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THE OUTSIDE To this end, the exterior design is inspired by the F-Type sports car and is characterised by the distinctive Jaguar grille, sturdy proportions, short overhangs and powerful haunches. You can get it with the optional 21” alloy wheels as featured here and they do look good. How they will affect comfort remains to be seen but on a very brief run they gave the car a purposeful stance that was comfortable and, crucially, agile. You can smell the sports car DNA. Advanced LED headlights( optional) are similar in concept to those used on the F-Type and feature Jaguar’ s signature J-blade daytime running lights, which flow around the outer edges of the headlights say about it really: It is smart, clean and uncluttered although the small steering wheel continues to divide opinion. It works well on this car because the drive itself is relaxed; no speed thrills here, this is a motor to relax in and eat up the miles.
THE TECHNOLOGY The Jaguar E-Pace is one of the most connected and intelligent vehicles in its class. The next-generation touchscreen infotainment
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system will connect owners to their favourite apps. Digital connectivity can be found throughout the cabin, ready for every need of our modern motoring lifestyle. There four 12- volt charging points and five USB connections as well as a 4G Wi-Fi hotspot for up to eight devices. This car is possibly better connected than your office!
ON THE INSIDE We thought the E-Pace had exceptional good interior space for a smaller vehicle of this class. It seats five in absolute comfort and offers generous rear legroom, while the boot or trunk will swallow a capacious 577L of luggage. The overall effect of the inside isn’ t that dramatic, it must be said. It is smart certainly with cleverly positioned stretches of double stitching and leather to make you feel like you’ re in a premium product. Sadly some dull black plastic pokes its head out, and the gear lever, although chrome, somehow looks a little low-rent for a premium vehicle. All the usual safety tech is on board as is to be expected. It’ s a long list so this is one safe vehicle.
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A QUALITY RIDE New chassis hardware maximises interior space while also providing a strong basis for the vehicle’ s seemingly impressive allsurface capabilities. The Integral Link rear suspension layout has allowed the developers to deliver responsiveness and agility without compromising ride comfort. They’ ve done a good job here.
Configurable Dynamics gives the driver more control with individual settings for the throttle, automatic transmission, steering and, where fitted, the Adaptive Dynamics suspension system. The Adaptive Dynamics set-up senses driver input, body and wheel movements and pre-emptively loads the suspension and chassis and adjusts the damping for improved roll control and agility in all conditions. It’ s very clever and enhances the drive.
A CHOICE OF ENGINES The variety of engines gives a good spread to suit most buyers. The two-wheel drive only vehicles compliment the range for those for whom 4WD is rather pointless. This is just two
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of the engine options: The 296bhp Ingenium petrol turbo engine powers the car from 0-60mph in just 5.9 seconds before reaching an electronically-limited top speed of 151mph. The front-wheel drive 147bhp Ingenium diesel delivers CO ² emissions of just 124g / km. Drive is via a six-speed manual or a fine nine-speed ZF automatic gearbox. Active Driveline all-wheel drive is a technological first for Jaguar, we are told. The intelligent set-up combines phenomenal traction with Jaguar’ s unmistakable rear-wheeldrive character. The system’ s torque-biasing capability delivers optimal stability, dynamics and fuel efficiency in all conditions.
THE BOTTOM LINE On first look the Jaguar E-Pace is an attractive proposition for those not in need of a full-size SUV. We think it is rather brilliant. Available to order now, the base model costs around £ 29,000 but beware the options list!
Written by Geoff Maxted www. drivewrite. co. uk
@ DriveWrite
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