The facelifted Jaguar E-Pace is much newer than it looks

The ‘new’ Jaguar E-Pace might look almost identical to the car it replaces, but underneath it really is properly new. Honest. Jaguar has, at no doubt great expense and with some difficulty, re-engineered its littlest crossover to sit on the same ‘Premium Transverse Architecture’ platform as the Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport.

Why? Because said platform can accommodate batteries and electric motors, while the old E-Pace’s underpinnings (shared with the last-gen Evoque) could not. So the new Jaaaag gets JLR’s latest four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, all (with the exception of the base-spec FWD diesel) of which get all-wheel drive, a nine-speed automatic gearbox and mild-hybrid tech.

There will also be a plug-in hybrid, which marries a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with a small electric motor powering the rear axle. Jag claims 0-60mph in 6.1 seconds – making it the fastest E-Pace – 44g/km of CO2, 141mpg and 34 miles of electric range. We’ve just tried this powertrain in the Evoque and Disco Sport, and are pleased to report it’s quite good.

What else is new? Not much on the outside – mainly a new grille, bumpers and LED head/taillights. Inside the newness is more obvious thanks to the 11.4-inch touchscreen running JLR’s latest ‘Pivi Pro’ infotainment system with over-the-air updates. There’s also a new climate control system that cleans up the air before it circulates it around the cabin and a rear-view mirror camera.

Prices start at £32,575, and you can order one right now on Jaguar’s website. Fancy it?