2018 Jaguar E-PACE: We Drove it, and We’re Sold
Porto-Vecchio, Corsica, France—The more I think back on this vehicle, the launch event and the whole experience, the more I come to understand exactly what Jaguar has created in the new E-PACE.
The engineers, designers and big wigs over at Jaguar Land Rover have fashioned what might be the ultimate in automotive click bait. Unlike what click bait actually is—devoid of substance, full of baloney and misleading headlines—the E-PACE provides real and true essence. Despite being aimed at selfie-mad, social-media hoarding youngsters, women especially, there is far more depth and thought put into the latest Jaguar than pursed lips and a life-altering inspirational quote.
The new 2018 Jaguar E-PACE is the first attempt from the storied brand to interact with a crowd that probably doesn’t know it even exists, or perhaps have heard of in stories told by their grandparents. In 2018, Jag will have plenty to talk about and Millennials might actually be interested in listening.
You want to get closer to it
I had a brief chat with Adam Hatton, Creative Director of Exterior Design, and in his own words he described the E-PACE as the Jaguar cub. He added: “Think big paws and a smaller body. It’s cheeky, and playful.” That indeed it is and the image works. At one point, early on in the design process, the E-PACE was headed to look like a scale model of the F-PACE, but that did not happen.
What did occur is that the design team turned to the F-Type sports car for inspiration. The front fascia, chamfered from the grille back, is akin to a snout surmounted by Jag signature J-Blade headlights. While I see what the designers were going for, I prefer the F-PACE’s more serious front graphic. The rear is beautifully executed, however. The cute-ute’s haunches are larger than life and mixed with wheels up to 21” in size and near-absent overhangs. The 2018 Jaguar E-PACE is everything but old-school Jag. Yet, it is unmistakingly a Jaguar.
Read more