2018 Jaguar E-PACE First-Drive Review: Grace, Pace, and Space
Paved roads abound (mostly).
After a busy morning playing in the mud, it was time to hit the pavement. Our initial run was through the south side beachfront, And with an unfortunate speed limit of about 45 mph, this was the time to feel out how well the interior niceties work. So, with all 380 watts of the Meridian sound system bumping the unfortunate thing that is French public radio, we hit the road.
The E-PACE is a decidedly sporty interpretation of the compact SUV. That said, it was all too happy to lazily meander about the Corsican beachfront. The 9-speed automatic transmission is a smooth operator, and when left to its own devices, hunts for good fuel economy figures while keeping engine RPMs low. Similarly, the P300-spec Ingenium four-cylinder engine has no qualms grumbling along at 2,000 RPM at all times. There is plenty of usable grunt down there. In fact, all of the E-PACE’s usable grunt is down there, with the P300 engine offering all 295 lb-ft of torque on tap between 1,500-4,500 RPM. Put it in drive and go.
The P300-spec Ingenium four-cylinder engine has no qualms grumbling along at 2,000 RPM at all times, offering all 295 lb-ft of torque.
The ride quality is likely the sportiest part of the E-PACE, barring, obviously, the R-Dynamic’s appearance-package add-ons. That said, it’s never a harsh ride, and there is certainly a suppleness to the way the suspension handles bumps and dips in the road. This baby Jag does not feature adaptive dampers; instead it’s conventional springs, dampers, and sway bars, with independent suspension all around. For the chassis nerds and engineers out there, it’s a McPherson strut setup up front, and an Integral Link (multi-link) rear end.
Some words of wisdom.
As we racked up the miles on the E-PACE, passing through the rural Corsican beach towns, the words of Jaguar’s event team rang in my ears: “The police here don’t take kindly to foreign journalists breaking the law.” Something worth keeping in mind when traveling somewhere in a car that’s not yours, in a land where you don’t know the language.
This is a shame, because in P300 guise, the E-PACE is way faster than it has any right to be. In the brief moments where my drive partner and I were sure the coast was clear, the E-PACE was happy to let loose. I won’t incriminate our actions, but the neighborhood boy racer is going to be in for a surprise when they try to keep up with you in the E-PACE. Jaguar claims the standard P250 E-PACE will do the 0-60 sprint in 6.6 seconds, while the P300-powered one will do the deed in 5.9 seconds. My well-calibrated butt dyno says this is right on the money.
This strong performance was all well and good, especially as we headed north and the roads became more twisty and mountainous.
Continue reading on the next page what happens when the E-PACE meets the Corsican mountain roads.
