To start, I'd like to let everyone know that I have 2 beautiful cars. A carnelian red V6 powered 2013 Jaguar XF and an all black Tesla MX 100D. What I describe below is going to be an opinionated rant/write-up after I spent three hours hanging around, sitting in and driving the Jaguar I-Pace for the first time on the road and around a track.
Please keep in mind that I felt the urge to write this as I bring a unique perspective to the table. I know what defines a true Jaguar and I have been owning the EV benchmark for a while, or 18000 miles.
TL, DR
Tesla MX has ruined me for other cars.
Jaguar's first attempt doesn't have any true Jaguar DNA, except for its looks.
For a long time I have been a proponent of cars having souls. I've chosen all the cars I've driven to date not by comparing specifications, numbers or reviews but by judging a car on how it "connected" with me in a deeper way. For those familiar with the Harry Potter universe, I believe a car chooses you and not the other way around.
The I-Pace in that sense was a total and complete letdown. Bear in mind, I was going into this test drive with my mind 80% made up to purchase one. It was after all, a Jaguar. And I'm an extreme fanboy of the brand (I already own the repair manuals, the guidebooks and the tools I need for my yet to be purchased 1962 E-Type, I've also replaced the engine on my current car after a friend had a disastrous coolant leak that lead to a blown head). What I'm trying to say is, I wasn't just curious. Let us go through the roller coaster that was the four hours I spent today.
Exterior Looks: There is no contest here. The iPace wins the best looking EV award by a mile. The swoops, the edges and the surface detailing are absolutely exquisite. I chuckled at the thought of this beauty and the whale that is my MX parked next to each other in the garage.
Size: I don't understand why and how people compare the iPace with the MX. Surely they see that the Jaguar is more Subaru Crosstrek than an SUV? It has more in common with the baby Jaguar E-Pace than the F-Pace, which towers over it.
Interior looks and quality: Again, looks gorgeous. The material, quality and finish were leagues ahead of a Tesla.
Interior functionality/intuitiveness: Nope. Nope. Nope. The center screen and the secondary screen below it are small and look needlessly cluttered. It looks like a Mercedes from the early 2000s, death by buttons but this time, on a screen. The second, more striking aspect was the "tactile" feedback of the screen itself.
In a Tesla, I "feel" the buttons I'm pressing, partly because of the immediate feedback and the fact that your fingers are extremely close to the actual screen. In the Jag, there is a huge disconnect here. First, it takes an extra half-a-second to respond and there seems to be a millimeter or two between the surface and the actual screen itself. It ruins the experience. I thought I was being too unfair as I was comparing it against the Tesla but no, the ancient touchscreen on my 2013 XF had better feel to it.
The screen just behind the steering wheel had graphics and a layout that was frankly undercooked and under-designed. Perhaps an OTA will fix that. Manufacturers should understand that going all digital is great if its well thought out. Else, who won't like analog dials come back?
Interior space: I am 6'1, 300 pounds and have sat behind the wheel of my XF for 10 hour road trips without needing that much of a stretch. A little tangential fact: The XF is based on the XK 2-door GT, which is based on the platform developed with Ford for the Lincoln LS. In short, the XF was never meant to be spacious. The I-Pace though, rewrites what it means to be cramped. The seating was snug, general elbow and shoulder space was at a premium and I was uncomfortably close to my girlfriend of 3 years. I love her and all but a man needs his space!
The window line was also a little high for my liking. We "step" into our Model X but "sink" into the I-Pace.
The drive: Those who drive Audis and Mercedes of today will know a general feeling of numbness and isolation while on the road. Are you comfortable? Yeah. Does the car feel urgent? Sure it does! Do you feel, in any way, involved with the machine? Nope. Its more of the same in the I-Pace, power delivery is very peaky and lacks the linearity of a Tesla so drivability takes a hit. It was pretty much all downhill from there. The ride was choppy and there was more wind noise than in the Tesla in my opinion. My XF is so far far forward in the refinement stakes that its laughable.
Yes, I didn't have much time with it but I did purchase both my existing cars during similar test drives. On the other hand, handling was excellent. Jaguar have truly mastered the art of tuning an EPS system to seem like the whole thing is connected. Even BMW lag behind Jaguar in that sense. But is it better than my XF? Nope. The XF's hydraulic steering will run rings around this car while taking selfies of itself.
Where am I going with this, I truly don't know but it seems to me that Jaguar set out to be first movers in the EV scramble that was kickstarted by Tesla and in that madness, kinda lost sight of the fact that they were not only making an EV, but they were making a Jaguar. What we're left with is a car that feels hastily put together.
