BMW 320d vs Jaguar E-Pace

What's the difference?

Over 44 years BMW has produced more than 15 million examples of the 3 Series. That's roughly one every minute and a half... for over four decades.

And the latest, seventh-generation version of what the famous German maker defines as the "heart and soul" of its brand has landed in Australia.

The new '3' is longer and wider. It's also claimed to be slicker aerodynamically, up to 55 kilos lighter, more fuel efficient, and faster.

And it'll need every advantage it can muster to take a chunk out of its arch rival, the all-conquering Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Jaguar raised more than a few eyebrows in 2016 when it entered the rapidly expanding world of premium SUVs with the mid-size F-Pace. And the product development boffins at Coventry HQ liked it so much they cooked up another one.

The compact E-Pace (and subsequent electric I-Pace) has re-positioned the brand from luxury sedans, wagons, and performance sports cars, to all that with SUVs now leading the brand and product charge.

The F-Pace is a beautifully composed five-seater. Does this smaller E-Pace package deliver even more good things?