Small crossover Jaguar, small diesel engine, small thirst. So is there anything about this Jag that isn’t tiny?
Why you shouldn’t: The price. Slap me with a Union Jack tea towel and call me Elton John… the price! Comparable Asian compact SUV’s are ZAR 150,000-200,000 cheaper, most Germans weigh in around 100k less and even the slightly dear Volvo XC40 manages to undercut this Jaguar by a good 70 grand for an equivalent model.

Is that pure greed? Nope, more like horrific exchange rates and draconian import taxes. Unfortunately that means this little pavement hopper wades into the gigantic crossover/SUV battle on its back foot. Speaking of which, we aren’t the only publication who disliked its twitchy steering and clumsy handling; especially when driven hard.

More info: Not that many urbanites carve up corners and set personal lap records on the way to day-care. Ignoring the odd late morning rush, this E-Pace D180 easily handles daily commuting in and outside of town. Sometimes there’s slight pull-away or low-speed turbo-lag but other than that, it’s a good little city SUV.

Why you should: The looks! That interior. The pure style and beautiful proportions oozing from every surface and angle of this English masterpiece. I think it’s absolutely stunning. What also helps is that it has every mod-con our new-age hearts desire, while this model also offers excellent fuel consumption.

What else? Jaguar claims an average of 5.6L/100km but our real-world figure bounced around seven. Still, that’s not bad by modern standards and makes for a decent range from the 56L fuel tank. Our best 0-100km/h sprint lasted 8.79 seconds while a single brake test from 100 was less impressive at 3.24 seconds and 43.57 metres.

Summary: Sure, it’s too expensive and yes, we agree that its handling is slightly uncouth. You’ll probably never take this all-wheel driven pretty kitty off road but I can confirm that it does surprisingly well in the Karoo. You actually just want this Jag for its drop-dead gorgeous looks; and that’s fine by me.

FULL SPECLIST
Engine: | 2L i-4 turbo-diesel |
Transmission: | 9-speed Automatic, AWD |
Max. Power: | 132kW |
Max. Torque: | 430Nm |
Avg. cons.: | Claimed 5.6L/100km |
0-100km/h: | 8.79 seconds (claimed 9.3) |
Top Speed: | Claimed 205km/h |
List Price: | R777,876 |