2018 Jaguar E-Pace - Ramp Test

2018 Jaguar E-Pace Specifications

Front-wheel drive will only be offered on the entry-level 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel model with a six-speed manual gearbox, however. The rest of the range will come with all-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic gearbox.

An all-wheel-drive version of the 148bhp diesel will be the only other model offered with a manual ’box.

“The front-wheel drive model is still fun to drive, as the access model to the car and the Jaguar brand,” said Wilkins.

Jaguar Land Rover’s full range of turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and diesel Ingenium engines will be offered in the E-Pace, including a range-topping 296bhp 2.0-litre petrol version. This engine helps propel the E-Pace from 0-60mph in 5.9 seconds and to a top speed of 151mph.

Audi’s 362bhp RS Q3 Performance is the most potent in a class of cars generally not focused on dynamic ability. Although the top E-Pace does not match those outputs, Jaguar is talking up the dynamic ability of the range as a whole.

Wilkins said that being natively front-wheel drive was no barrier to the E-Pace handling how Jaguar thinks its cars should. “If we do a car like this, it needs to drive how it looks,” he said.

“We needed no excuses. We chose an architecture that could do the looks and the drive with all the changes we’ve made, and there’s a 300PS [296bhp] petrol version. There’s no excuse.”

The E-Pace has MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension, and Jaguar has tuned the chassis, along with the four-wheel-drive control system and Adaptive Dynamics dampers, for a sporty on-road drive. To that end, the camber has also been changed on the front axle and there is a semi-solid mounting for the front sub-frame for a more connected steering feel.

“It has a high driving position and great all-wheel drive, but it drives like a Jaguar,” said Wilkins. Alongside standard all-wheel-drive, top-of-the range diesel and petrol models have Active Driveline all-wheel-drive. Wilkins explained: “The Active Driveline system and the torque bias make it feel rear-wheel drive. It’s tuned to feel fun and energy like in a rear-wheel-drive car. It has all-wheel-drive capability, but it drives like a Jaguar.”

The car, which weighs 1700kg, is much heavier than its main competitors. Jaguar counters by saying that its D8 architecture has authentic SUV capability, unlike that of its road-biased rivals. The use of high-strength steel in the structure helps to reduce the weight, says Wilkins, while aluminium is used for the boot lid, bonnet and fenders.

The E-Pace is 4345mm long, 1984mm wide and 1649mm high, with a wheelbase of 2681mm. This makes it one of the shorter cars in its class (the X1 is 4439mm long and the Q5 4388mm) but boot space is above average among its peers at 480 litres. That is 25 litres down on the X1 but 60 litres up on the Q3.

The extent of the front overhang is disguised by clever design tricks such as the chamfering of the front corners and the long horizontal front headlights. The E-Pace has a roofline and a side swage inspired by that of the F-Type. “It’s sporty and tough looking,” said Callum.

The F-Type influence is also felt in some of the details at the front and rear, particularly at the front, where Callum describes the E-Pace as “unashamedly F-Type”. At the rear, there are large LED lights with a ‘chicane’ graphic. Alloy wheels up to 21in in diameter are offered; the standard size wheel is 17in.

Jaguar E-Pace Release Date
The E-Pace will go on sale in the UK in late 2017, with the first deliveries due around the end of the year. Prices are set to start from £28,500, making it the entry point to the Jaguar range.
Read More https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/jaguar-e-pace

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