Beach wheels: Jaguar unleashes Tesla chaser
The Jaguar I-PACE offers a quintessential British driving experience. Photo courtesy of Jaguar
If you’ve read my reviews before you know that I just give you the facts and generally let you draw your own conclusions. This time, however, I am going to break that rule and rave openly about the 2019 Jaguar I-PACE. The I-PACE is one of the finest vehicles I’ve ever had the chance to drive — electric or gasoline-powered.
The I-PACE, like the Tesla Model X (and S) (and now the new Porsche Taycan) represents our collective automotive future. Not only can we now do a favor for our environment by going all-electric but we can do it without sacrificing performance or driving fun. The I-PACE offers a quintessential British driving experience that you might come to expect from Jaguar. Step into the cabin and sit in the well-appointed and supportive leather seats and you’ll find yourself bathed in luxury. Push the stop/start button and, aside from the dashboard indicators, the cabin remains completely silent. There’s no motor noise or exhaust note — none.
But if you mash the throttle you will come to instantly appreciate the technology that Jaguar has baked into this vehicle while you’re being pushed forcibly back into your seat. Glance at the speedometer and you’ll be at 60 mph in a blazing 4.5 seconds. The only noise you’ll hear will be the wheels, the wind and the futuristic “Jetsons” sound that comes programmed into the car audio system and cued to the driver mashing the accelerator. And, yes, you can it shut off if you want.
A few years ago I had a chance to drive an early Tesla Model S P85-D. It was a remarkable experience.. I couldn’t wipe the silly grin off my face for a couple of days afterward.
I really like Tesla. I do. But the I-PACE equals if not tops even late-model Teslas and that’s saying something. While I tend to like the simplicity of Tesla’s cockpit and giant computer screen, everything in the I-PACE’s cabin is logically, efficiently and elegantly laid out
Every luxury you can think of surrounds you. Plus, not only is this machine a technological street wonder, it truly is a crossover sport utility and has the bones and guts to climb steep, muddy hills and ford 2-foot-deep streams.
With the flick of a switch, you can change the height of the I-PACE to 7.8 inches of ground clearance. The Model S can’t do that.
The I-PACE has a 90-kilowatt-hour battery that powers two robust direct-drive electric motors — one in front and the other in back. Together, the two motors generate a stunning 394 horsepower and 512 pound-feet of torque.
Jaguar also has an adjustable regenerative braking system. While it does take a while to get used to, you will find yourself actually using only the throttle pedal to drive the vehicle. The I-PACE also features so-called “creep” control, which ranges from hold the car in place to gently moving ahead for when in gridlocked freeway traffic — depending on how it’s programmed.
My I-PACE, an EV400 HSE, came with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $86,771. By comparison, the Tesla Model X is less expensive at about $75,000 (but can range up to $100,000 with add-ons.).
My tester came in a gorgeous Santorini metallic black. The interior cabin features “light oyster” leather seating with touches of burnished wood and carbon fiber paneling. Outside, I found the sheet metal styling to be sleek but still reflective of its mission as a crossover sport-utility vehicle. My I-PACE came sitting on great-looking 20-inch aluminum-alloy wheels.
The thing about the I-PACE is that it answers many of the questions of the EV doubters out there. Both the Jaguar and the Tesla offer maximum ranges of about 240 miles fully charged.
The Jaguar I-PACE offers a quintessential British driving experience. Photo courtesy of Jaguar
To be sure, one of the big differences between the Jag and the Tesla is that Tesla very adroitly built a nationwide chain of so-called “super-charging” stations. These supercharging facilities, generally located near upscale dining or shopping facilities, allow a driver to recharge his or her vehicle to 75 percent in about an hour. And while the I-PACE has lane-keeping technology and a host of other onboard driver-assistance technologies, it does not have anything like Tesla’s amazing autopilot capabilities.
Jaguar sells fast charging kits for installation at home which can charge up the I-PACE in a couple hours’ time. You can also do what I did while reviewing the vehicle — plug it into a regular old fashioned household outlet overnight and you’ll get a nearly full charge by morning.
But being able to start out each morning with an available range of about 240 miles goes a long way to eliminating the scourge of all modern EVs — i.e. “range anxiety.”
The only time that range will now become an issue is when you’re contemplating extended road trips — but even then with some simple trip planning, the I-PACE will get you where you want to go. Plus, the I-PACE is a great road trip car. The 825-watt Meridian sound system that comes standard will help set the mood of any “on-the-road” vacation.
There’s no doubt that battery technology is going to advance and range will continue to increase. My guess is that we will soon see EVs with standard ranges of 500 to 600 miles. At that point “range anxiety” will be a thing of the past.
Tesla is already road testing a new version of its first roadster (the one Elon Musk lobbed into space for fun) that will have a range of 600 miles.
For now, however, EVs like the I-PACE continue to fight the ubiquity (and psychological reassurance) of the corner gas station.
Jeff Mitchell is a freelance automotive industry journalist. Contact him at j.edward.mitchell@gmail.com. ER