I got an invite from my local Jaguar dealer last week to test drive the i-Pace. After having to reschedule once because the prototype hadn’t arrived, I got my chance this morning. Here are my impressions. I’m posting here because I drive an uncorked 2017 S75.
Exterior: I don’t know, maybe I was expecting too much from Jaguar. I happen to think the F-Type is one of the most beautiful cars in the world. I was mostly underwhelmed by the exterior. It looks like someone put an extremely heavy weight on a Range Rover Evoque. It’s shorter, wider, and longer than an Evoque. The result is a vehicle that looks big on the outside but not necessarily in a good way. On my way home I was trying to figure out where I’ve seen those kinds of lines and it came to me: Dodge Caliber SRT. See here:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2568/1730/products/294850794_1024x1024.jpg?v=1512423005
Interior: The interior looks like any modern Land Rover or Jaguar. The screens were extremely bright and easy to read. I didn’t get much chance to configure anything but the sales rep showed me that there are plenty of widgets included to personalize the experience. The setup during my test drive included the speedometer on the left of the screen behind the steering wheel, navigation in the center, and energy on the right. I liked the energy widget - it looks a lot like the old speedo/energy widget found in older Teslas.
On the right you can place 3 more widgets but these are interactive and sit on a touch screen. Again, they are customizable but I didn’t get time to play with them. Mine were set on Navigation, XM Radio, and Phone Connection. The only one active was the radio. I asked about phone connectivity and it sounds like they will be using Carplay and/or Android Auto to screen mirror. Touches on the car’s screen will be interactive with a connected phone. I also asked about a web browser since I use Tesla Waze everyday. The i-Pace includes a browser but it is disabled while driving. The sales rep indicated that screen mirroring Waze will be available.
There is also an angled controls section with 2 very large dials to control climate. The dials are very Range Rover-esque. There is some space underneath this area that Jaguar touts as “hidden space” but I just don’t see how it is accessible or usable. The sales rep told me there were a couple USB ports in there but I couldn’t find them. The gear controls are also here. Those are push buttons and, if you are into those, they work fine. I prefer something that moves, but that’s just me. Land Rovers and Jaguars have used buttons and dials for a while now to handle these functions.
The steering wheel had many of the same controls that most modern cars have. There are voice controls, cruise control, and radio controls - none of which I tried. These also include a roller switch on the left that customizes based on what you are manipulating. You can see what the interior looks like here:
https://jaguar.ssl.cdn.sdlmedia.com/636534386210069437FT.jpg?v=29#desktop_1366x650
Seating: Here is where I think the Jag shines. The vehicle I drove had the leather sport seats and I found them to be extremely comfortable. I’m not a small guy and the bolsters of the seats in my Tesla irritate me and cause me to move around periodically. In addition, I’m very tall from the waist up so the headrest is also an irritant. The bottom of the headrest in my car pokes the top of my spine continuously making for a difficult time ultimately being comfortable. The i-Pace’s seat fit me much better. It was configurable in a bunch of ways just like the seat in my Tesla. I didn’t get a chance to sit in the back but Jaguar says that the front cab is pulled forward allowing for more back row legroom.
Other Interior Stuff: The roof of the car I drove was glass. The sales rep made a point of telling me it blocked UV-A and UV-B. OK, I guess. The steering wheel was mechanically operated using a lever under the wheel to raise or lower it as well as push or pull it telescopically. I have no problem with that but I could see where some folks would complain that it’s not electronic. I found no way to store settings as Tesla’s do in profiles, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
Honestly, when comparing the interior of the i-Pace to a Tesla, most new owners will probably find the i-Pace superior because it is more familiar. It’s just more like what they’ve been driving. Sure, there’s a learning curve. They’ll have to figure out where everything is but, once that’s done, driving won’t be much different than whatever they were driving previously. Having driven a Tesla for the past year, though, you couldn’t pay me to go back to that cluttered cockpit.
Noise: The vehicle I drove had 22-inch wheels with low profile tires. This may have contributed to the noise level I experienced inside the vehicle. When I pulled onto the highway I actually asked the sales rep if there were car noises being electronically pumped into the cabin. It was MUCH louder than my Tesla. In addition, there was much more vibration being generated by the i-Pace. One of the things I think makes the Model S so serene to drive is the lack of nearly any vibration. I always thought this was because there was no engine. Now I’m not so sure as the i-Pace doesn’t have an engine either. In any event, the i-Pace was much louder to drive than a Tesla.
