YOU may have heard that Jaguar is stopping production of its popular E-PACE small SUV at the end of 2024 before it begins its electric era from 2025.

A blow to fans, but the good news is the nameplate will still be around until the end of this year and in some markets well into 2025.

So, what is it that made the E-PACE so popular? As you'd expect, there's a range of petrol and diesel engines to choose from, and a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). Most versions, including the model here, come with four-wheel drive and a smooth eight-speed automatic transmission.

The PHEV is the quickest but almost certainly the best is the only diesel offering. With 201bhp and 430Nm of torque, there's plenty of go and it pulls strongly from a standstill, sprinting from 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds, before going on to 131mph.

It's comfortable - even with the big 21-inch alloys fitted to the mid-spec R-Dynamic SE Black model - and the diesel hushed when cruising. There's a little road and wind noise but it's never too intrusive.

The handling of Jaguar's saloons could always be relied on and, so it is with this baby SUV. It's taller and heavier than most family SUV rivals but it stays pretty upright through the twistys, there's plenty of grip and it feels agile but composed.

The steering is pleasantly weighted - it's a doddle around town - and precise too so you can guide it through corners with confidence.

Every E-PACE comes with plenty of standard equipment. The R-Dynamic SE Black comes with adaptive cruise control, a heated windscreen, heated front seats, wireless phone -charging, a panoramic roof, keyless entry, and an upgraded Meridian sound system, which has noise-cancelling technology. Black models get premium LED headlights with animated directional indicators.

The dashboard layout is fairly conventional and there are physical controls for the air con and heated seats - a good thing as proper buttons and dials are less distracting to use when you're driving.

All versions come with a 12.3-inch digital instrument display which can place lots of useful information right in front of you, including MPG and sat nav directions.

It also boasts a much improved 11.4-inch infotainment screen set-up running the firm's latest Pivo Pro system. It has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, and the screen has a straightforward menu layout, great graphics and a customisable home screen.

The view out of the back isn't the best because the window line rises towards the rear of the car and the rear screen is relatively small. Fortunately, all versions come with front and rear parking sensors, and a rear-view camera, to help with parking.

The E-PACE is not simply a scaled down version of the F-PACE - the design language is completely different.

For a start, the smaller SUV takes its inspiration from the F-Type sports car. The E-PACE's bending roofline and kinked window line are much more aggressive than on the F-PACE, and its overhangs are noticeably short, particularly at the rear.

In Santorini black with glossy black wheels etc, it is extremely stylish.

The interior is comfortable, the metals and leather used feel good to touch, but there may be a little too much soft plastic for some at its price. The entirety of the dashboard surrounding the steering wheel and instruments is covered with plastic, as is the area around the gear selector's chrome housing.

Every E-PACE gets 12-way electrically adjustable seats with four-way lumbar support so it's easy to get comfortable in the roomy front. In the rear there's enough leg room to keep tall adults happy and there's plenty of head room.

The wide interior means four adults should be able to travel in comfort though carrying five is hampered by the raised transmission tunnel cutting into rear legroom for the middle seat.

There's plenty of cubbyholes and storage spaces in the cabin, including a huge one in the central armrest.

Jaguar claims a 577-litre boot. Fold everything flat and you'll get a 1,234-litre loading bay. The rear seats are bolted in place but the rear seatbacks fold down in a versatile 40/20/40 split, which allows you to load long items and still have two passengers in the rear.

Family users will be pleased to know the E-PACE earned the maximum five-star rating when it was tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP. All are fitted with a plethora of airbags, an automatic emergency braking system, lane-keeping assistance, traffic-sign recognition and driver monitoring systems.

The R-Dynamic SE Black also gets blind spot assist, a rear collision monitor and rear traffic monitor.