It is not a true Jaguar and it is not going to put any kind of dent in Tesla's armor. This is a cautionary tale for anyone who blindly hates on Tesla for being Tesla and are instead waiting for "actual" automakers to offer their wares. It might just feel a little half-assed.
Please keep in mind that I felt the urge to write this as I bring a unique perspective to the table. I know what defines a true Jaguar and I have been owning the EV benchmark for a while, or 18000 miles.
TL, DR
Tesla MX has ruined me for other cars.
Jaguar's first attempt doesn't have any true Jaguar DNA, except for its looks.
For a long time I have been a proponent of cars having souls. I've chosen all the cars I've driven to date not by comparing specifications, numbers or reviews but by judging a car on how it "connected" with me in a deeper way. For those familiar with the Harry Potter universe, I believe a car chooses you and not the other way around.
The I-Pace in that sense was a total and complete letdown. Bear in mind, I was going into this test drive with my mind 80% made up to purchase one. It was after all, a Jaguar. And I'm an extreme fanboy of the brand (I already own the repair manuals, the guidebooks and the tools I need for my yet to be purchased 1962 E-Type, I've also replaced the engine on my current car after a friend had a disastrous coolant leak that lead to a blown head). What I'm trying to say is, I wasn't just curious. Let us go through the roller coaster that was the four hours I spent today.
Exterior Looks: There is no contest here. The iPace wins the best looking EV award by a mile. The swoops, the edges and the surface detailing are absolutely exquisite. I chuckled at the thought of this beauty and the whale that is my MX parked next to each other in the garage.
Size: I don't understand why and how people compare the iPace with the MX. Surely they see that the Jaguar is more Subaru Crosstrek than an SUV? It has more in common with the baby Jaguar E-Pace than the F-Pace, which towers over it.
Interior looks and quality: Again, looks gorgeous. The material, quality and finish were leagues ahead of a Tesla.
Interior functionality/intuitiveness: Nope. Nope. Nope. The center screen and the secondary screen below it are small and look needlessly cluttered. It looks like a Mercedes from the early 2000s, death by buttons but this time, on a screen. The second, more striking aspect was the "tactile" feedback of the screen itself.
In a Tesla, I "feel" the buttons I'm pressing, partly because of the immediate feedback and the fact that your fingers are extremely close to the actual screen. In the Jag, there is a huge disconnect here. First, it takes an extra half-a-second to respond and there seems to be a millimeter or two between the surface and the actual screen itself. It ruins the experience. I thought I was being too unfair as I was comparing it against the Tesla but no, the ancient touchscreen on my 2013 XF had better feel to it.
The screen just behind the steering wheel had graphics and a layout that was frankly undercooked and under-designed. Perhaps an OTA will fix that. Manufacturers should understand that going all digital is great if its well thought out. Else, who won't like analog dials come back?
Interior space: I am 6'1, 300 pounds and have sat behind the wheel of my XF for 10 hour road trips without needing that much of a stretch. A little tangential fact: The XF is based on the XK 2-door GT, which is based on the platform developed with Ford for the Lincoln LS. In short, the XF was never meant to be spacious. The I-Pace though, rewrites what it means to be cramped. The seating was snug, general elbow and shoulder space was at a premium and I was uncomfortably close to my girlfriend of 3 years. I love her and all but a man needs his space!
The window line was also a little high for my liking. We "step" into our Model X but "sink" into the I-Pace.
The drive: Those who drive Audis and Mercedes of today will know a general feeling of numbness and isolation while on the road. Are you comfortable? Yeah. Does the car feel urgent? Sure it does! Do you feel, in any way, involved with the machine? Nope. Its more of the same in the I-Pace, power delivery is very peaky and lacks the linearity of a Tesla so drivability takes a hit. It was pretty much all downhill from there. The ride was choppy and there was more wind noise than in the Tesla in my opinion. My XF is so far far forward in the refinement stakes that its laughable.
Yes, I didn't have much time with it but I did purchase both my existing cars during similar test drives. On the other hand, handling was excellent. Jaguar have truly mastered the art of tuning an EPS system to seem like the whole thing is connected. Even BMW lag behind Jaguar in that sense. But is it better than my XF? Nope. The XF's hydraulic steering will run rings around this car while taking selfies of itself.
Where am I going with this, I truly don't know but it seems to me that Jaguar set out to be first movers in the EV scramble that was kickstarted by Tesla and in that madness, kinda lost sight of the fact that they were not only making an EV, but they were making a Jaguar. What we're left with is a car that feels hastily put together.
It is not a true Jaguar and it is not going to put any kind of dent in Tesla's armor. This is a cautionary tale for anyone who blindly hates on Tesla for being Tesla and are instead waiting for "actual" automakers to offer their wares. It might just feel a little half-assed.
