Jaguar is promising its new E-Pace compact SUV will offer a more sporty driving experience than usual thanks to inspiration coming not from its bigger brother F-Pace, but from the F-Type two-seater sports car.

The E-Pace, which goes on sale in Australia in April next year, was shown for the first time in an overnight reveal in London. With prices expected to start from about $48,000, it will be the least expensive vehicle in Jaguar's range and will go head-to-head with rivals such as Audi's Q3 and BMW's X1.

Despite being Jaguar's most accessible model, according to design boss Ian Callum the E-Pace was designed for excitement from a visual sense at least, rather than outright utilitarianism.

"We wanted something sporty so instead of doing something that was in keeping with other SUVs we went right to the other end and we emulated our F-Type sports car," he said.

"And as soon as you get into it you feel you're not in just another practical SUV, you're in something very special, very drivable but above all, something that's very exciting."

Jaguar has the luxury of eschewing the boxy look seeing as it has sister company Land Rover to cover-off the more conventionally off-road end of the design spectrum.

In fact, underneath the body with its F-Type style headlamps, relatively low roofline and sloping tailgate is a platform based on the Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque with a transverse engine layout.

While entry-level models in some countries will come with front-wheel-drive and a manual gearbox, all Australian E-Pace models including the cheapest version will come with a nine-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive.

Both 2.0-litre diesel and turbocharged petrol engines come from Jaguar's latest Ingenium line-up and are available with a number of different outputs starting with a 110kW diesel.

There will also be 132kW and 177kW versions of the same diesel engine, while the petrol engine outputs either 183kW or 221kW in what is likely to be the range-topping version costing about $85,000.

Performance-wise, its claimed 0-100km/h acceleration figures range from 10.5 seconds for the entry-level diesel to a fairly speedy 6.4 seconds in the 221kW petrol version.

For the frugally minding, the 110kW diesel uses 5.6-litres per 100km but the higher-powered petrol model is an 8.0L/100km proposition. Word is there's a petrol or diesel hybrid E-Pace in the wings, but for full electrification the completely new I-Pace SUV coming next year is the one to wait for.

Unlike the larger and mainly aluminium F-Pace, the body of the E-Pace is largely made from steel with aluminium panels for the bonnet, roof and tailgate saving some 30kg in critical areas higher than the vehicle's center of mass.

At 4395mm long, the E-Pace is some 336mm shorter than the F-Pace (and only millimetres longer than a Q3) but it is no lightweight with automatic AWD versions ranging from 1843 to 1926kg.

It might be compact, but beneath that suspiciously impractical-looking tailgate is an 806mm long luggage bay with space for 577 litres of cargo, and a quick sit in the back seat indicated adequate leg and head room for a pair of 182cm adults. A family with one or two kids should get by nicely.

Cabin storage is also pretty handy with door pockets able to swallow a full-size plastic water bottle and the central "mega bin" between the front seats containing a tray with two cupholders and space for a mobile phone. Remove the tray, and there's enough room for two wine bottles.

Jaguar is not heavily pushing its baby SUV's off-road ability and while the 4WD system should be handy on loose surfaces, it's the so-called Active Driveline's ability to push all drive to the rear for more sporty handling, or 100 per cent to the front wheels for fuel-efficiency on a cruise that makes plenty of sense.

With the E-Pace, Jaguar has fitted its own suspension to the shared platform including a version of the F-Pace's sophisticated five-link independent rear end, and adjustable dampers offering variations in ride comfort and handling stiffness come with the optional Adaptive Dynamics package.

In fact, a wide range of optional extras will be available across the range that for the first time adopts Land Rover's S, SE and HSE nomenclature for model grades. There will also be an R Dynamic version of each, meaning sportier exterior additions such as the more aggressive front bumper with mesh-grille openings, and 21-inch alloy wheels are available.

So while basic instrumentation will be conventional dials, there's also a 12.3-inch TFT instrument panel available to complement the 10-inch central infotainment display that of course, connects to a smart phone's music and apps and the interior has no less than five available USB ports.

Among the options list is an outdoor activity key, which is basically a water and shock-proof transponder allowing vehicle access after energetic outings while leaving the main key locked in the vehicle.

Jaguar reckons that worldwide, about 80 per cent of E-Pace customers will be new to the brand which will only add to the extraordinary success of the F-Pace, which was largely responsible for the brand lifting sales by a staggering 83 per cent in the last 12 months.

It would take a very conservative punter to bet against the smaller, less expensive and at face value, equally desirable (for those looking for an SUV anyway) E-Pace to do a similar job.

2018 Jaguar E-Pace pricing and specifications

On sale: April 2018

Price: $48,000-85,000 (estimated) plus on-road costs.

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol or diesel.

Power: 110kW to 221kW

Torque: 365Nm to 500Nm

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic, all-wheel-drive

Fuel use: 6.6 to 8.0L/100km

• For more information, visit our Jaguar showroom.