Performance:There are 4 models available initially and, as far as I can tell, they are all identical in terms of performance. Jaguar touts 394 HP and 512 lb-ft of torque. They also provide a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds and a max speed of 124 mph. I have no reason to doubt those numbers but I’d have to see the 4.5 second 0-60 to believe it. My uncorked S75 is said to run 0-60 in 4.3 seconds. Subjectively, my vehicle felt MUCH faster than the i-Pace I drove today - certainly much faster than 0.2 seconds to 60mph. I let it eat on a short straightaway and, sure the i-Pace is fast relative to an ICE vehicle of the same size. But there is no comparison to a Tesla, even my bottom of the line model. The i-Pace is nowhere near as nimble.
I didn’t get much opportunity to test the handling capabilities. All i-Pace models are dual-motor AWD vehicles. The vehicle I drove felt firmly planted to the ground with the requisite low center of gravity. I did get to make a quick move around a turning vehicle and the i-Pace was confidence inspiring. For a vehicle of its size, I thought it handled reasonably well.
Regen Braking: I actually liked the i-Pace’s regen capabilities. Much like the Chevy Bolt, there are 2 settings - low and high. The high setting was much like what is available on a Tesla. The low setting was more aggressive and more resembled what’s available on the Bolt. I found the high setting comfortable but the low setting made it even easier to drive with one pedal than is available on a Tesla. Interestingly, my sales rep made a point of showing me the barf bags stored in the driver’s door. Apparently those are for the ICE drivers who get nauseous while using regen.
Charging: The i-Pace includes J1772 and Fast DC charging ports. They plan to use the ChargePoint network and are currently working on getting the available public charging stations to be visible in their nav system. In any event, at 7kW charging at home, Jaguar says it takes upwards of 13 hours to fully charge the i-Pace. This is doable overnight. They also say that a 50kW fast DC charger can get the i-Pace to 80% full in 90 minutes. I can’t really comment here other than to say that if compatible fast DC chargers aren’t available along the route you need to travel then the i-Pace isn’t a viable roadtrip option. Instead, it’s a glorified around town car.
Range: Every i-Pace has the same 90 kWh battery pack. Jaguar indicates a 240 mile range. That seems a little low for a battery of that size. The vehicle I drove today, though, was a prototype so it only had a range of 90 miles. The sales rep made a point of telling me he did training in California on the full size battery. I have no reason to disbelieve him. I can’t imagine Jaguar would sell the i-Pace with less range than a NIssan Leaf. Even with the 240 mile range, given the charging situation, I could see where range anxiety would be much more of an issue than in a Tesla.
Over The Air Updates (OTAs): Jaguar purportedly will offer software updates over the air. They plan to allow users to check for updates instead of making them simply wait to be notified. This feels much more intuitive than the process used by Tesla. It more closely mimics how most software is updated. Having said that, I have no evidence that it will work better nor how often updates will be available.
Autopilot: There are driver-assist technologies available in the i-Pace but none of them come close to offering what Tesla drivers think of as autopilot. You can add a driver assist package which includes TACC and emergency braking. Again, the vehicle I drove was a prototype so none of those features were available for testing. I found it interesting that a second sales rep came over and tried to get me to agree that autopilot was scary and that it was years away from working. I asked him if he’d ever tried it. When his response was “no,” I knew he was operating from a script.
If you’d like more info about the i-Pace, head over to https://www.jaguarusa.com/all-models/i-pace/index.html where you can configure an i-Pace using Jaguar’s configuration studio.
Overall Impressions: I had fun driving the i-Pace. I found it to be reasonably powered, comfortable, and it handled well for a vehicle of its size. My sales rep worked very much from a script that he was still memorizing. He explained regenerative braking to me in full detail, for example, when he knew that I drove a Tesla. I had no problem with that as there is always an opportunity to learn something. Having said that, the sales rep spent a lot of time comparing features of the i-Pace to that offered by Tesla, especially where his script told him the i-Pace was “better.”
I don’t think the i-Pace competes with the Model S. I guess, right now - or when it finally is available - it competes with Model X but, ultimately, I think it will compete with the Model Y. Today, I don’t think the i-Pace does anything better than the S or the X or even the 3. At its current price point, unless the i-Pace does something spectacular going forward, I don’t think it will compete with Model Y either. The i-Pace is certainly not a Tesla killer. In the end, I found no reason to think that my next vehicle wouldn’t be another Tesla.
