RE: Jaguar E-Pace gets drastic mid-life overhaul

RE: Jaguar E-Pace gets drastic mid-life overhaul

Wednesday 28th October 2020

Jaguar E-Pace gets drastic mid-life overhaul

New platform, new engines and a new look for Jaguar's smallest SUV - is now its time to shine?



In a sector as fiercely competitive as the small premium SUV, Jaguar's first E-Pace just wasn't at the races. The platform was old, the engines not much newer, and Jaguar's initially impressive start came to a pretty abrupt halt. No-one at the firm needed telling this of course, and tacit admission of that fact comes in the form of a mid-life facelift which essentially throws away the old car in favour of a new one. Meet E-Pace, take two.

The most significant news is the use underneath the E-Pace of the Premium Transverse Architecture that also underpins the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque. Not only does this mean "enhanced refinement and improved ride comfort" is promised, it also means that the E-Pace can now utilise the latest range of JLR electrified powertrains. So from launch, only the 163hp, front-wheel drive, manual diesel E-Pace goes without any hybrid assistance. The rest of the range will be MHEVs with a belt-integrated stater generator, with two diesels (163hp and 204hp) and three petrols (200hp, 249hp, 300hp), all four-cylinder Ingeniums and all using a nine-speed automatic.

The only exception is the range-topping E-Pace PHEV, using the same impressive three-cylinder plug-in powertrain as recently tested in the Evoque and the Discovery Sport. That produces 309hp and 398lb ft in total, powering all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic. Jaguar claims 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds for the PHEV, a 134mph top speed, 34 miles of electric range and emissions rated at 44g/km - meaning 141mpg. The flagship petrol engine is 300hp and 295lb ft, enough for 6.9 seconds to 62mph, 150mph, a best combined mpg of 31.3 and CO2 from 204g/km. As in the Evoque and Discovery Sport, the PHEV does bring a weight penalty, however - its 2,173kg kerbweight is 221kg more than the P300 petrol.

More positively, the new vehicle platform means that the Pivi Pro infotainment (and the cutting-edge electrical architecture which underpins it) can now be incorporated into the E-Pace, bringing a vast improvement over the old system. It's operated through an 11.4-inch touchscreen, a notable 48 per cent larger than before. It's three times brighter as well, and with Software Over the Air Updates, connected apps and dual-sim technology as standard, the E-Pace ought to be immediately up to snuff. It sits alongside a 12.3-inch display for the driver and a TFT heads-up display. Additional interior technology for the E-Pace now includes a Driver Condition Monitor, a 3D Surround Camera and a ClearSight Interior Rear-View Mirror.


Though more subtle, the E-Pace has been tweaked cosmetically as well. Jaguar claims the styling changes lend the SUV "a more assertive stance and luxurious appearance"; note the new grille design, LED lights and redesign for the rear bumper. Interior revisions alongside the Pivi Pro fitment include a new drive selector, I-Pace-inspired steering wheel, metallic accents and improved materials for driver touchpoints. You probably don't need us to tell you it represents something of a transformation.

There's more, too. With the inclusion of a 300 Sport model at the top of the ICE range featuring the second generation of Jag's Active Driveline all-wheel drive, delivering the same clutch-based torque vectoring ability on the rear axle as before but being lighter and more efficient than the first iteration. Non-300 E-Paces use the Standard Driveline tech that only splits power front to rear, though now features the ability to decouple rear drive in steady state driving for better economy.

The 300 Sport is the only E-Pace to feature Adaptive Dynamics as standard, said to ensure a "precise, dynamic set up coupled with a supple, luxurious ride." All other E-Paces ride passively, with the adaptive system available on the D200, P200 and P250 AWD models. The 300 Sport will be marked out, like Jaguars which have carried the badge previously, by a Black Exterior Pack, unique badges, 20-inch wheels and suede accents inside.

So the MY21 E-Pace is rather more than your average nip and tuck facelift, the car hopefully being - cliché alert - the E-Pace we were promised from the start. It's available to order now, with prices starting at £32,575 and deliveries presumably not a long way off. Is this finally the small Jaguar SUV to rival the class leaders? We should find out soon enough.










Author
Discussion

TheOrangePeril

Original Poster:

778 posts

179 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
I'm confused. How is it a mid-life refresh if it's on a whole new platform?... Have they grafted the exterior panels onto a completely different underlying monocoque or have they just changed various bits of subframe etc?

