Jaguar E-Pace D180 AWD R-Dynamic 2017 first drive

So much more convincing than the flagship petrol model. At almost 50 grand, even a near-300bhp E-Pace struggles to make a case for itself; competitively priced in the mid-£30ks, this diesel has no such problems. It’s an attractive car inside and out, although lacking the more elegant proportions of Jaguar F-Pace.

Ergonomically, the driving environment is not as good as the best of the German opposition, but the E-Pace has a sense of interior style they lack. Just remember that the car looks larger than it is and you should satisfy yourself entirely that there’s enough space in the quite cramped rear cabin before taking the plunge.

On the road it’s good enough for its class, but those expecting a proper Jaguar driving experience should manage their expectations. For all the guff in the press pack about the ‘symphonic score’ of the engine and the car’s alleged ability to ‘make the road its stage’, by traditional Jaguar standards it’s a fairly mediocre thing to drive. And if ‘true performance isn’t just measured in figures’ that’s just as well because quick it ain’t. With manual gears it ducks under the 10-second barrier for the 0-62mph run with just a tenth to spare – the equivalent BMW X1 needs just 7.6sec, not least because it’s more than 200kg lighter. The auto is a little quicker, although the nine-speed box tends to hang on to its gears for too long.