Feeling royal in a Jaguar SUV
DONNA McINTYRE TAKES THE JAGUAR E-PACE ON A ROAD TRIP TO NORTHLAND
It might involve an awful lot of hand shaking and many, many photos but there’s a definite upside to being a royal when you get to drive a spiffy Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero on your wedding day.
A case of Jaguar envy on my part when I saw Harry and Meghan sliding into their electric car, based on the 1968 British classic.
But I did get my own taste of the Jaguar family on a road trip to Northland. Mine came in the E-Pace D180, a cub form of the F-Pace — and that’s not me being condescending, Jaguar acknowledges the E-Pace’s cub status in a couple of quirky aspects of its SUV’s design … the silhouette cast at night on the ground with Jaguar parent and cub, and another in the corner of the windscreen.
Jaguar has stepped outside its square with its SUV with pricing starting at $79,900 for the D180 R-Dynamic S AWD — attracting people who haven’t bought a Jag before.
Picking up our “cub” from Penrose, we were itching to get inside “the cockpit”, to try all the controls and learn about the features …Touch Pro system, ninespeed auto transmission, hill launch assist etc … and to breathe in that unmistakable smell of a new car.
What we didn’t realise that some 48 hours later, the feature we would be most grateful for was something far less obvious.
As someone usually in an office chair on the production side of the
team, rather than buckled into the driver’s seats of the latest and greatest in the automotive world, driving any new car is a rare treat. So, little things impress me, like the heads up display (more fun than cruise control) and adjusting the heat of the leather seats.
It’s handy that the navigation panel shows speed restrictions. The safe feeling of the All Wheel Drive system allowing optimum traction whatever the weather, and especially when cornering. The safety camera alert (which conveniently comes on near speed cameras). As a nana-style driver I find Eco mode fine, but
I do enjoy the surge of power in dynamic for passing slowcoaches.
We make our way north, going through the Waterview and Victoria Park tunnels then bypassing tunnel number three to deviate to O¯ rewa for lunch. At Silverdale we bought ceiling lights from Bunnings.
We are looking forward to putting the car through its paces, but are stymied by roadworks, 80km/h zones, logging trucks and slow drivers most of the journey. Never mind, there’s always the trip back.
At Wha¯ nga¯ rei, we buy some super soft pillows. Plenty of room in the boot for those, too.
Then we pass through the rugged countryside and alongside the stunning beaches of Northland, to stay with a friend north of Mango¯ nui.
The weather is drizzly, but the Jag’s wiper blades are the best I’ve used. That’s a good thing because it’s a wet weekend .
Saturday morning, we go to the market at Kaita¯ ia. And don’t scoff about that, Jafas, I enjoy the best coffee I’ve tasted in a long time, must be something to do with the Austrian barista. I pick up some Ma¯ ori balms from a young woman whose infectious smile spreads happiness. And then some honey, fresh fruit and veg, bacon, and some other freshly baked treats for breakfast. These all go in the boot along with our bags, pillows, coats and lights.
At our friend’s farm, we enjoy out breakfast treats: then it’s time to leave for Kerikeri and
Wha¯ nga¯ rei.
Except that a wayward screw punctures our departure plans.
And I do mean puncture. The back left tyre is extremely flat..
Arrrgh. Out of the boot come the bags, the coats, the handbag, the lights, the fruit and veg … And, of course, it’s raining.
I ring my contact at Jaguar to let him know we’ll go in search of a place to fix the puncture, as my husband and my friend discover Jaguar tyres are quite heavy. I learn that these two men are rather good at changing the tyre for the “reduced section steel spare wheel”. Not only is it a space saver but it saves the day.
We stop at a garage at the first opportunity but it’s Saturday afternoon and the attendant thinks the guy who fixes tyres is most likely at the footie. I think of the irony of him standing near those goalpost pads sponsored by the Land Rover part of the Jaguar Land Rover company.
Never mind, Kerikeri, where we’re picking up our backpacking niece, will probably have somewhere open? That’s a no, too.
Well, Wha¯ nga¯ rei if we get there before dark. But all the big-name tyre sellers’ doors are closed.
By this stage I’m thinking the spare tyre is looking rather robust and hoping we won’t unlucky enough to get a second puncture. I mean, surely, how unlucky can you get in one weekend, right?
An overnight stay in Wha¯ nga¯ rei to visit family. A visit to the amazing gardens at Coronation Scenic Reserve, lunch beside the marina and it’s time to head home — in daylight to be on the safe side. We check the tyres. They’re looking nicely inflated, even the odd one out with the yellow sticker.
The bizarre thing is that, though we cursed the roadworks, the speed limits and the slow drivers on our way north; on the way back to Auckland, we appreciate them as we keep to the cautionary 80km/h advised on the spare tyre.
I do hold my breath the length of the Brynderwyns: who wants to try to change a tyre there, let alone be stranded with no spare?
So, what do I think is the best thing about the Jaguar?
Yep, you got it — that robust “reduced section steel spare”.
Meanwhile it seems Jaguar envy isn’t restricted only to uber-cool models like the royals’ E-Type Concept Zero. It can happen with the Jaguar E-Pace, too, as I observed when a miffed colleague said it should have been him who had the Jag for the weekend. Just who does he think he is? Royalty?