MountainsofSussex

281 posts

185 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
I'm mildly confused. It's a facelifted body on a new platform? Can't say I've heard of that before. And I know all new cars are heavy, but, wow...

menousername

2,106 posts

141 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
I think they should have made the wheels bigger

Howard1650

313 posts

190 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
it looks OK in the dark blue

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
I used to think the E-Pace was too "jelly mould" which made it look a bit twee. But I really dislike what they have done to the front with this refresh.

Evercross

5,882 posts

63 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
I smell BS.

There is no 'new' platform - just an evolution of the same one that was used for the previous generation E-Pace and RR Evoque.

I'm loving how both Aston Martin and now Jaguar have copied the Ford Kuga styling for their compact SUVs.

Deranged Rover

3,316 posts

73 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
Nope. Still don't like it.

And a nine speed automatic? FFS...

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
Thinking a bit deeper: I thought the E is made by Magna, but the disco sport and evoque at Halewood. Seems a bit inefficient to have the same platform used across such dispersed sites, I wonder if it will be coming in house?

flukey5

403 posts

59 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
One of the few SUVs I like the look of. I think it's the (old) f-type style headlights.

Thank god they didn't copy the new style ones!

Andeh1

7,107 posts

205 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
Posted this in a different thread, but I really like that! That interior & centre console/dash is really very smart.

emperorburger

1,484 posts

65 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
This needs to be the volume seller for Jaguar and I think I've seen about two on the road. Always looked too narrow.

dukebox9reg

1,570 posts

147 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
Deranged Rover said:
Nope. Still don't like it.

And a nine speed automatic? FFS...
They have had the 9 speed from the beginning along with the disco sport and Evoque in later life. Same box used by Jeep/Fiat again for many years. Box is also a ZF. Guess you dont like Fords 10 speed.......

Its really an 8 speed. 1st gear is there for offroading as no low range. Car hardly uses it in normal driving conditions

dukebox9reg

1,570 posts

147 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
TheOrangePeril said:
I'm confused. How is it a mid-life refresh if it's on a whole new platform?... Have they grafted the exterior panels onto a completely different underlying monocoque or have they just changed various bits of subframe etc?
Its not a new platform. its the old one that can be traced back to when Volvo and Ford used to also use it. Its just been carved up to make sure if can take hybrid without comprising the boot space etc. Which in turn makes it even heavier......

I used to have a V60 cross country on the old platform. Very good platform for NVH but my good god you can feel the weight and in turn made it dreadful on fuel.

ghost83

5,476 posts

189 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
It’s nice but surely you just go buy the discovery sport or the evoque and have better residuals

Helicopter123

8,831 posts

155 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
Looks good, if they can get the finance package competitive with ze Germans then I can see this selling well as it must now have much showroom appeal for the aspiring younger family.

PhantomPH

4,043 posts

224 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
Initially I mixed this up with the I-Pace, so in my head I was thinking, "Since when did they have engines onboard?". And I think that's where the 'facelift' aspect has gone - it's must closer to the I-Pace look (from memory).

Wonder if they are still using the same technology that allows people to just walk up to your car with a jailbroken iPhone and drive it away... wink

j90gta

563 posts

133 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
Maybe it's just me but I think it looks like something out of the Hyundai/Kia stable. Either that's a sign of how much they've improved or how much Jaguar have gone the other way!

rlg43p

1,195 posts

248 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
Acceptable specification of the E-Pace gets you to a £40k+ price tag, that's for a 4 cyl engine and 204bhp in a small SUV.

It's just way too expensive FFS, especially when you factor in the depreciation.

When will their marketing department get real about the product positioning?

steveb8189

473 posts

190 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
So it's still heavier than the f-pace...

Motormatt

484 posts

217 months

Wednesday 28th October 2020
quotequote all
rlg43p said:
Acceptable specification of the E-Pace gets you to a £40k+ price tag, that's for a 4 cyl engine and 204bhp in a small SUV.

It's just way too expensive FFS, especially when you factor in the depreciation.

When will their marketing department get real about the product positioning?
Completely agree, and whilst the facelift improves the look slightly, I just don’t see these as superior to any similar offerings from Nissan, Kia etc which are much better value. A step too far in the wrong direction verging on brand damaging in my opinion.