clearly influenced by other Jaguar fleetmembers. The common thread also extends to the opposite end, where the fashionably sloping liftgate looks attractive enough, but results in reduced cargo space when compared to other more squared-off designs.
The cabin appears equally inviting, especially the cockpit-style driver’s pod that could have been lifted straight out of the F-Type sports car. The touch screen is nice and big and the large, round ventilation controls will no doubt assist the fumble-fingered.
The E-Pace is more than a foot shorter and nearly 3.5 inches narrower than the F-Pace and is more than eight inches shorter between the front and rear wheels. But the real head scratcher is that the E-pace actually outweighs the bigger Jag by 155 pounds, which goes to show that compactness doesn’t necessarily result in a corresponding reduction in heft.
Fortunately, the E-Pace is up to the task of quickly and efficiently hauling passengers and cargo, using a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that’s rated at a respectable 246 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. It’s standard in the P250models
For significantly more oomph, the E-Pace P300 R-Dynamic trims come with a turbo 2.0 that puts 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque.
A nine-speed automatic is the sole transmission choice.
The all-wheel-drive hardware depends on the engine, starting with a permanently engaged setup for the P250 models. The P300 R-Dynamic’s “Active Driveline” powers only the front wheels in normal driving conditions. When traction loss is detected, the system can direct nearly all of the available torque to the rear wheels and to a specific rear wheel, if necessary.
Active Driveline’s standard torquevectoring system “uses the brakes to (balance) the distribution of engine
torque between all four wheels during cornering.” According to the company, this reduces the vehicle’s natural tendency to travel in a straight line even when the steering wheel is turned (called understeer).
Common to all E-Pace models is a lowspeed cruise-control system that regulates the vehicle’s speed between 1.1 and 18 mph. Interestingly, active-safety technology such as blind-spot warning and adaptive cruise control are not standard, although lane-keeping assist is.
E-Pace pricing starts at $40,950, including destination charges. For that pile of cash, you get a reasonable level of standard content, but to move closer to the luxury zone you’ll need to select the S or SE versions for leather seat coverings, panoramic roof, navigation, head-up info display and 19-inch wheels (18s are standard).
The performance-laden P300 R-Dynamic adds about $6,600 to the base price, but you also get larger brakes, 20-inch wheels plus a bit more comfort content.
Atop the field, the P300 HSE contains most extra-cost luxury options in one complete trim level, but takes the E-Pace into the mid-$55,000 territory.
Whatever the choice, the E-pace is an enticing little cat, with the looks, luxury and power that fits with the Jaguar name and reputation. And it’s utility vehicle.