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Overview

With its muscular bodywork and unmistakable branding, the E-Pace is the crossover equivalent of the British automaker's F-type sports car, emanating performance vibes and promoting an upscale lifestyle.

What the 2020 E-Pace lacks in refinement and value, it makes up for with engaging driving characteristics and luxurious features.

Unfortunately, it fails to feel as sophisticated as more well-rounded rivals such as the BMW X1 and Volvo XC40.

Still, the E-Pace makes an impression whether it's cruising down the boulevard or carving up the back roads.

What's New for 2020?

For 2020, Jaguar updates the E-Pace lineup by adding newly standard features and a limited-edition model.

Every E-Pace now has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, which were previously optional with the Smartphone Pack.

The new Checkered Flag Limited Edition is only available with the less powerful four-cylinder engine, but it brings unique exterior addenda as well as distinct cabin appointments.

This setup also includes better standard equipment and all-wheel drive.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

P250: $40,945
P250 SE: $44,695
P250 Checkered Flag Edition: $47,395
P300 R-Dynamic S: $47,595
P300 R-Dynamic SE: $50,195
P300 R-Dynamic HSE: $54,455

The E-Pace offers up to 296 horsepower with the hotter turbocharged four-cylinder, but I think the standard engine's 246 ponies are more than adequate.

I'am also not convinced this Jaguar lives up to its loftier price points, so I'd harness the value offered on the lower SE model.

Among its upgraded standard features are 19-inch wheels, automatic high-beam headlights, a power tailgate, and a better infotainment system with built-in navigation, a mobile hotspot, and a Meridian audio system.

To spruce up the unremarkable interior quality, I'd choose one of the Windsor Leather Comfort Seats along with the highly adjustable heated and cooled front seats with heated rear seats.

Likewise, I'd select the head-up display and fully digital gauge cluster to further enhance the E-Pace interior.

The Drive Pro package rounds out our recommendations with high-speed automated emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and blind-spot monitoring.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

As with most crossovers in this class, the E-Pace has a turbocharged four-cylinder power-train.

The P250 and the P300 . Both use a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Thankfully, the engine avoids the coarseness that has plagued other Jaguar four-cylinders, and the exhaust elicits a snarling note at higher revs.

While every E-Pace has all-wheel drive and substantial towing capability, only the R-Dynamic models have added power and torque-vectoring technology for improved handling.

With soft dampers that absorbs road imperfections and isolated passengers.

While its 20-inch wheels thudded over choppy roads, the ride quality otherwise upheld the company's luxury mission. Initially, the E-Pace felt unsteady when driven enthusiastically.

Its light and precise steering is also partially responsible for that title. Its brake pedal had inconsistent feedback in normal conditions, but applying regular pressure increased responsiveness.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

The 2020 E-Pace interior surrounds the driver with a sloping dashboard design that puts all controls near the driver's hands.

Unfortunately, the attractive leather seats and surfaces are neutralized by a mix of hard plastics and irregular panel fitment.

Otherwise, the optional digital gauge cluster and its customizable settings is nice. Too bad the back seat compress adult frames.

It may have mediocre back-seat space, but it can carry a piece of luggage for each passenger plus one.

(For those poor at math, that means six.) With competitive carry-on capacity and plenty of storage spots, the E-Pace is a useful travel companion.

Infotainment and Connectivity

Every model has a 10-inch touchscreen located in the center stack that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

An enhanced version with navigation and a 4G LTE mobile hotspot is also available. While the 2020 E-Pace has abundant USB and 12-volt outlets, Jaguar's track record of glitchy infotainment software makes me wary.

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Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

The 2020 E-Pace hasn't been crash-tested but it has lots of standard driver-assistance technology, and the roster can be increased with various high-tech upgrades.

While the base model is excluded from these options, the rest are available with a 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go technology, and self-parking assist that controls the steering wheel to make both parallel and perpendicular parking easier.

Key safety features include:

Standard automated emergency braking
Standard front and rear parking sensors
Standard lane-keeping assist
2020 Jaguar E-Pace

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

Jaguar provides exemplary limited and power-train warranty coverage that is highlighted by lengthy complimentary scheduled maintenance.

Limited warranty covers 5 years or 60,000 miles
Power-train warranty covers 5 years or 60,000 miles
Complimentary scheduled maintenance is covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles.
2020 Jaguar E-Pace

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Sunday, September 13, 2020

2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Review

Overview

While others are busying themselves sweating details such as fuel economy, cargo space, and long-term reliability, you could be raising your pulse driving the 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio on your favorite curvy back road.

