SPY PICS: Jaguar E-PACE

Jaguar shocked the world when it announced its first SUV crossover with the F-PACE in early 2015, even more so with the i-PACE electric SUV in late 2016.

And the Leaping Cat's crossover offensive looks set to continue with the arrival of the E-PACE -- a BMW X1 and Audi Q2 rival which appears almost ready to break cover.

motoring.com.au's latest spy shots confirm the Jaguar E-PACE to be a smaller, sportier offering when compared to the F-PACE SUV. Indeed, the new baby crossover appears likely to hit the sweet spot for buyers with an expected price in Australia under $60,000, ensuring it top-seller status for the British brand.

With short overhangs, a mildly-curved roofline and a compact form, the Jaguar E-PACE SUV seen in these photos will undoubtedly be the company's most agile SUV too.

But don't assume the production version will look exactly like this, sans camouflage. There's bulky cladding on the doors that poke up above the rear side windows, the front is completely covered and the car's flanks themselves feature large ribs to hide its real design.

And that design will be one of the most dynamic we've seen from Jaguar this far, according to our own international insider. Indeed, the design hiding underneath the camouflage is described as significantly more "aggressive" than the F-PACE and draws some parallels with the i-Pace concept EV.

Our overseas source says the sportier SUV has a better stance than the F-PACE and offers "more road presence" than its bigger brother.

"It's got short overhangs and has a wider, more-planted stance than the F-PACE," said the source.

Currently the sportiest SUV in this space is the Porsche Macan and our source said they expected Macan buyers to put this new Jag on their shopping list.

"That's what Jaguar is looking at. In my opinion, it would give the Macan a run for its money, in a stylistic sense."

While many prestige buyers would prefer the Porsche badge to Jaguar, the British brand is improving its image with more and more impressive machinery.

Every vehicle Jaguar develops is claimed to have "sports car DNA", and the E-PACE will likely be labelled the same.

It will definitely feature four-cylinder turbo-petrol and diesel engines, but it remains to be seen whether the compact SUV will see a supercharged V6 or turbo inline six-cylinder engine shoe-horned into its engine bay.

Our source mentioned that the finished design is sporty "but not overtly male". In other words, the car should find favour more female buyers.

"It has very slim front headlights, and a very distinctive belt-line," but the most visually appealing angle of the new E-PACE, according to our source, is the rear three-quarter design, which incorporates "powerful but stylish" lines and narrow brake lights.

The Jaguar E-PACE is expected to arrive in Australia later in 2018 as the company's entry-level SUV priced below $60,000.

The larger F-PACE is currently priced between $76,000 and $120,000 while the technology leading Jaguar crossover will be the electric i-PACE, which is tipped to arrive in Australia in late 2018 priced above $100,000.