Jaguar enters small-SUV segment with 2018 E-Pace
Jaguar Land Rover on Thursday confirmed long-held rumors and unveiled its first entry into the competitive but hot small-SUV segment — the 2018 Jaguar E-Pace.
A little brother to the already successful F-Pace, reviewed here, the new vehicle will be the first Jaguar not produced in the company’s native England. It will instead be manufactured at factories in China and Europe. (Jaguar Land Rover parent company Tata Motors is based in India.)
The new vehicle, to retail at an estimated $38,600 in the U.S., will be sold in two different 2.0-liter turbocharged versions, with engine options producing up to 296 horsepower, the company said. The fastest models will be capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds and hitting a top speed of 155 mph.
Not to be confused with the company’s proposed battery-electric I-Pace, the new five-passenger SUV will be configured as an all-wheel-drive vehicle.
It is expected to compete for compact SUV attention with fellow European models such as the BMW X1, Audi Q3, Audi Q5 and Volvo XC-60.
Jaguar underscored the announcement by revealing a striking video in which the new E-Pace completes the longest “barrel roll” by a production vehicle, which netted the car and driver a notice from Guinness World Records.
Watch the video here.
