Jaguar stretches out its claws with the E-PACE

Do not be confused by its name. The 'E' in the new Jaguar E-PACE does not denote it as an electric car. That would be the job of the radical and forthcoming electric I-PACE that's expected to launch end of this year in Singapore. The E-PACE is also not the first Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) in Jaguar's lineup. That would be the sporty and the larger F-PACE that was officially launched on our shores in mid July in 2016.

The E-PACE is, however, a handsome and desirable-looking compact SUV that's poised to go head on with the Audi Q3, the BMW X1 and the recently launched Volvo XC40.

In fact, in the flesh, the Jag seems like it's designed to look even more purposeful than its aforementioned peers. This could be due to the fact that there are plenty of Jaguar F-TYPE sports car design cues throughout the E-PACE's styling.

Based on the same architectural platform as the similarly-attractive Range Rover Evoque, the new Jaguar is one of the shortest in its class at 4,395mm long. In comparison, the Q3 and the X1 measure 4,388mm and 4,439mm respectively while the XC40 stands at 4,425mm.

But that doesn't mean space is lacking. Thanks to a generous wheelbase of 2,681mm, the rear will fit three Asian adults without trouble and will house golf bags and luggage with its above-average boot capacity of 577 litres. Fold the rear seats down and space will increase a couple of notches to 1,234 litres.

Where it falls short on paper, compared to its peers, is its relatively hefty weight due to the extensive use of steel rather than aluminium. Tipping the scales at over 1.8 tonnes, the E-PACE outweighs most of its competitors.

As of press time, the Jaguar E-PACE, which is also currently the second SUV model in the carmaker's lineup, has five engine variants on offer. There are two petrol and three diesel units, each paired to a ZF nine-speed automatic gearbox.

As expected, the capable diesel variants of the E-PACE will not be coming to Singapore due to the restructure of diesel taxes. In an approach to incentivise users to reduce diesel consumption, the local Government has introduced a volume-based duty at $0.10 per litre on automotive diesel earlier this year.

Thus, come second quarter of this year, Singapore can expect to receive both the petrol-powered Jaguar E-PACE vehicles. The juicer variant will have 300bhp and 400Nm of torque while the other will have a 250bhp and 365Nm of twisting force. Both cars will have a 2.0-litre in-line four turbocharged powerplant and are all-wheel driven.

Whether the First Edition variant will come to Singapore remains to be seen. But from what we've seen, if the E-PACE drives as confidently as it's designed, the carmaker could well outsell and outdo the rest of its peers in its class, more so if it's priced competitively.