Jaguar unveils E-Pace compact SUV

Jaguar has unveiled the E-Pace, which is being referred to as a compact performance SUV. It is the smallest SUV produced by the British automaker and is the third product in the company's SUV range, after the F-Pace and the I-Pace concept.

The exteriors of the E-Pace borrow the design philosophy of its larger sibling - F-Pace. The front end adorns a wide front grille with mesh pattern and the Jaguar insignia in the centre. The swept-back LED headlamps are a size larger than the ones found on the F-Pace, while the bumper houses large air dams. Thanks to its 4.4 metre length, the side profile reveals the relatively smaller size of the E-Pace. Meanwhile, the roofline swoops back in a gradual manner to form a sharp kink where the upper and lower window lines meet near the c-pillar. The rear too gets an apparent inspiration from the F-Pace, thanks to the similar design of the LED taillights, though the windscreen is a bit steeply raked on the E-Pace.

On the inside, there is a new dashboard layout on offer, though certain bits and pieces have been borrowed from the F-Pace. Jaguar claims that the cabin has been optimised to suit a wide heighted range of occupants. The dashboard houses a 10-inch Jaguar Touch Pro infotainment screen which comes with InControl apps, while Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be added in the future. It also gets an optional 12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster, while an analogue 3-pod layout is offered as standard. Interestingly, the E-Pace doesn't get the rising rotary gear selector that is found on the various other Jaguar models. Instead, it comes with a sports stick shifter that looks like a conventional gear stick.

The Jaguar E-Pace will be offered with the company's 2.0-litre Ingenium engine range. The diesel variants will have power outputs ranging between 148 BHP, 177 BHP and 237 BHP, while the petrol power plant will be available in two states of tune - 247 BHP and 297 BHP. The SUV will be available in both front wheel drive and all-wheel drive layouts.

The E-Pace has also been listed in the Guinness World Records after the compact SUV completed a 15.3-metre long jump with a 270-degre barrel roll. The jump was attempted at ExCel in London, with stunt driver Terry Grant on the wheel.