Small But Mighty

JAGUAR’S NEWEST CUB

- Jason Gonderman

Located in the Mediterranean off the southern coast of France, we met on the small island of Corsica. In the winter, the island’s population hovers around 300,000, which makes the place feel sparsely populated when spread across its 3,350 square miles. As a favorite vacation spot of the European elite, however, during the summer months, the waters off its coast become filled with luxury yachts, the airport is littered with private jets, and the population of the sleepy island explodes into the millions. We were grateful it was winter, because it meant we had much of the island to ourselves: just a handful of journalists from North America and a dozen examples of Jaguar’s newest creation, the E-Pace.

Since introducing the F-Pace for the ’16 model year, the boxy and tall SUV quickly became Jaguar’s best-selling vehicle. Because of this it came as no surprise when a follow-up was announced, the ’18 E-Pace. Let’s clear the elephant out of the room straight away: no, the E-Pace is not the all-electric SUV that Jaguar has been touting. That would be the I-Pace, and we’ll have more on it in the future.

Based on the same architecture as the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque, the E-Pace shares its basic body structure, powertrain options, and other bits not readily visible to the consumer with its cousins. In spite of the commonalities, the teams at JLR worked extensively to ensure that the E-Pace has a personality that is all its own and distinctly Jaguar. The E-Pace is quicker and sportier, tuned more for carving twisty mountain roads than venturing off into the wilds. The exterior design is all Jag, with a large trapezoidal grille, power dome hood, and streamlined taillights.