Exterior: I don’t know, maybe I was expecting too much from Jaguar. I happen to think the F-Type is one of the most beautiful cars in the world. I was mostly underwhelmed by the exterior. It looks like someone put an extremely heavy weight on a Range Rover Evoque. It’s shorter, wider, and longer than an Evoque. The result is a vehicle that looks big on the outside but not necessarily in a good way. On my way home I was trying to figure out where I’ve seen those kinds of lines and it came to me: Dodge Caliber SRT. See here:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2568/1730/products/294850794_1024x1024.jpg?v=1512423005
Interior: The interior looks like any modern Land Rover or Jaguar. The screens were extremely bright and easy to read. I didn’t get much chance to configure anything but the sales rep showed me that there are plenty of widgets included to personalize the experience. The setup during my test drive included the speedometer on the left of the screen behind the steering wheel, navigation in the center, and energy on the right. I liked the energy widget - it looks a lot like the old speedo/energy widget found in older Teslas.
On the right you can place 3 more widgets but these are interactive and sit on a touch screen. Again, they are customizable but I didn’t get time to play with them. Mine were set on Navigation, XM Radio, and Phone Connection. The only one active was the radio. I asked about phone connectivity and it sounds like they will be using Carplay and/or Android Auto to screen mirror. Touches on the car’s screen will be interactive with a connected phone. I also asked about a web browser since I use Tesla Waze everyday. The i-Pace includes a browser but it is disabled while driving. The sales rep indicated that screen mirroring Waze will be available.
There is also an angled controls section with 2 very large dials to control climate. The dials are very Range Rover-esque. There is some space underneath this area that Jaguar touts as “hidden space” but I just don’t see how it is accessible or usable. The sales rep told me there were a couple USB ports in there but I couldn’t find them. The gear controls are also here. Those are push buttons and, if you are into those, they work fine. I prefer something that moves, but that’s just me. Land Rovers and Jaguars have used buttons and dials for a while now to handle these functions.
The steering wheel had many of the same controls that most modern cars have. There are voice controls, cruise control, and radio controls - none of which I tried. These also include a roller switch on the left that customizes based on what you are manipulating. You can see what the interior looks like here:
https://jaguar.ssl.cdn.sdlmedia.com/636534386210069437FT.jpg?v=29#desktop_1366x650
Seating: Here is where I think the Jag shines. The vehicle I drove had the leather sport seats and I found them to be extremely comfortable. I’m not a small guy and the bolsters of the seats in my Tesla irritate me and cause me to move around periodically. In addition, I’m very tall from the waist up so the headrest is also an irritant. The bottom of the headrest in my car pokes the top of my spine continuously making for a difficult time ultimately being comfortable. The i-Pace’s seat fit me much better. It was configurable in a bunch of ways just like the seat in my Tesla. I didn’t get a chance to sit in the back but Jaguar says that the front cab is pulled forward allowing for more back row legroom.
Other Interior Stuff: The roof of the car I drove was glass. The sales rep made a point of telling me it blocked UV-A and UV-B. OK, I guess. The steering wheel was mechanically operated using a lever under the wheel to raise or lower it as well as push or pull it telescopically. I have no problem with that but I could see where some folks would complain that it’s not electronic. I found no way to store settings as Tesla’s do in profiles, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
Honestly, when comparing the interior of the i-Pace to a Tesla, most new owners will probably find the i-Pace superior because it is more familiar. It’s just more like what they’ve been driving. Sure, there’s a learning curve. They’ll have to figure out where everything is but, once that’s done, driving won’t be much different than whatever they were driving previously. Having driven a Tesla for the past year, though, you couldn’t pay me to go back to that cluttered cockpit.
Noise: The vehicle I drove had 22-inch wheels with low profile tires. This may have contributed to the noise level I experienced inside the vehicle. When I pulled onto the highway I actually asked the sales rep if there were car noises being electronically pumped into the cabin. It was MUCH louder than my Tesla. In addition, there was much more vibration being generated by the i-Pace. One of the things I think makes the Model S so serene to drive is the lack of nearly any vibration. I always thought this was because there was no engine. Now I’m not so sure as the i-Pace doesn’t have an engine either. In any event, the i-Pace was much louder to drive than a Tesla.
