Jaguar E-PACE Hybrid Review and Prices

If you’ve always fancied the look of Jaguar’s E-Pace and you wish it could blend a bit of the marque’s historical performance strengths with some parsimony, this new plug-in hybrid model – called the P300e – might be the car for you.

Think of it as being like one of your favourite songs of the past, remixed for the modern era with new technology. The melody of the familiar and comforting old tune is there, it’s just being played in a different way.

Anyway, like all 2021 E-Pace models, the P300e has been granted a light image makeover. The resulting vehicle still isn’t pretty like a Volvo XC40 or angular and striking like a Lexus UX, but with its ‘double-J’ headlights, new grille and rear lamp clusters that mimic the all-electric I-Pace, the baby Jag SUV is attractive enough on the outside.

Inside, it gets the larger Pivi Pro infotainment system on a curved-glass 11.4-inch touchscreen and this is a huge improvement on Jaguar’s previous systems. Seems a shame, then, that most people will just bypass the company’s hard work by using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay instead.

That’s the main change in here, as the E-Pace P300e still has that big grab-handle on the passenger’s side of the dashboard, like you’d find in an F-Type sports coupe. Not sure whether you’ll ever be going fast enough in the P300e to make your passenger reach out for it in fear, but it’s there nonetheless.

Besides this, the cabin of the Jaguar is OK but some of the material quality is a bit iffy and there’s not a huge amount of space for people sitting in the back.

Jaguar claims enormous boot space of 577 litres but that’s up to the roof-lining; suffice it to say, while the E-Pace P300e’s boot isn’t vast in the grand scheme of things, it is a good shape and easy to load. And the PHEV bits of its make-up don’t seem to rob it of cargo capacity.

As fast and fun as the Jaguar E-Pace plug-in hybrid can be, it's rather expensive

The E-Pace P300e has an all-electric range of 34 miles and claimed economy of 141.2mpg, but you may know, plug-in hybrids rarely get near these numbers if you use them on motorways a lot.

Perhaps the Jag’s real part-electric feather in the cap is the fact it can charge on a direct current (DC) connection of 32kW, allowing it to get back to 80 per cent of its charge in just half an hour. Even on a 7kW AC connection, the 15kWh lithium-ion battery pack in the P300e will be at 80 per cent in a little under 90 minutes.

This petrol-electric P300e serves as the performance flagship of the updated range. Its 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged combustion engine contributes 200hp and 280Nm to the mix, while the 80kW (109hp) e-motor throws in another 260Nm as well.

With 309hp and 540Nm to call upon, Jaguar claims a 6.5-second 0-62mph time and that’s easily believable – the E-Pace feels a lot swifter than many of its rivals, the BMW X1 xDrive25e included. It also sounds great, thanks to the triple’s distinctive voice.

It’s not bad in the corners, either, with positive steering and good control of its body. However, it’s a hefty old beast, weighing nearly as much as the larger Jaguar F-Pace P400e PHEV. This means it’s steadfast on an exciting road, rather than scintillating.

Comfort levels are good, though. Tyre roar is perhaps a touch too excessive at times and as the P300e only comes in sporty R-Dynamic trim with at least 18-inch alloys, it can be upset by poor road surfaces and potholes. But in the main, it’s quiet on the move and soaks up most lumps and bumps with good grace.

So while the Jaguar E-Pace P300e doesn’t perhaps hit all the high notes, its performance is musical enough that you’ll recognise your favourite old hit in and amongst all the new noises made by the PHEV gear. It’s just a pity it’s so expensive, really.

If you want to dance to the tune of the E-Pace P300e PHEV, you can take a look at the latest deals on this plug-in Jaguar on our site, or configure your ideal E-Pace by tapping the button below.