THE CAR OF THE FUTURE
The low-down on Jaguar's all-electric I-Pace
‘Watershed moment’, ‘mould breaker’, ‘Tesla-buster’. These were some of the accolades heaped upon the new all-electric Jaguar I-Pace at a recent launch event in Scotland. The normally cynical motoring hacks who had the privilege of being among the first in the world to drive this car were almost breathless in praising it to each other.
For me, in nearly 30 years of writing about cars, experiencing the I-Pace for the first time must count as a top five moment. As happened in 2012 with Tesla’s Model S and again in 2014 with BMW’s hybrid i8 supercar, this Jaguar gives you the unmistakable sensation that you are at the wheel of the car of the future. The difference is that the I-Pace is by far the more complete piece of work.
First off, it has to be said that the I-Pace design is the most stunning creation for Jaguar that we have yet seen from the Scot, Ian Callum. After a relatively tentative start as the company’s Director of Design nearly 20 years ago, with a few previous Callum designs exhibiting a touch of uncertainty or irresolution in some dimensions, the I-Pace’s lines are a comprehensive unity of confident assertion and original inspiration.
Its nose may bear a house resemblance to the recently-arrived F-Pace and E-Pace SUVs but its flanks, haunches and rear are all in another realm. You wouldn’t call this car an SUV but neither would you say it was an estate, a sedan or a coupe, though it includes hints of all those categories. It even has some of the presence of a sports car, with a profile like a sprinter about to hurtle out of the blocks.
And boy, can this car hurtle! At one moment during my test drive, I floored the accelerator pedal at around 60 mph and my head was jolted back against the restraint. A few supercars are faster from 0-60 mph than the I-Pace’s 4.5 seconds but no road car delivers more oomph from 60-100 mph.
The positioning under the floor of the dual electric motors that generate 394 horsepower adds stability and bottom to the I-Pace’s handling, giving it an agility and predictability in corners that belies its size and weight. Range is officially given as 240 miles but, in the real world, is likely to be closer to 150. An 80% charge is said to take 40 minutes when using a 100 kW DC fast-charger or 10 hours with home-charging equipment.
All of these figures and characteristics are improvements on Tesla’s Model X but what distinguishes the I-Pace and sets it apart is the depth of its build quality.
Jaguar have obviously said: ‘Let’s use everything we know to make Tesla look amateur’. So, from the shut-lines to the stitching on the upholstery, they have achieved seamless robotic perfection.
The interior is a masterpiece. It combines a strong sense of modernity with an underlying respect for traditional values. The buyer can even opt for wooden trims which would certainly fit just as logically as the carbon fibre trims in my test car.
Jaguar’s greatest achievement with the I-Pace, however, is to bring it to market at tens of thousands of pounds less than the price of a Tesla Model X. The last Model X I drove was well over £100,000 with all extras. The I-Pace I drove at the recent event would just about top £70,000.
No contest, you might say.
“No road car delivers more oomph from 60-100mph