Exterior
The Jaguar E-Pace has a sporty appearance with its bold edges, sloping rear window, and flared wheel arches. It also has LED headlights, and a honeycomb mesh grille to strengthen its modern look. The E-Pace- like the Range Rover Evoque- is built on an all steel platform, rather than an aluminium one like the rest of the Jaguar cars. This makes it lighter and roomier than the F-Pace. It’s also one of Jaguar’s top selling cars. There are a number of trims to choose from; there’s the E-Pace S, SE, HSE, R-Dynamic, R-Dynamic SE, and R-Dynamic HSE. The lower end trims have 17 and 18-inch alloy wheels, whereas the higher spec models have 19-inch, 20-inch and 21-inch alloy wheels. Adaptive dampers are also available if you want them.
Interior and design
The interior of the E-Pace is as beautifully designed as its exterior. And it’s evident that its design – such as its cockpit – takes inspiration from the F-Type. The upholstery is made from handpicked high-quality leather, and the cabin has optional ambient lighting. Some parts of it borrow from the Range Rover Evoque such as the sealed sills near the door to prevent any splashes or dirt getting into the car. There’s polished metal around the cabin, combined with a luxury leather trim around the solid plastics, giving the Jaguar E-Pace a refined look.
Space and comfort
The Jaguar E-Pace feels roomier compared to the F-type and is more spacious compared to its rivals – the Audi Q2 and BMW X1. There’s 424 litres of boot space with 1,234 litres when the seats are down – enough to load 6 carry on suitcases, which is more than the Audi Q3 boot can hold. The E-Pace is 4,411mm long, 1,649mm tall and 1,900mm wide with a wheelbase of 2,681mm- slightly bigger than the Range Rover Evoque.
There’s also plenty of storage with slender front door pockets in which you can put your bottles at a 45-degree angle – preventing them from rattling when driving. To stow away your phone, the E-Pace has a tray in front of the gear lever. Extra storage is available in a cubbyhole under the armrest, plus there’s a couple of cup holders. In the back, the height is pretty good, even with a panoramic sunroof. There’s enough space for two six-footers to sit comfortably, considering there’s a slight sloping roof.
To make your ride more comfortable, the steering wheel and seat can be adjusted for the perfect driving position. 10-way electric front passenger seat is standard on the S trim whereas the SE and HSE models come with a greater range of electric seat adjustment.
Functionality and technology
Although Jaguar has not yet introduced Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone mirroring, it does offer InControl Apps which let you connect your phone to the touch screen, offering you more functionality. InControl Apps is easy to use. All you need is to download the Jaguar InControl App and connect your phone to the car using a USB lead. InControl apps lets you use apps such as Spotify, Parkopedia and JustDrive which lets you find restaurants, play music and call your contacts using voice control. All versions of the E-Pace come with a responsive 12.3-inch Jaguar Touch Pro Infotainment system – including satnav – with sharp graphics. This was only available on higher spec models in the previous version. And all E-Paces, apart from the S trim, get a 12.3-inch driver display. DAB radio, Bluetooth and two USB sockets and a 125W sound system comes as standard on all trims. The SE models get a slightly more sophisticated sound system – a 380W Meridian sound system. There’s also an optional 825W sound system and TV reception.
The reversing camera comes as standard, along with front and rear sensors. However, if you want to have a 360-degree view to make parking easier, you’ll need to opt for the SE trim. Surround view camera system is also available as an optional extra.
Engine and performance
Jaguars new Ingenium-badged engine is turbo charged and with four cylinders. The entry level E-Pace has a diesel engine with 148bhp going up to 178bhp and 236bhp in other versions. The cars are named after their break horse power metric, so you can choose between the D150, D180 and D240. The petrol engines follow a similar naming convention with the P250 and P300. The E-Pace can go from 0-62 in just six seconds. Plus, all-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic gearbox are standard in the petrol models.
The 247bhp petrol version is sharper and smoother than the diesel versions. The E-Pace handles exceptionally well along twisty routes and has a firm grip on the road, while remaining balanced. Although you can hear some vibration, the E-pace is overall quieter in comparison to the Audi Q3 or BMW X1. The entry level 148bhp 2.0 litre diesel engine is the quietest but the petrol ones are also quieter and smoother than all the diesel versions.
The diesel E-Pace has lower running costs and competitive fuel economy. The CO2 emissions aren’t too high either on the car. For example, the basic E-Pace front wheel drive D150 has a manual gearbox which claims 53.3mpg with tailpipe CO2 emissions of 141g/km. The benefit in kind (BIK) tax bracket is 33% for company car buyers which is the lowest rate of any E-Pace.
Check out our BIK calculator to calculate the potential benefit in kind tax for your company car.
Jaguar E-Pace lease deal
If you can’t wait to get your hands on the Jaguar E-Pace, why don’t you check out our excellent lease deals? We offer business leases as well as personal leases.