This Italian thoroughbred is one of the sharpest driving of its ilk and it borrows heavily from the also-entertaining 2020 Giulia sports sedan. A turbocharged four-cylinder provides decent power, while the cabin offers a driver-focused layout and a stylish design.

Speaking of styling, we think the Stelvio looks great and it certainly stands out among blander designs from Acura, Audi, and BMW.

The fact that Alfa Romeo's reputation for reliability is checkered is a reason to hesitate, but driving enthusiasts will find plenty to love, and the Stelvio's charms may outweigh those concerns.

What's New for 2020?

An all-new infotainment system is featured prominently on the 2020 Stelvio's dashboard and features an 8.8-inch touchscreen interface that's prettier, easier to navigate, and can be customized to the driver's preferences.

A handful of new driver-assistance features are now available as options, including a semi-autonomous driving mode, and Alfa Romeo has made autonomous emergency braking a standard feature this year.

The interior has been elevated slightly, with a redesigned center console, improved knobs and switches, and an available wireless smartphone-charging pad.

Sport, Ti, and Ti Lusso models now come with a body-color exterior design kit that replaces the black plastic lower cladding with painted pieces for a sportier look.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

Base: $42,640
Sport: $44,090
Ti: $47,040
Ti Lusso: $49,540
Ti Sport: $50,040
2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

The best level is the Ti model with the Performance package. It comes with more standard equipment than the Sport—including all-wheel drive, 19-inch wheels, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, aluminum door-sill protectors, and front and rear parking sensors.

The Performance package adds an adaptive suspension and a mechanical limited-slip rear differential that turn up the heat on the Stelvio's performance.

THE NEW ALFA ROMEO STELVIO QUADRIFOGLIO | Alfa Romeo | FCA

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

The Stelvio's turbocharged four-cylinder sends a hearty 280 horsepower through an eight-speed automatic transmission with your choice of rear- or all-wheel drive.

While this power-train was effortlessly and sounds great, the Stelvio's sole setup—aside from the high-performance Quadrifoglio—eliminates choices for the buyer and limits towing to a maximum of 3000 pounds.

During daily driving, Its raspy exhaust note sounded enthusiastic and appropriate for this application. In addition to its beautiful design, the Stelvio boasts athletic handling and a compliant ride.

Even with its 20-inch wheels, While its maximum cornering grip was similar to rivals, the Alfa is the alpha dog when it comes to driving engagement.

The chassis, which is shared with the Giulia sedan, had damping that was composed and comfortable.

Although the Stelvio's steering isn't as sharp as the Giulia's, its light effort and quick reflexes were still exceptional—especially for a crossover.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

Like the Giulia sedan, the Stelvio offers a stylish interior and a comfortable driving position. Sportier models can be had with carbon-fiber trim, but those seeking a more upscale appearance can choose wood inlays.

Leather upholstery covers the Stelvio's supportive seats and handsome aluminum accents adorn the dash, doors, and center console.

The Stelvio has some useful storage tricks up its Italian sleeve, but with a small cargo area behind the back seat, it's not the most capacious crossover among this set.

Although the Alfa's other cubbies only held average amounts, I appreciated the useful smartphone slot between its cup-holders and the tray near the driver's left knee.

The center console also has a nifty removable tray at the bottom.

Infotainment and Connectivity

The new infotainment system comes only in one size—8.8 inches—and although it now features a touchscreen, Alfa has retained the handy rotary controller on the center console as a redundant control.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration are standard; navigation is optional.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

The Stelvio has not been crash tested by either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The Italian-bred crossover is available with a host of high-tech safety and driver assists. Unfortunately, almost none of them are standard.

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Key safety features include:

Standard automated emergency braking
Available lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist
Available adaptive cruise control with semi-autonomous driving mode
2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

Despite the company's reputation for reliability woes, Alfa Romeo endows the Stelvio with average warranty coverage.

Limited warranty covers 4 years or 50,000 miles
Power-train warranty covers 4 years or 50,000 miles
Complimentary maintenance is covered for 1 year or 10,000 miles.
2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

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Saturday, September 12, 2020

2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia Review

Overview

Beneath the 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia's seductive sheet-metal lies a sharp-handling sports sedan with Italian heritage. The Giulia is one of my favorite entry-luxury sedans and its driving character.

A turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 280 horsepower provides snappy acceleration and sounds great doing it. An eight-speed automatic is standard, as is rear-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive can be had as option.

The cabin is upscale and well appointed, particularly in the upscale Ti Lusso and Ti Sport models; touchscreen infotainment, ambient interior lighting, automatic climate control, leather upholstery, and a steering-wheel-mounted ignition button are all standard.

Want an even more hot-blooded Italian sports sedan? Check out the Giulia's high-performance Quadrifoglio variant, which I will review separately.

What's New for 2020?

Alfa Romeo has revamped the infotainment system in the Giulia (and its sister, the Stelvio SUV) and has replaced last year's 6.5- and 8.8-inch non-touchscreen offerings with one, 8.8-inch touchscreen interface that's standard across the range.

All models also receive a new 7.0-inch display between the speedometer and tachometer in the gauge cluster. SiriusXM satellite radio is now standard and several connectivity features are available for 2020, including a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot.

Alfa is making automated emergency braking and forward-collision warning standard for 2020 and is adding a host of new driver-assistance features as options, including a semi-autonomous driving mode.

Interior refinements include a redesigned center console with more storage, a wireless smartphone-charging pad, and more premium knobs and dials. Three new colors are available: Anodized Blue, Lunare White Metallic, and Verde Visconti Metallic.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

Base: $40,640
Sport: $42,090
Ti: $42,640
Ti Lusso: $45,140
Ti Sport: $45,640

Since the Giulia's best trait is its crisp driving dynamics, I'd double down and go with the mid-range Ti model and spec the Performance package, which includes an active suspension and a mechanical limited-slip rear differential, both of which elevate the Giulia's handling performance.

The Ti comes standard with leather-upholstered seats with heat and 10-way power adjustments for the driver and front-seat passenger, a heated steering wheel, wood interior trim, aluminum doorsill protectors, 18-inch wheels, and front and rear parking sensors.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

The Giulia's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder makes 280 horsepower, sounds intoxicating, and feels gutsy when driven hard. The Giulia pulls away from stoplights with zeal while singing soaring Italian arias.

The rear-wheel-drive car's 5.7-second zero-to-60-mph time and an all-wheel-drive model's time of 5.5 seconds places the Giulia mid-pack in its segmen; the Audi A4 does it in 5.2 seconds and the four-cylinder BMW 330i manages 5.4 seconds despite the fact that both cars have less horsepower than the Alfa.

All Giulias come with a drive-mode selector with three unique settings: Dynamic, Natural, and Advanced Efficiency—cleverly making the acronym DNA—each of which alters the car's transmission, engine management, and steering feel.

Agile and lively at all times, the Giulia is a driving enthusiast's sports sedan. The front tires are very responsive to driver inputs and speak clearly to the driver through the leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Body roll is well controlled, and in hard corners the Giulia remains flat and predictable. It's easy to drive quickly and aggressively, but it's equally comfortable when driven sedately.

Fuel Economy

Among its turbocharged four-cylinder rivals, the Giulia has competitive fuel-efficiency numbers from the EPA, just shy of class leading. All-wheel-drive models see a slight deficit, but that's common in this class.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

The interior of the Giulia features soft-touch plastics, fine leather, and either textured metallic or genuine wood trimmings. It's an elegantly styled cabin, with a wide, sweeping dashboard that acts as a visor to shade the integrated infotainment screen from the sun.

The seats are comfortable and well bolstered, especially the optional sport seats. Pack your sunnies, though:

The Giulia's sun visors are laughably small and ineffective when driving head-on into the sun.

The Giulia manages to fit five carry-on cases inside its trunk; with its rear seats folded, it manages 14, lagging segment leaders by one carry-on.

Giulia and Giulia Ti models have a split-folding rear seat that folds flat easily to expand cargo-hauling capability.

Infotainment and Connectivity

All Giulias feature Alfa Romeo's new 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system tucked in between the dashtop and the central climate-control vents.

Three USB ports, an auxiliary input jack, and Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity are all standard. The infotainment interface is relatively intuitive and offers customization options, but I found the navigation to be occasionally slow to update at crucial times during turn-by-turn directions and several of the on-screen icons are small and difficult to activate while driving.

Although the new system has incorporated a touchscreen, Alfa Romeo has retained the auxiliary rotary knob controller on the center console.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration are standard and a 14-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system is optional.