The ‘new’ Jaguar E-Pace might look almost identical to the car it replaces, but underneath, it really is properly new. Honest. Jaguar has, at no doubt great expense and with some difficulty, re-engineered its littlest crossover to sit on the same ‘Premium Transverse Architecture’ platform as the Range Rover Evoque and the Land Rover Discovery Sport.
Why? Because said platform can accommodate batteries and electric motors, while the old E-Pace’s underpinnings (shared with the last-gen Evoque) could not. So, the new Jag gets JLR’s latest four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines, all of which (with the exception of the base-spec FWD diesel) get all-wheel drive, a nine-speed automatic gearbox, and mild-hybrid tech.
There will also be a plug-in hybrid, which marries a 1.5-litre three-cylinder gasoline engine with a small electric motor powering the rear axle. Jag claims 0-60mph (97kph) in 6.1sec—making it the fastest E-Pace—44g/km of CO2, 60km/L, and 55km of electric range. We’ve just tried this powertrain in the Evoque and the Disco Sport, and are pleased to report it’s quite good.
What else is new? Not much on the outside—mainly a new grille, bumpers, and LED headlamps and taillights. Inside, the newness is more obvious thanks to the 11.4-inch touchscreen running JLR’s latest ‘Pivi Pro’ infotainment system with over-the-air updates. There’s also a new climate control system that cleans up the air before it circulates it around the cabin and a rear-view mirror camera.
Prices start at £32,575 (P2.1 million). Fancy it?
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
