The new E-PACE baby luxury SUV is exactly what Jaguar needs

On Thursday, Jaguar unveiled the second SUV in the English brand's storied history. The all-new E-PACE is a follow up to Jaguar's wildly successful F-PACE crossover SUV that went on sale in 2016.

The car made its debut at a ceremony in London's ExCeL Centre where one of the cars showed off its capabilities by performing a barrel roll inside the show hall.

The Jaguar E-PACE is expected to allow Jaguar to better capitalize on the SUV craze that has swept across the automotive landscape. As a subcompact offering, the E-PACE allows Jaguar to reach buyers for whom the pricier F-PACE may be out of reach.

The all-new E-PACE arrives in US showrooms in early 2018 with a starting price of $38,600.

Here's a closer look at the Jaguar E-PACE.

The all-new Jaguar E-PACE is a follow-up to the company's award-winning...

...F-PACE crossover. The smaller E-PACE will be slotted below the F-PACE in Jag's brand hierarchy.

Hence the Jaguar cub in the car's puddle light.

In the marketplace, the E-PACE is set to take on major players such as BMW's X1,...

... Audi's Q3, and...

... Lexus's NX.

Styling wise, the E-PACE's wheels are pushed to the far corners while muscular haunches that taper towards the back adorn each side of the SUV — creating an aggressive and animistic stance that's undeniably Jaguar.

On the inside, the cabin is stylish yet functional while borrowing heavily from the big brother F-PACE.

The E-PACE comes standard with a 10-inch touchscreen screen running the latest version of Jaguar Land Rover's InControl Touch Pro infotainment system. However, customers can upgrade to a 12.3-inch screen, a head-up display, and 4G Wifi connectivity.

In the center console, the E-PACE features built-in smartphone and tablet holders.

Under the hood, the E-PACE will get two versions of JLR's new Ingenium 2.0 liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Base models will get 246 horsepower while performance spec models get 296 horses.

Both engines will be paired with a ZF 9-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive. According to Jag, the 246 horse E-PACE can hit 60mph in 6.6 seconds while the 296 hp performance spec makes the sprint in a brisk 5.9 seconds.

The new E-PACE baby luxury SUV is exactly what Jaguar needs

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