Legacy is something that is built over years and is something that you have to consider when dealing with brands that have been around for a very long time. Jaguar is that brand that is not for everyone, it has its people and they like things in a certain way and done with certain precision. Like I’ve said before, I love the fact that they have upped the design game in the last few years. To be honest with you I was expecting newer technology within this model because it’s the smaller version of the F-Pace, supposedly aimed for the younger market as opposed to the F-Pace. I believe that if this car speaks to a much younger audience then the focus should be on the technology side as well as innovation, seeing as Jaguar is trying to attract a younger market.

Interestingly enough, the new E-Pace looks much nicer from the back than from the front, I feel like something is missing, especially with the grill, or maybe it’s my eyes. We all met at the OR Tambo International Airport for the media launch, I have never attended a car media launch in Johannesburg before, and so this was going to be very interesting. I was teamed up with the Destiny magazine editor for the day, my job for the day was not to bore her to death, nothing worse than having a terrible driving partner on such events. Also I thought that this would be a great opportunity to get to know her as well because I do have the most admiration for Ndalo Media’s Destiny and Destiny Man magazines, they have given people like myself hope to start and pursue the magazine dream. We spoke about everything magazines and changes that come with it as well, nothing beats having conversations about things that you are passionate about.

Now back to the E-Pace, personally I enjoyed the diesel model the most because it has everything that I need with regards to specs, fuel consumption and handling on the road. The competitor to this model is the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mini Cooper Countryman, Mercedes Benz GLA and Range Rover Evoque – so it’s going to be very interesting with regards to who gets this market. The interior reminds me of the F-Type where you have access to everything you need, what I figured with the technology part with Jaguar as a brand, is that it’s not outdated, however they don’t spend a lot of effort on innovation, which is ok because Range Rover does that very well. The navigation system is still the same as the F-Pace model, which is not that great and still needs some work.

When we drove the petrol model it had a bit of vrrrr phaa in it which was surprising because this is a Jaguar. The route that we took with the new E-Pace led us to Soccer City, from where we took a short left to the xxxxx game reserve which was cool because the scenery was beautiful and you are still in Johannesburg. At the starting price of R598 500, that’s an installment of R13 800 without deposit and balloon payment.

The Jaguar E-Pace arrives in South Africa in March 2018. All new Jaguar cars come with the Jaguar 5-year Care Plan including a 5-year/100 000km service plan, a 5-year/100 000km maintenance plan and a 5-year/100 000km warranty, as standard.