There is no denying that the premium crossover segment has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years. Although a bit late to the party, Jaguar is promising a lot with their maiden crossover offering, the F-Pace. And while we wait for this new model to hit the showrooms, it’s worth nothing that Jaguar is also developing a compact crossover which will probably be called as the E-Pace.
These spy shots of an early test mule confirm that a smaller sibling of the F-Pace indeed is in development. As a matter of fact, the development on the E-Pace is at a very early stage as the test mule, spotted near the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia, is seen wearing a Range Rover Evoque body shell.
Not much is known on the E-Pace as far as the mechanical bits are concerned. That being said, the vehicle will make use of the same set of petrol and diesel units from Jaguar-Land Rover’s Ingenium engine range. Also found in the new Discovery Sport and the Evoque, these engines will also be offered as hybrid powertrains in the E-Pace.
The F-Pace has not even reached the showrooms yet and is attracting a huge demand in Europe. The smaller E-Pace, then, ideally should generate enough volumes for Jaguar to make a serious impact in the global premium crossover market. However, it is highly unlikely that Jaguar will base the E-Pace on the aluminium-intensive platform that currently underpins the F-Pace and the new XE sedan. Instead, the brand will possibly utilise the all-steel Discovery Sport platform in the interest of cutting down development and production costs.
