2018 Jaguar E-Pace Review and First Drive
Long-needled pines tower above us, flanking the road on both sides. Straight as laser beams, these coniferous giants stab at the heavens, though an ominous January fog seems to parry their skyward thrusts. Our Borasco Grey Jaguar E-Pace could have completely disappeared in this misty veil, its ashen paint a perfect match for the airborne precipitation.
Fortunately, at ground level this vapor was intermittent, never gaining adequate strength to seriously hamper visibility, a blessing given the thoroughfare my drive partner and I were navigating.
The roads around and through Parc Naturel Régional De Corse, a sprawling nature park on Corsica, are improbably twisty, constructed to trace this French Mediterranean island’s craggy topography. Achingly beautiful, it was by no means the only strip of breathtaking asphalt we sampled; the entire drive was a constant left-right battle; evidently, the inhabitants have no concept of what a straight line is and that’s just fine with me.
Keeping Pace
Clearly, Jaguar’s leadership has absolute faith in their latest effort, a compact luxury crossover, otherwise, they wouldn’t have selected such an exotic drive location, one that’s arguably better suited to an F-Type sports car than some high-riding five-seater.
Outside, it fits perfectly in the company’s lineup. With elegantly simple styling, E-Pace is probably the most tastefully designed model in its crowded segment.
Underneath that sleek body, this Jaguar shares the same basic underpinnings with the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport, though all its key dimensions are different from those blood relatives. Saving weight, its hood, front fenders, roof, and tailgate are all made of aluminum. There’s also a magnesium cross-car beam.
Still, a few bits of lightweight metal isn’t enough to make a significant difference at weigh-in time. The R-Dynamic model clocks in at nearly 4,200 pounds (1,832 kg), par for the crossover course these days.
You feel much of that mass while hustling the E-Pace, though it’s not quite as bulky as you might think given the two-plus-ton curb weight. Body control is exemplary, with minimal roll, even if you happen to overcook a corner or two. Continuously variable dampers are on the options list; they can respond to changing road conditions in as little as 10 milliseconds. Ride quality with the standard suspension arrangement seems to strike an ideal balance; it’s firm enough to feel taut and playful without punishing occupants at every surface irregularity.
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