I was offered to test the E-Pace, Jaguar's smallest SUV, and see how good a luxury SUV could be as a BabyDrive. My Dad always got excited about his father's Jag when I was a child so I was eager to get in one and see what all the fuss is about!
I was relieved to find I was given an E-Pace with a conservative black interior with blue highlights in the stitching. Phew… earlier in the year I tested the Jaguar F-Pace which had a bright red leather interior that was just too much for a sleep deprived and overstimulated mum!!
Happy in my surroundings and comfortable in my seat I found the E-Pace a pleasant drive. A lot of the styling inside and out is from the Jaguar F-Type sports car so you do get some of those features.
In the back, the seats are comfortable and deceptively spacious and I found IÂ could fit three child seats in there! I wasn't expecting it at all! I wouldn't have fitted three big forward-facing child seats alongside each other but this combination did work. With just two child seats installed in the outer seats then it was less crowded with a nice amount of space around them.
There are three top tethers in the seat backs that are easily accessible through the boot and within clearly labelled, plastic guides. The ISOFix points are in the two outer rear seats, they are within plastic guides and I found the plastic guides made them a bit tricky to connect to.
Although the E-Pace is a small SUV, a 180cm passenger could just sit in front of a rear-facing child seat installed in the back.
Most of the storage was practical in the E-Pace. There are two good size cup holders in the front and back that will hold re-usable and disposable coffee cups and large refillable water bottles fit well in them too, whereas the door bins in both the front and back don't offer anywhere practical to put a large refillable water bottle as anything you put in slides about in them. There is a good central console storage box and glove box and the central seatback has a fold-down armrest with a phone tray as well as two cup holders. There are two map pockets but they are net, so anything you put in them can be seen and they will go baggy after a while too.
I was surprised by the boot of the E-Pace too! From empty it held eleven shopping bags, that's one more than both the Audi Q2 and the BMW X2. It held all three Mountain Buggy strollers and the Britax tandem stroller with differing amounts of shopping bags alongside them. The parcel shelf felt a bit basic and cheap for a luxury SUV, like it was made of cardboard.
The E-Pace media system does look and feel modern, it has a great crisp and clear large screen with modern graphics but it doesn't have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. The media system is easy to navigate and the camera has a very good quality crisp, clear image. I found the sensors could be turned down slightly but not muted.
I found the E-Pace was nippy and responsive and fun to drive, the accelerator pedal was a bit sensitive though and even after a week I didn't remember to press the trigger button on the back of the gear lever every time I wanted to change gear. In most other cars you'd only press something to select reverse. A reminder does come up on the screen in front of the steering wheel as a reminder so Jaguar must have pre-empted this might be a problem!
I also found the silver surface beneath the gear lever reflected the bright sunshine up into my face while I was driving and I found it really offputting and so I either put my hand or my cardi over it while driving.
The Jaguar E-Pace scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2017 and has six airbags as standard.
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How big is the boot of the Jaguar E-Pace?
When it is empty I could fit 11 shopping bags in the boot, which is one more than both the Audi Q2 and the 2018 BMW X2.
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
The Mountain Buggy Duet twin stroller fitted with one shopping bags beside it, that's one less than the BMW X2 and the twin stroller didn't fit in the boot of the Audi Q2.
The Britax Flexx tandem stroller fitted with two shopping bags beside it, this didn't fit in the boot of the Audi Q2 or the BMW X2.
The Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle single stroller fitted with four shopping bags beside it, the same as in the Audi Q2 and two more than the BMW X2.
The Mountain Buggy Nano compact stroller fitted with nine shopping bags beside it, two more than in the BMW X2 and four more than the Audi Q2.
Or you could fit a small dog in there!
The boot floor of the E-Pace is nice and flat and has a soft covering perfect for an emergency nappy change. There is a 12V socket, light and a bag hook on the left side of the boot. I found the parcel shelf felt quite cheap as if it was made of cardboard which I found surprising for a luxury brand car.
