Jaguar is eager to keep the utility vehicles rolling out ... and understandably so, since the ever-stylish F-Pace helped it achieve an 83 percent sales bump last year. It already has the I-Pace in the works for 2018, and now it's released the first details about the E-Pace, a smaller crossover designed to combine the looks of a slim, sexy athlete with the fortitude of an unwearying nomad (or at least a weekend warrior posing as said nomad).
We would have expected Jaguar to take it easy on the first days of (northern) summer, after a rather buzzy XF Sportbrake reveal late last week. Instead, it's moving right along to the next man up, teasing the E-Pace, which will be fully revealed next month. Jaguar promises a proper combination of sports car styling and ride, small SUV utility, and some of its latest features and technologies.
"The combination of sports car looks with Jaguar performance will ensure that the E-PACE stands out," declares Jaguar design director Ian Callum.
That sounds like the usual car teaser rhetoric, but Callum has more credibility than most, given his role in shaping the F-Pace, easily one of the best-looking SUVs on the market. Like that larger stablemate, the E-Pace will feature a choice of several gas and diesel Ingenium engines. Its sports car-derived all-wheel drive should help it deliver a more satisfying ride than the average chunky AWD hatch.
The fuller of two teaser pictures floated by Jaguar shows the E-Pace's full profile, and it appears Jaguar's design team has taken the "like the F-Pace, only smaller" brief quite seriously. The E-Pace is a natural little brother, wearing F-Pace styling compacted down into a shorter package.
The E-Pace's short hood, slim rear overhang and rather sharply cut rear-end make it look as though a pair of giant hands literally clapped the F-Pace into smaller form. The roofline sweeps back much like the F-Pace's, only it's slightly curvier as result of the shortened length. The side windows have a crisper, pointier shape.
The second photo focuses in on the rear left corner, showing a neatly edged taillamp and a defined rear fender.
The new E-Pace will slide below the F-Pace, starting at $38,600 in the US before $995 delivery/handling charge. Jaguar will hold the full reveal on July 13.
You can compare the styling of the E-Pace's profile and left cheek with both the F-Pace and I-Pace in our gallery.
Source: Jaguar