But 38 variant choices could spell long waiting times; and Range Rover Evoque may become a victim.
The new Jaguar E-PACE will become the top-selling model for the British brand that’s most famous for its pipe-and-slippers saloons.
On sale in Australia from this week priced between $47,750 and $84,370, Jaguar claims its smallest SUV is the coolest model in the hottest segment – mid-size SUVs.
But the E-PACE’s broad pricing spread will make it Jaguar’s first direct rival for everything from the Audi Q2, Q3 and Q5, the BMW X1, X2 and X3, the Mercedes-Benz GLA and GLC, and other small and mid-size SUVs from Europe and Asia, like the Volvo XC40 and XC60 and even premium versions of the top-selling Mazda CX-5.
Jaguar Land Rover Australia managing director Matthew Wiesner said the all-new mid-size SUV will eclipse the larger F-PACE SUV as the leaping cat’s most popular model, both globally and locally.
“E-PACE will be our volume product – there’s no question about that and we’ve already seen that in its first three weeks on sale,” he said.
“If you look at the premium SUV segment where the E-PACE, [Land Rover] Discovery Sport, [Range Rover] Evoque and Velar are, it’s by far the biggest and still growing.
“E-PACE activity and the order intake is certainly bigger than we anticipated at this early stage and transaction prices are a lot higher than we expected too.”
Wiesner said E-PACE enquiry has been fuelled in part by the build-up to the launch of Jaguar’s first electric vehicle, the I-PACE, which slots between the E-PACE and F-PACE in size but will top Jaguar’s SUV range at $119,000 when it arrives in October.
“Timing of I-PACE has had a big effect,” he said. “We’re launching a smaller SUV and at the same time we’re talking about an electric SUV.
“Jaguar is doing a number of things its rivals aren’t. It changes the dynamics of the discussion. E-PACE and F-PACE give Jaguar a perception it’s never had.
“I-PACE on top of that shows we’re a progressive brand that’s heading towards electrification. Jaguar is going place it’s never been before.”
While F-PACE sales soared to 1275 in 2017 – its first full year on sale in Australia — sales of all Jaguar cars (XE, XF, XJ and F-TYPE) plummeted by at least about 25 per cent.
“Sedans have been challenging,” said Wiesner, who also admitted the E-PACE’s popularity could come at the expense of the Evoque, which will be renewed next year, but not the F-PACE or Range Rover Velar.
The Evoque donates its all-steel platform to the E-PACE and was Land Rover’s third best seller last year behind the Range Rover Sport and Discovery Sport, which topped the JLR sales charts with more than 4500 sales.
“E-PACE will have no effect on F-PACE and Velar is above it too. [But] If anything’s going to suffer it’s probably the design-focussed Evoque, which is in its last year,” said Wiesner.
The local JLR boss said the E-PACE will attract a younger and more female-skewed audience than any Jaguar before it, along with customers who might otherwise have bought an Audi, BMW, Mercedes or even a Mazda.
“We’ve never had a Jaguar SUV this small, it’s good looking and it drives well, so it will attract a broad spectrum of buyers,” he said.
“Like Evoque ad Disco Sport, the Germans are its key competitors, but also premium Asian brands as well.”
We covered full pricing and spec details of the E-PACE here, but Jaguar’s newest SUV is available with three four-cylinder petrol engines and two diesels. Combined with nine equipment grades, there are no fewer than 38 variants to choose from.
As a result, waiting times for some E-PACE vehicles could be as long as five months, although popular models like the mid-range, circa-$62K P250 SE petrol will be in plentiful supply and fewer options than the Velar will reduce delays.
Jaguar E-PACE price and specs
As we’ve reported, the base E-PACE engine is the 110kW/380Nm ‘D150’ 2.0-litre turbo-diesel, a 132kW/430Nm version of the same engine powers the D180, and the D240 scores 177kW/500Nm.
Also displacing 2.0-litres are two turbo-petrol engines in two states of tune – 183kW/365Nm for the P250 and 221kW/441Nm for the P300.
All Australian E-PACEs will come standard with a nine-speed auto and all-wheel drive (a base front-drive diesel is offered in the UK), plus Jaguar’s 10-inch touch-screen infotainment system, autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assist, driver condition monitor and reversing camera.
In brief, the entry-level E-PACE comes with 17-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail-lights, fabric seat trim, front/rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, rear air-vents, torque vectoring by braking, an electric park brake, push-button start, 5.0-inch driver’s display and automatic headlights and wipers.
The sportier E-PACE R-Dynamic adds a body kit, R-Dynamic steering wheel with paddle shifters, sports seats with contrast-stitched trim, front fog-lights, satin chrome side vents, gloss-black grille, bright metal pedals and ebony headlining.
The E-PACE S adds LED headlights with signature LED daytime-running lights, 18-inch nine-spoke alloys, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, auto-dimming door mirrors with approach lights, grained leather seat trim, 10-way power-adjustable front seats, Navigation Pro for the 10-inch touch-screen, surround parking sensors and rear cross-traffic alert.
The S R-Dynamic adds grained leather sports seat trim with contrast stitching, different five-spoke 18-inch alloys, while the SE comes with 19-inch 10-spoke alloys, high-beam assist, electric tailgate, 14-way electric front seats with memory, 380-Watt Meridian sound, adaptive cruise control with Queue Assist, high-speed AEB and blind-spot assist.
The SE R-Dynamic gets different five-spoke 19-inch alloys and the HSE scores 20-inch five-spoke alloys, a gesture function for the powered tailgate, keyless entry, perforated Windsor leather seat trim, 18-way electric adjustment with memory and a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display.
Finally, the HSE R-Dynamic gets different 20-inch alloys in a split-spoke style with diamond-turned finish and contrast stitching for the Windsor leather sports seat trim.
Available for the first model year only, the D180 and P250 First Edition offers First Edition-branded carpet mats and metal tread plates, and the exclusive option of Caldera Red, Santorini Black or Yulong White.
Both First Edition models also come with 20-inch six-split-spoke alloys, Exterior Black Pack, fixed panoramic sunroof, configurable ambient interior lighting, ebony Windsor leather trim with Flame Red twin-needle contrast stitching, head-up display (HUD) and Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) wearable Activity Key.
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