Baby Driver star relishes real-life car challenge
As part of promotional work around the launch of the i-Pace pure-electric SUV this year, Jaguar put Baby Driver actor Ansel Elgort behind the wheel to tackle one of its Smart Cone courses.
Elgort starred as the world’s best getaway driver in the 2017 Edgar Wright-written/directed movie.
Part of the role involved driver training with stuntmen so he looked comfortable behind the wheel, and Elgort even performed a couple of tyre-smoking skids himself.
But what’s a Smart Cone? It’s a driving exercise created by Jaguar that aims to entertain customers on drive-experience days, as well as highlighting the agility of its vehicles.One of the big advantages is that it allows high-energy driving in relatively small spaces – often in urban locations.
The company likens the Smart Cone course to the sports agility training game of Batak.
It uses wireless technology to randomly illuminate pairs of cones to set out a different route each time. There are millions of different potential options taking place in real time, testing driving skill, precision and reactions. Smart cones feature in Jaguar drive programmes all around the world.
They were first used in New Zealand back in 2016 as part of the brand’s Art of Performance tour.
Elgort confessed that this was the first time he had driven an electric car, which is not very Hollywood at all. Perhaps it’s because he’s lives in New York: ‘‘This is a first for me personally.
‘‘I like to hear a bit of [tyre] squeal. To me, a bit of squeal means you’re driving well. Ever since Baby Driver, I’ve become a bit of a car guy.
‘‘The course is fun because every time it changes. It’s never the same.’’
Elgort scored 51,800 around the Smart Cone course and was the first person for that day to complete it in under a minute.
None that of that will mean anything at all to anybody who wasn’t actually doing the drive on the day, except that Jaguar claims Elgort was faster than the on-site tutor, racing driver Davy Jones. ‘‘So apparently I’m faster than Davy, which I think is a sham,’’ said Elgort. ‘‘But thank you.’’
The i-Pace is Jaguar’s first bespoke electric vehicle. It’s on a new platform and offers up to 480km on a single charge. Each axle has its own electric motor, allowing torque to be applied and adjusted instantly front-to-rear.
Jaguar says it has placed the battery as low as possible, providing 50:50 weight distribution and a centre of gravity 130mm lower than the F-Pace SUV.
The i-Pace has double wishbone front and integral link rear suspension, with aluminium suspension links and knuckles to reduce weight.
The i-Pace will be the third Jaguar SUV to be launched in NZ after the F-Pace and E-Pace, although we are not likely to see the new EV until 2019. Other celebrities to take on the smart cone course included fellow actor Nicholas Hoult (XF AWD) and Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean (XF), although Elgort is the first to try it in the i-Pace.