Yahoo Autos 2018 Jaguar E-pace P250 AWD
Unlike the previous comparison test of this class in 2016, there is no runaway winner this time. Instead, each of the three vehicles is, as David Bowie once wrote, “torn between the light and dark, where others see their targets: divine symmetry.” Don’t take the E-Pace’s distant third-place finish to mean that it is without merit. But its dark bits are deeper and more plentiful, and most of its lights shine no brighter than the others’.
It’s a porker that weighs a whopping 537 pounds more than the BMW and returns the longest braking distance, the lowest skidpad grip, the slowest slalom speed, and the weakest acceleration. And yet, we unanimously voted it the most fun to drive. It’s the most expensive but has the worst fit and finish of the lot. It rides on 20-inch wheels yet ties for the comparison’s comfiest ride. There are some very nice bits inside, but the cheap, hard black plastic below the instrument binnacle and on the center console would be an embarrassment in a Kia from a decade ago. It has, by some margin, the test’s worst fuel economy, but its transmission houses the most gears, and its engine produces only a middling level of power. It’s tied with the Volvo for offering the most features and amenities, but to access many of them, you must crawl into the tortured psyche of the laggy, confused infotainment system’s creator.
None of this makes sense. Nor do the cutesy touches, such as the jaguar spots molded into the mat of an interior cubby or the silhouette of a jaguar and its cub on the edge of the windshield and projected onto the ground by the puddle lamps.
We’re not sure what to make of the Jag, honestly. It’s clearly not our choice, but out on our handling loop, the thing was a blast. Its engine is the only one in the test that actually makes an appealing sound. The vehicle is oddly loose. Its body rolls and pitches more than the other two and its maximum grip is relatively low, but its steering is consistent and precise. Its reactions are predictable. Each of our drivers independently used the term “playful” to describe the E-Pace’s dynamic character, proving either that the E-Pace is, in fact, playful or that we’re spending too much time together.
('You Might Also Like',)