On the right-hand side of the boot, there is a net section which I found great for holding snacks in separated from the rest of the boot. There is another bag hook and an elatrip strap for holding things in place too.
Storage in the cabin was okay.
There are two cup holders in the top of the central console storage box, they held a reusable and disposable coffee cup. Underneath them is a good size central console box which is lined and a 12V and two USB charging points.
In front of the gear lever is an area I found useful for storing my phone and there is a 12V socket there too.
The glove box is lined and it would hold my wallet and iPadin there with the manual.
There is a lined glasses case in the ceiling and lit vanity mirrprs in both visors.
The door bins throughout the car were a strange shape and most things you put in them will literally slide about, there was a good shaped space for a 600ml bottle only.
In the back of the E-Pace front seats, there are net map pockets that will hold an iPad but not conceal them and they seemed a strange choice for the luxury car brand as they will just stretch and become misshapen and I felt cheapened the interior of the car.
There is a fold-down armrest in the central seatback with two good sized cup holders. They would hold a re-usable or disposable coffee cup and they have rubber flaps in them that help to grip a smaller 600ml or baby bottle. There is also a lidded tray which is good for older rear passengers phones etc. Ours ended up filled with sultanas!!!
The door bins in the back are not as big as in the front but they will not hold a large refillable water bottle and again things slide about in them.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the Jaguar E-Pace?
The media system in the Jaguar E-Pace looks modern and has fresh graphics. The screen is large with a good clear image however, it doesn't have Apple Car Play or Android Auto.
The camera image is really crisp and clear, the parking sensors could not be fully muted I found the volume symbol on the right of the screen quietened the beeping but didn't mute it.
The Sat-Nav was quite simple to use but I could not find a way at all of muting the voice
The lane keep assist in the E-Pace doesn't make a noise but it does keep you firmly within the road lines, it can sometimes feel quite abrupt and slalom-like which I found disturbed my little passengers. You can turn lane assist off down by your right knee.
The auto engine cut out button is down in the central console, to stop the engine turning on and off at lights and junctions when you come to a stop.
I find this function really disturbing for sleeping babies, you have just got your baby to sleep in the car and you stop at lights and the engine turns off sometimes they will stay asleep but when the engine shudders to a start again it shakes baby awake and all your efforts are ruined!! Even coming to a stop at lights with the engine running can be enough to wake a sleeping child so turning the engine off and on again will definitely do it! I have driven routes I know have roundabouts rather than lights just to avoid coming to a stop for any length of time!!
One of my favourite features in the E-Pace is the child lock button for both the rear doors and windows in one, it is situated on the driver's door control panel.
The doors in the Jaguar E-Pace are nice and quiet to open but I found them quite noisy to shut, the windows are lovely and quiet to open and close.
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
I found I could come to a stop with the engine still running and get out of the car without any alarms going off!
Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!
SO this is a very important test as I have found that sometimes I have been held hostage by a cars BEEEEPING alarms when I have taken off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine is still running!! (I only stand outside the car, I am not a bad mother!!)
There is a seatbelt removal alarm for all five seats, I love the graphic for this feature, in the screen in front of the steering wheel, Â as it shows you straight away who has and hasn't got their seatbelts on.
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BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit on the Jaguar E-Pace?
There are three top tether points across the seat backrests of the E-Pace which are easily accessible through the boot. They are within plastic guides that are clearly marked and which I found easy to connect to.
The two outer rear seats have ISOFix points within plastic guides, which I found a little tricky to attach to and found the plastic sightly in the way of the top ISOFix connector.
I managed to fit three child seats into the E-Pace really nicely. I wouldn't have fitted three forward facing, side by side along that back row. I fitted the rear-facing Britax Graphene and forward-facing Britax Kid Guard Pro and Platinum Pro. I did have to use the seatbelts for all three seats rather than the ISOFix in order to move the child seats out to the edges of the seat base.
