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Blue Monday? We hope that’s not the case for you. This week we are spending time with the @jaguarsouthafrica E-Pace D240 R-Dynamic HSE. The premium compact luxury SUV is elegant and stylish inside with the a driver focused cockpit and the hard to miss Touch Pro infotainment system featuring a 10” tablet-style Touchscreen. The baby Jaguar SUV has sufficient seating space and storage inside the cabin that can be shared comfortably by four adults. The 60/40 split of the back seats that will give you an increased 1234- litres of space. This particularly came in handy when we were carrying a road bike to the Tswana Classic this past weekend. The E-Pace is also a mover on the the road with it’s 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine with 177kW of power and 500Nm of torque. The E-Pace range is priced from R605,100. ^@salaontop #jaguar #jaguarepace #epace #d240 #rdynamic #premium #luxury #suv #british #mondaymotivation #monday #mcm 📸 @salaontop

A post shared by The Car People (@khulekani_on_wheels) on Nov 4, 2018 at 9:03pm PST

By Sala Masindane

The introduction of the F-Pace to the South Africa market by Jaguar was a step in the right direction and the F-Pace did not disappoint in terms of sales. The challenge was that the F-Pace was pitched at a much higher audience with a starting price of nearly R800,000. Naturally Jaguar had to fill up the void with the introduction of the E-Pace which would give Jaguar SUVs greater audience. The E-Pace competes with the likes of the BMW X1, Audi Q3 and Volvo XC40. We recently tested the range topping diesel E-Pace D240 R-Dynamic HSE to see if it has what it takes to tango with the Germans as the F-Pace has been able to do successfully.

Exterior and Interior

The E-Pace shares the sporty look that is famous with all Jaguars lately. This is seen by its honeycomb mesh grille framed by LED headlights and the signature ‘J’ blade Daytime Running Lights. At the back, the spoiler is blended with the roofline and the rear window to give the E-Pace an athletic look. Driving behind the E-Pace D240 R-Dynamic HSE you are met by full signature LED tail lights and bumper-integrated twin tailpipes.

Pic Salaphezulu Masindane

Inside the E-Pace, the footprint of the Jaguar F-Type sports car is clear for everyone to see. This is noticeable by the cockpit being angled towards the driver. Also maintained is the swooping dash from the sports car. Another refreshing feature is the separation of the infotainment dials from the climate control dials. It gets confusing and a bit distracting if everything is cramped into the infotainment system. Apart from the well thought out layout of the interior, the quality of materials on the dash is good. I did, however, struggle to view what is being displayed on the 10-inch Touch Pro touchscreen as the sunlight rays impact the visibility, fortunately the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and the heads-up display (optional R15,700) came in handy in those instances. From a connectivity point of view, five USB ports and the Meridan speakers will ensure loads of fun will always be had on the E-Pace. Unfortunately, Andriod Auto preparation is not available, but Apple CarPlay will save the day.

Jaguar claims that there’s 60-litres of storage space around the cabin and this can be seen in the generous glovebox, space in the centre console, large cupholders and huge door bins where a 1.5-litre bottle can fit in. It’s the same story in the back, where rear passengers can fit the same bottle in the door bins. The legroom is also decent and 3 medium-sized adults can sit comfortably. The optional panoramic sunroof (R14,900) does not compromise the head space. This being a coupe the boot would general be small, but this is reasonably large at a claimed 577-litres. There’s also a 12V port in the boot and tethering points to hold goods that might move when in transit.

Pic Salaphezulu Masindane

Safety and technology

Just like its Germany competitors, the E-Pace comes standard with certain driver aids to ensure safer daily usage of the SUV. In addition to the InControl Driver Assistance Systems that includes lane keep assist and emergency braking (autonomous braking), the E-Pace is available with adaptive cruise control, park distance control (front and rear), blind assist and 360-degree parking aid.

The Drive

I must mention that the 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine with power outputs of 177kW and 500Nm of torque is deceiving. You’d be forgiven into think that its nimble, fast, eager or sporty when driving but it’s the opposite. The automatic nine-speed gearbox has a bit of turbo lag and you really need to put your foot down for it to move. The sound will be great during all of this, but the SUV would still be in the same position, it feels heavy when taking on twisties and is not smooth. The other problem with E-Pace is the roughness when going through bumps or humps, you feel every bit of it. The consumption was not far from the claimed, which is 6.2l/km and we managed a 7.4l/km. Nevertheless, this is Jaguars second attempt at an SUV and they will improve with time. The competitors should be worried. The Jaguar E-Pace range is priced from R605,100.

This is sold with a 3-year/100 000 km warranty and 5-year/100 000 km maintenance plan