Coventry’s junior SUV’s mid-life refresh might be as expected, echoing design and technology updates already introduced across other JLR models, but it arrives as a timely boost for the British rival for cars like the BMW X1 and Audi Q3.
As well as a more premium look – all down to a nose ‘n tail reprofiling job, a smart new diamond-pattern mesh grille and Jaguar’s latest LED lights front and back – the new E-Pace marks Jaguar’s latest step towards electrification.
Only one E-Pace – the £32,575 front-wheel-drive diesel manual – remains purely combustion engined, while at the top of the range is a new plug-in hybrid with the ability to run for up to 34 miles on battery power alone, though this model doesn’t arrive until next year.
Between these extremes is a mix of JLR’s latest Ingenium petrol and diesel engines all with automatic transmission and a 48-volt integrated starter-generator providing a battery-powered efficiency boost in the increasingly common mild hybrid (MHEV) manner. The E-Pace powertrain line-up now parallels that of the Land Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport with which the E-Pace shares its underpinnings.
Those underpinnings have been tweaked a little. Jaguar says all models are now quieter and smoother than before thanks to new engine mounts, which also improves throttle response, and stiffer suspension mounts to enhance agility.