Jaguar calls it a seriously smart compact sports utility vehicle that draws inspiration from its other vehicles including the F-Type, Evoque and the F-Pace. It is the fourth all-new vehicle from the brand in as many years, and is targeted at younger buyers who may have hesitated to join the fold in the past.

The E-Pace certainly looks like the design has borrowed cues from its other vehicles. It’s design is unmistakably Jaguar, and though its stance is clearly an SUV’s, there are more design features that connect it to the F-Type sports car than even the larger F-Pace. Its strong haunches and balanced mix of sharp and sinuous lines make the E-Pace’s design uniquely Jaguar.

The headlamps, the signature bonnet grille and the tail-lamps with their trademark LED tubes connect the E-Pace with Jag’s other vehicles, and yet offer the new compact SUV its own unique character. The optional 21-inch alloys and the panoramic sunroof add to the performance SUV personality of the E-Pace.

Under the skin, the mix of high strength steel and aluminium as the choice of materials for parts like the frame and fenders reaffirm its lineage.

Inside the new vehicle, soft-touch leather, premium materials and a driver-focused dashboard are the features that will attempt to define the E-Pace. The sports seats, digital dials and steering mounted paddle shifters are features that will communicate that this is not meant to be a compromise for potential buyers.

In terms of performance, the E-Pace is offered with two-litre, four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines in multiple output characteristics. The Ingenium petrol engines include two Si4 engines delivering 249 PS and 300 PS of peak power with the assistance of twin scroll turbocharging.

There is also the choice of three Ingenium diesel engines — a Td4 unit that produces 150 PS, a slightly more powerful 180 PS Sd4 unit and a high performance version of the Sd4, which puts out 240 PS of power and 500 Nm of torque.

The E-Pace will be highly customisable and there will be a number of optional additions. There will also be a front-wheel drive version, though the 4X4 variant will be the one to eye. All-wheel-drive E-PACE models come with a choice of Jaguar’s new Active Driveline AWD system allowing them to be driven like any rear-wheel-drive Jaguar. So power-on oversteer and controlled drifts then. And Active Driveline isn’t just there for play. In steady driving it disengages, meaning drive is supplied to the front wheels only, eradicating friction losses and boosting fuel efficiency. Re-coupling occurs in just 300 milliseconds.

The E-Pace will be pitted fair and square with the likes of the BMW X1, Audi Q3, Mercedes-Benz GLA and even the Porsche Macan at the top-end. Jaguar is choosing to build the new E-Pace outside the UK possibly with an eye on keeping the vehicle’s price very competitive. Prices in the UK are expected to start from about £28,500.

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