News Source: topspeed.com

Back in May of 2015, it was announced that Jaguar  wanted a baby crossover to slot below the F-Pace.  More recently, we received some spy shots that we eventually determined were shots of the new baby F-Pace  – or E-Pace  as we’re now calling it – doing some very early testing in disguise as an Evoque.  The fact that the E-Pace was wearing an Evoque  body gave leads us to believe that the baby SUV  will probably be underpinned by the same platform that supports the Evoque.

Since the prototype was wearing the body of the Evoque, we had no way of knowing what kind of visual design cues we’ll see with the E-Pace, but that doesn’t stop us from speculating – at least until we see the E-Pace testing in its own skin. So we took what we already know about the E-Pace, in coordination with the most reputable rumors, and did what we do best – we put together a rendering of what the E-Pace may look like when it makes its long-awaited debut.

When it comes to our renderings, sometimes we can be a little too ambitious, but other times we hit the nail right on the head. With this rendering,  our artist decided to go with a lot of the design cues of the F-Pace, despite the fact that it will probably use the Evoque’s older platform. Despite the fact that the E-Pace will probably ride on the older platform, we think our artist nailed this rendering. So, with that said, let’s take a long, good look at this rendering, and what we can expect from the upcoming E-Pace.

Updated 02/22/2016: Based on the recent spy shots and rumors we decided to create a rendering for the upcoming E-Pace. Let us know in the comments section below what do you think about it.

If our artist is accurate, the E-Pace will strongly resemble the Larger F-Pace. Up front, we see a lot of the F-pace. The grille, air dam, corner vents and headlights all look like those from the F-pace, albeit a bit smaller. On the E-Pace, there will likely be body cladding on the lower portion of the fascia, and the contrasting inserts in the corner vents have also been left out. The headlights are of the same design, but our artist decided to go with clear lenses for the running lights – a much cleaner look than the orange lens on the F-pace if you ask me. The hood also appears to be about the same, but our artist decided to go with more pronounced body lines.

To the sides, we see more of the same. The mirrors look identical to that of the F-pace, but we don’t think the E-Pace will have that fender vent. If that is the case, that sharp body line on the front door will also be non-existent on the E-Pace. Toward the bottom of the doors, there will be a similar body line between the front and rear wheel arches, but we expect to see more body cladding on the side skirts.

As you can see from the rendering, the rear end is where most of the significant changes can be seen. There is still a stationary window behind the rear doors, but it is quite a bit smaller, and the C-pillar is also significantly smaller. From the look of things, the E-pace will likely be about ten inches shorter than the F-pace. As usual, our artist didn’t render the rear of the vehicle. Be that as it may, we still think we’ll see similar, wraparound taillights, but they will only wrap around by an inch or two – thanks to the shorter body. There should still be an overhang on the rear hatch to give a sportier appearance, and expect to see a similar rear diffuser. Our spy photographers didn’t get any shots of the interior, but even if they did, we would probably be looking at the interior of the Evoque anyway. I think the E-Pace will take on an interior similar to that of the F-Pace. Expect to see a similar steering wheel, instrument cluster, and center console layout. The cabin itself will probably be a dual-cockpit design. A horizontally biased infotainment screen will make up the majority of the center stack, with a high-sitting center console mounted between the two front seats. Of course, that is just speculation. Until we get some shots of the real E-Pace, your guess about the interior is just as good as ours.

This prototype is in the embryonic testing stages, so we have no official information or idea of what will power the E-Pace. Considering the E-Pace will probably be underpinned by the Evoque’s platform, expect to see the option of a few four-cylinder engines. The current Evoque here in the U.S. has an inline four-cylinder that puts out 240 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. That’s not bad, but for the E-pace, Jag may step it up a notch or two, maybe upping the output to 255 or 260 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. In Europe, expect the E-Pace to take on a couple of diesel powertrains similar to the TD4 diesel available in the Evoque. Those engines put out 150 PS and 180 PS, so expect that kind of output in the E-Pace as well.

I would really like to see a V-6 makes its way into the E-Pace, but given the fact that the Evoque doesn’t have that option, I doubt jaguar will go the extra mile to build a V-6 for the Evoque platform. If they do, you can bet it will only be available here in the U.S. and will probably be available in the Evoque in the coming years as well. It is way too early to talk about pricing at this point. Given the fact that Jag is so early in the testing phase that it is still using a decoy body, we won’t see the E-Pace until at least 2017, with it hitting dealer showrooms in 2018. Since the E-Pace will be smaller than the F-Pace, we can expect a smaller ticket price as well. The base-model F-Pace retails from $40,990 at the time of this writing, so expect the E-Pace to hit dealers with a retail price somewhere in the $30,000 to $35,000 range.