Australian Review - 2021 E-Pace R-Dynamic S P250 Editor: The following review was undertaken by Drive.com.au. It is comprehensive and should be of interest to current and potential E-Pace owners. Jaguar’s best-selling vehicle in Australia scores a midlife update with subtle styling tweaks and enhanced technology.
The styling tweaks to the E-Pace are subtle: a revised grille design, reprofiled air intakes and new signature LED headlights out front, while the rear remains largely untouched. The biggest visual changes come inside, the centrepiece a new 11.4inch touchscreen fitted with satellite navigation, digital radio, and smartphone integration. Under the skin, Jaguar’s engineers have improved overall chassis rigidity, strengthening the chassis mounting points as well as the suspension towers. The end result is a supposedly more comfortable ride. The E-Pace range starts with the car we have on test here, the entry-level 2021 Jaguar E-Pace R-Dynamic S P250. Priced at $65,900 plus on-road costs, it’s the most affordable new Jaguar in Australia, scraping in a couple of grand under the base-model Jaguar XE sedan. Next in the range is the 2.0 R-Dynamic SE with a starting price of $69,097, followed by the R-Dynamic HSE at the strangely specific $73,276, before topping out with the E-Pace 300 Sport with a sticker price of $81,776. As befitting a Jaguar, there’s a healthy list of standard equipment in line with the premium small-SUV segment. Highlights include 18-inch alloys, electric
The mildly facelifted Jaguar E-Pace range arrived in Australia earlier this year (2021), bringing with it some subtle styling tweaks, enhanced technology and small price rises across the board.
front seats with a driver’s side memory function, keyless entry and start, leathertrimmed seats and steering wheel, rainsensing windscreen wipers, dual-zone climate control, and an electric tailgate. Also befitting a Jaguar, there’s a healthy list of options too long to mention here. Refreshingly, our test car came with only a handful of ticked boxes, bringing the as-tested price to $69,350 plus on-roads. Most fall into the nice-to-have-butprobably-not-needed category, items such as the black contrasting roof ($970), red brake callipers ($660), and cabin air purifier ($780) all non-essential. Only privacy glass ($690) and wireless phone charging ($350) could present a compelling case for inclusion. In terms of rivals, the E-Pace could be considered against the likes of Audi’s Q2 and Q3, BMW’s X1 and X3, Lexus’s
RX range and the Volvo XC40. But all undercut the E-Pace on price, leaving the Jaguar to trade on the brand’s heritage and the loyalty of its customer base. It’s a big ask of the leaping cat, in a segment where choices for buyers abound, even at this premium end of the segment. Let’s see how the refreshed E-Pace stacks up. Inside The leather seats are sumptuous and comfortable, and with plenty of adjustment available to ensure the ideal driving position. The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels solid in hand, again with that feeling of quality. Jaguar has ditched its rotary dial gear selector for a more conventional shift lever that, again, looks and feels premium. Our test car was trimmed in Ebony and Deep Garnet soft-grain leather, and while that colour combo is not for everyone, there’s no denying the quality of the materials and how nicely everything is stitched together. Storage amounts to the usual pair of cupholders and a decently sized central storage bin with a nicely padded lid. A cubby fore of the gear lever houses the optional wireless charging pad and a smaller cubby for keys and the like. The door pockets can take bottles.
The good news for fans of the leaping cat, Jaguar has trimmed the range down to just four petrol-fed 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder variants, doing away with diesel completely.
The second row is a bit on the tight side, but that’s par for the segment. The seats, though, are super comfortable, enveloping you in a hug that’s rare for second rows everywhere. There are air vents back there, while the flip-down armrest houses a pair of cupholders.
THE OFFICIAL MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF THE JAGUAR DRIVERS CLUB OF SA
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