Jaguar has broadened its range of engines in the E-Pace with an entry-level 197bhp petrol unit that sits below the 247bhp and 296bhp variants already on sale.
The 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol sends the new entry-level E-Pace to 60mph in 7.7sec. Top speed has yet to be released, but it's likely to be around 132mph. Fuel economy is claimed to be 34.4mpg, while CO2 is a claimed 186g/km - higher, currently, than the higher-powered variants of the E-Pace, but these will rise once the new WLTP testing system comes into force.
For the first time since its launch last year, the E-Pace will be available with adaptive suspension. Jaguar’s Adaptive Dynamics system, now available on every car in its range bar the Jaguar XJ, has Normal and Dynamic modes, with the former majoring on comfort and the latter focusing on agility.
In 197bhp form, the E-Pace starts at £33,260 — almost £2000 less than the 247bhp option. By comparison, the Volvo XC40’s entry-level price of £27,610 is £5650 less, although the cheapest 2.0-litre petrol-engined XC40, T4 Momentum, starts at £32,070, making it only £1190 cheaper.
The Jaguar E-Pace inherits Jaguar’s Smart Settings artificially intelligent machine learning system from the I-Pace that can store up to 10 driver profiles. The car detects the driver by their key fob and mobile phone Bluetooth signal, and adjusts accordingly.
Longer term, the E-Pace can even adjust to the driver’s behaviour if a pattern emerges. For example, it will heat the steering wheel in colder weather without prompting if the driver has done this in the same conditions multiple times.
As part of the booming luxury small SUV market, the E-Pace is expected to become Jaguar's best-selling model. The brand hasn't yet confirmed what percentage of sales it expects the new entry-level petrol to account for.
Read more:
Jaguar E-Pace: new compact SUV to become best-selling Jaguar
First ride: Jaguar E-Pace prototype
Jaguar E-Pace review
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Is this the X-Type all over again?
The 'disastrous' X-Type wasn't a Jaguar, it was a front wheel drive Ford in drag. You could say the E-Pace is a front wheel drive Land Rover in drag. At least the E-Pace isn't trying to reference the past in its styling; it doesn't seem to be a total failure. And yet it's a car that generally comes last in any comparison test, and one that managed the embarrassing (and very unusual) low score of 10/20 in L'Automobile Magazine's ISO9000-regulated road test, not least because of its emissions (that attract big penalties in France) and the very un-Jaguar way it drives. I fear for the future of a Jaguar that doesn't put engineering integrity before everything else. It says a lot when reviewers of the dumpy E-Pace coo over the jaguar-cub graphic on the windscreen more than the steering and handling. Grace, Space and Pace was a good maxim for Jaguar. They should have stuck to it and thought harder about this compromised fashion trinket.
androo wrote:
Its not even a Landrover, its a Ford just like the X-Type, it uses a modifed and ancient Ford platform, that first saw the light as the MK1 S-Max in 06, and then the previous generation Mondeo, numerous Volvos and the Freelander 2, but JLR would have you believe its 95% new, its that old it cant even be adadped for hybrid or electric, which would seem strange if it was 95% new, if you also look at its current JLR uses, they dont fit anything bigger than a 4 pot in it, even though Volvo had a V8 in it, and the Freelander 2 was available with a Volvo straight 6 petrol.
Positive news...negative news...
Hmm...this article appeared in the very early hours of Monday morning, strange time. Press embargo, perhaps? Or a dribble of 'good' news from JLR to divert from the 'bad' news that's now hit the Telegraph, FT, even the Guardian (but not Autocar, clearly).
reaction to diesel issues
I would say that it's a response to declining diesel sales. I've been looking at the E-Pace, but have been put off by the fact that the entry models are all diesel, at a time when the British government has decided to switch low taxation to electric cars only. There is no tax advantage to diesel anymore in the UK. If they decide to take further measures against diesel, then petrol starts to become attractive again, but not if the cheapest petrol model is much more expensive than the diesel.
rhwilton wrote:
I'm talking about the timing of the article itself, less so the contents. If it went up after midnight on Sunday, then it was ready from JLR for publication by close of business on Friday. Cheap, unsophisticated attempt at managing PR.
JLR should be ashamed of that CO2 figure
...anyone else remember what a great PR number they did on the motoring media in the run-up to the Ingenium launch? Bigged it up to be a game-changer...
Perhaps if it wasn't installed in such a donkey on a platform that's so old it will soon be a contender for an appearance on Antiques Roadshow?
Never mind, this is just so classy...
Polished turd, anyone?