Posting bub into their child seat from inside and outside the car is surprisingly good in the E-Pace, I thought the door opening might be too small but I found it fine. There are no handles in the back of the car so I couldn't hang a child's toy up.
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
There is room to feed bub in the back if you only have one child seat installed. The seats are upholstered with black leather and the central panels in the front and rear outer seats are perforated which would be hard to keep clean of child spills and crumbs.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is Jaguar E-Pace?
In the front of the E-Pace, the seats are nice and comfortable and I can have a ponytail in the front!
I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!
For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the outer seats are comfortable and there is good headroom. The central seat is slightly raised and there is a small hump in the footwell in the middle but it was not too bad to rest your feet on or to straddle. The seats are comfortable but you can feel the hard central backrest because of the fold-down armrest with cup holders and a storage tray.
For the first year of Tulsi’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Tulsi so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
The steering wheel is manually adjustable both in/out and up/down.
There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; two central ones and one at either end. The airflow in the E-Pace was really pleasant and not huffy or loud.
It is dual zone and the controls are really nice and simple and easy to use.
There are also two rear vents in the back of the central console box which can be reached and adjusted by the driver while driving.
There are no blinds on the rear windows but they are tinted. The rear windows do slope up sharply towards the back of the doors so a rear-facing child would have little view out of the windows. The rear windscreen is also very small which makes visibility quite poor especially with three child seats installed. I found as the driver I had very little visibility from the side pillars back.
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Tulsi has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Forester was simple to park as the visibility and cameras was so good!
There are lit vanity mirrors in both visors in the front.
The interior lights in the rear are above the doors where a handle would normally be, I couldn't reach them while I was driving.
I have found Tulsi does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.
Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!
It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.
The interior of the E-Pace is very nice and I found this colourway much more calming and subtle than the red interior option which I had earlier in the year in the Jaguar F-Pace. This one was mostly black leather, plastic or rubber with subtle blue stitch details in the doors, seats and dash which is enough without being over the top and apart from the perforated seats would all wipe clean easily.
There are some silver metal panels in the interior which look fantastic but in particular, the one around the gear lever I found it reflected the sunlight up into my face while I was driving and I actually had to put something over it because in the Australian sun it was just far to glary and bright.
There were carpet floor mats throughout the E-Pace I tested.
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
How safe is the Jaguar E-Pace?
The Jaguar E-Pace scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating in March 2018. Scoring 86% for adult occupancy protection, 5.33/8 for frontal offset test, 7.51/8 for full-width frontal collision test, 8/8 for side impact, 7.82/8 for oblique pole test and 1.59/3 for whiplash and 2.79/3 for AEB city.
 It scored 87% for child occupant protection 43/49 points. It scored maximum points in both the frontal offset and side impact tests for its protection of the 6-year-old and 10-year-old dummies. GOOD dummy readings were recorded for all critical body regions. It was given full marks also for child seat installation and 7/13 for onboard safety features.
The E-Pace was scored 77% for pedestrian protection and 72% for safety assist.
Six airbags come as standard; there are dual frontal airbags and front side airbags and side curtain head airbags for the front and the rear side passengers.
As standard, all models of the Jaguar E-Pace come with seatbelt reminders for all five seats, anti-lock braking system (ABS), autonomous emergency braking (AEB), automatic emergency call (eCall), automatic headlights, daytime running lights, electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), electronic data recorder (EDR), electronic stability control (ESC), emergency brake assist (EBA), emergency stop signal (ESS), forward collision warning (FCW), hill launch assist, lane departure warning (LDW).
Other options on higher models are adaptive cruise control (ACC), adaptive headlights, automatic high beam, blind spot monitoring (BSM), fatigue reminder and fatigue detection, lane keep assist (LKA) and rear cross traffic alert (RCTA) and tyre pressure monitoring system.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Tulsi’s asleep!
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