Performance:There are 4 models available initially and, as far as I can tell, they are all identical in terms of performance. Jaguar touts 394 HP and 512 lb-ft of torque. They also provide a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds and a max speed of 124 mph. I have no reason to doubt those numbers but I’d have to see the 4.5 second 0-60 to believe it. My uncorked S75 is said to run 0-60 in 4.3 seconds. Subjectively, my vehicle felt MUCH faster than the i-Pace I drove today - certainly much faster than 0.2 seconds to 60mph. I let it eat on a short straightaway and, sure the i-Pace is fast relative to an ICE vehicle of the same size. But there is no comparison to a Tesla, even my bottom of the line model. The i-Pace is nowhere near as nimble.
I didn’t get much opportunity to test the handling capabilities. All i-Pace models are dual-motor AWD vehicles. The vehicle I drove felt firmly planted to the ground with the requisite low center of gravity. I did get to make a quick move around a turning vehicle and the i-Pace was confidence inspiring. For a vehicle of its size, I thought it handled reasonably well.
Regen Braking: I actually liked the i-Pace’s regen capabilities. Much like the Chevy Bolt, there are 2 settings - low and high. The high setting was much like what is available on a Tesla. The low setting was more aggressive and more resembled what’s available on the Bolt. I found the high setting comfortable but the low setting made it even easier to drive with one pedal than is available on a Tesla. Interestingly, my sales rep made a point of showing me the barf bags stored in the driver’s door. Apparently those are for the ICE drivers who get nauseous while using regen.
Charging: The i-Pace includes J1772 and Fast DC charging ports. They plan to use the ChargePoint network and are currently working on getting the available public charging stations to be visible in their nav system. In any event, at 7kW charging at home, Jaguar says it takes upwards of 13 hours to fully charge the i-Pace. This is doable overnight. They also say that a 50kW fast DC charger can get the i-Pace to 80% full in 90 minutes. I can’t really comment here other than to say that if compatible fast DC chargers aren’t available along the route you need to travel then the i-Pace isn’t a viable roadtrip option. Instead, it’s a glorified around town car.
Range: Every i-Pace has the same 90 kWh battery pack. Jaguar indicates a 240 mile range. That seems a little low for a battery of that size. The vehicle I drove today, though, was a prototype so it only had a range of 90 miles. The sales rep made a point of telling me he did training in California on the full size battery. I have no reason to disbelieve him. I can’t imagine Jaguar would sell the i-Pace with less range than a NIssan Leaf. Even with the 240 mile range, given the charging situation, I could see where range anxiety would be much more of an issue than in a Tesla.
Over The Air Updates (OTAs): Jaguar purportedly will offer software updates over the air. They plan to allow users to check for updates instead of making them simply wait to be notified. This feels much more intuitive than the process used by Tesla. It more closely mimics how most software is updated. Having said that, I have no evidence that it will work better nor how often updates will be available.
Autopilot: There are driver-assist technologies available in the i-Pace but none of them come close to offering what Tesla drivers think of as autopilot. You can add a driver assist package which includes TACC and emergency braking. Again, the vehicle I drove was a prototype so none of those features were available for testing. I found it interesting that a second sales rep came over and tried to get me to agree that autopilot was scary and that it was years away from working. I asked him if he’d ever tried it. When his response was “no,” I knew he was operating from a script.
If you’d like more info about the i-Pace, head over to https://www.jaguarusa.com/all-models/i-pace/index.html where you can configure an i-Pace using Jaguar’s configuration studio.
Overall Impressions: I had fun driving the i-Pace. I found it to be reasonably powered, comfortable, and it handled well for a vehicle of its size. My sales rep worked very much from a script that he was still memorizing. He explained regenerative braking to me in full detail, for example, when he knew that I drove a Tesla. I had no problem with that as there is always an opportunity to learn something. Having said that, the sales rep spent a lot of time comparing features of the i-Pace to that offered by Tesla, especially where his script told him the i-Pace was “better.”
I don’t think the i-Pace competes with the Model S. I guess, right now - or when it finally is available - it competes with Model X but, ultimately, I think it will compete with the Model Y. Today, I don’t think the i-Pace does anything better than the S or the X or even the 3. At its current price point, unless the i-Pace does something spectacular going forward, I don’t think it will compete with Model Y either. The i-Pace is certainly not a Tesla killer. In the end, I found no reason to think that my next vehicle wouldn’t be another Tesla.
