LIKES
- Jag style, minimalized
- Great optional torque vectoring
- Playful handling
- Spacious interior for four
- Excellent warranty
DISLIKES
- Some questionable materials
- Too expensive to start
- Easily confused transmission
- Engine note sounds rough
BUYING TIP
The 2020 Jaguar E-Pace is a city-sized luxury SUV that’s stylish and fun to drive, but not without faults.
The 2020 Jaguar E-Pace is the second crossover for a brand that just a few years ago didn’t have a single SUV in its lineup—or in its history. The city-sized 2020 E-Pace packs most of what urban luxury buyers want into an attractive and engaging but imperfect package. We give it 6.4 out of 10 overall.
For 2020, the E-Pace gets a new Checkered Flag special edition like other Jags this model year, as well as both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility for the first time.
With its boomerang headlights, big grille, curvy proportions, and wide taillights, the E-Pace is unmistakable for a modern Jag, but everything is tightened up and shrunk to fit a city SUV profile. The result is a short and stubby hatchback design that looks great from some angles and awkward from others. Inside, the E-Pace features a driver-oriented cockpit design that has an ergonomic layout, but wears cost-conscious materials in some conspicuous places.
A 2.0-liter turbo-4 does the heavy lifting in two states of tune: 246 and 296 horsepower. Acceleration is brisk from this potent powerplant, especially with 50 extra ponies to help push the little Jag along. A 9-speed automatic transmission is standard, as is all-wheel drive, one of the features that luxury crossover buyers are starting to demand. Two different systems send power to all four wheels, the more advanced of which can distribute torque to any wheel independently, providing excellent grip and even a dollop of off-road ability. The E-Pace handles confidently and sprightly, making it one of the more fun-to-drive crossovers we’ve had our hands on.
Four adults will fit comfortably in the E-Pace thanks to a deceptively tall roof and spacious interior, and cargo space is an impressive 24.2 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 52 cubes with them folded flat.
Our gripes with the E-Pace mostly lie with the value at the top end of the range and some questionable cabin materials, making this entry-level model feel more entry-level than competitors do.
Safety scores are unavailable, but the E-Pace at least offers automatic braking and other safety features on most trims, though we wish it would all come standard. Fuel economy is only reasonable however, at 23-24 mpg combined.
Styling
The 2020 Jaguar E-Pace has all the right Jag cues on the outside, but the interior is just so-so.
The 2020 Jaguar E-Pace is an F-Pace, squished. Its trademark Jag qualities look sharp from most angles, but some views are awkward, and the interior materials are not up to the usual standard in places. We give it 6 out of 10 here.
The E-Pace makes use of trademark Jaguar styling cues—the J-shaped headlights, curvy side profile, and F-Type style rear end—to cut a handsome profile for a city-sized SUV. Viewed from the side or rear quarter, it’s clear where material was cut away to make this small SUV fit a certain footprint, resulting in a stubby rear end and tall front. Still, it looks better than some of its competitors, especially in R-Dynamic form with 20-inch wheels.
The interior echoes the F-Type more than other Jags with its driver-centric design that uses a leather-trimmed panel to separate the passenger slightly. Many materials are up to snuff for a luxury vehicle, but some hard plastics are conspicuous throughout the cabin, and diminish the feeling slightly. It’s a fine effort, but not as exciting as the exterior.
Performance
The 2020 Jaguar E-Pace accelerates strongly, handles brilliantly, and has an optional all-wheel-drive system we love.
Jaguar has focused its modern rebirth on performance over everything, and the 2020 E-Pace is an everyday-usable result of that ethos. We give it 7 out of 10 here for tight handling, good power, and an excellent optional all-wheel-drive system.
Power is supplied by a 2.0-liter turbo-4 in two states of tune. The base model gets 246 hp and 269 pound-feet of torque, good for strong acceleration and a 0-60 mph run of 6.7 seconds. A 9-speed automatic is standard, though we don’t love its sluggish shifts and easily confused nature, and all-wheel drive comes included as well. The standard AWD system splits torque up to 50/50 between the front and rear wheels on command.
A 296-hp version of the same engine (with 295 lb-ft of torque) is available on the R-Dynamic model, but if you’re choosing that one, do it for the torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system. This clever feature can send power to any of the four wheels independently, making inclement weather traction a breeze and even providing a decent helping of off-road ability.
Comfort & Quality
The 2020 Jaguar E-Pace is surprisingly spacious and practical, but its interior quality isn’t quite up to snuff.
For such a small SUV, the 2020 Jaguar E-Pace is spacious inside. We give it 7 out of 10 here for comfort and cargo space practicality, but some materials are cheaper than they should be.
Though it competes with some of the smallest crossovers on the market, the E-Pace makes great use of its interior space thanks to its front-wheel-drive architecture and to wheels pushed as far as possible to the corners of the vehicle. The result is a cabin that yields 35 inches of leg room for rear passengers, plenty for two adults even on longer drives.
Cargo space is ample too, with 24.2 cubic feet behind the rear seats and more than 52 cubes when they are stowed. That’s near the top of its class.
Safety
The 2020 Jaguar E-Pace isn’t rated for crashworthiness but does include good standard and optional active safety features.
No crash test ratings exist for the 2020 Jaguar E-Pace due to its low sales volume, so we’re unable to assign a score here.
Automatic emergency braking, active lane control, and front and rear parking sensors come standard. Optional safety features include traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, active parking assist, and blind-spot monitors.
The optional torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system could be considered a key safety feature in inclement weather too, as it’s much better at keeping you on the road than many other AWD crossovers.
Features
The 2020 Jaguar E-Pace is well-equipped at its $41,000 base price, and warranty and maintenance coverage is splendid.
The 2020 Jaguar E-Pace is well-equipped as standard, but it’s easy to spend thousands more on top-tier models. We give it 8 out of 10 as such, with points for Jaguar’s excellent warranty coverage, good infotainment, and good standard equipment.
Available in five standard trims and a new special edition, there’s no shortage of E-Pace models to choose from. The base model starts at $40,945 (including $995 destination charge) and comes with the 246-horsepower engine, all-wheel drive, 18-inch wheels, LED headlights, heated door mirrors, leather upholstery, 10-way power front seats, automatic emergency braking and active lane control, and a 10-inch infotainment system with available Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s our choice in the lineup.
Stepping up to the SE for $44,695 adds 19-inch wheels, heated power-folding mirrors, 14-way power front seats, a Meridian sound system, a power liftgate, and additional safety features such as adaptive cruise control and active parking assist.
That’s a pretty penny for top-tier models, considering several larger luxury crossovers are well-equipped for less, so we recommend the R-Dynamic S model for the best combination of performance and feature content if money’s no worry.
Jaguar fits the E-Pace with a 5-year/60,000-mile comprehensive warranty that also includes maintenance.
Fuel Economy
The 2020 Jaguar E-Pace is only reasonably efficient thanks to standard all-wheel drive and plenty of horsepower.
Thanks to a standard all-wheel-drive system and decent power, the 2020 Jaguar E-Pace is only reasonably efficient despite its small size and engine. We give it 4 out of 10 here.
The base E-Pace and SE model get 21 mpg city, 28 highway, 24 combined with the less powerful engine, while R-Dynamic trims get 21/27/23 mpg. That’s a fair trade-off in our eyes, but far short of some competitors that offer over 30 mpg on the highway.
Premium fuel is required, and the EPA found an annual fuel cost of $2,000-$2,100.
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