I’ve driven several hundred miles in a loan iPace over the past two weeks so it’s given me a good opportunity to compare with the Model 3LR.
On the face of it the Jaguar is an impressive EV, externally attractive, especially in HSE ‘Black Edition’ trim and internally luxurious together with a higher driving position. My wife prefers this aspect of an SUV or crossover over a standard saloon and the reason we are likely to exchange the Model 3 in a few years time.
Although these are purely personal judgements, I’ve listed the main characteristics of the Jaguar versus the Tesla below, my own preferences shown with + as positive and - as negative.
Exterior fit/finish
+ All iPace panel gaps are excellent and consistent as is paint quality. Although my M3 also has consistent panel gaps, paint is thin along the lower wheel rim areas, showing faint evidence of grey undercoat bleeding through when viewed flat to the ground (but not from a normal standing or driving position). Very slight colour variation is also apparent on front/rear Model 3 panels. I cannot find fault with the Jag.
iPace excellent, M3LR is merely OK
Unlocking/locking
+ Door handles move fully out similarly to the premium Teslas
- The boxy, basic looking fob needs to be present to activate the doors (there is an external button on all door handles, useful for when the key is in a pocket).
- Walk-up open and lock work by pressing the driver door button but this doesn’t activate the alarm.
- The car does not lock on walk away & using the key fob requires a second press to activate the alarm.
- ….much less useful than the Tesla key card/phone key (or ring) although if I had been able to use the In-Control app maybe this would have been easier.
M3LR preferred, iPace very poor by comparison
Interior layout
+ High quality materials/fit & finish.
- Too many screens/switches/buttons/surfaces and angles. Far too much chrome and different style switches..
- Two separate central control screens are disjointed and confusing in use.
- Screens are much more laggy than Tesla.
- Glass roof doesn’t have the central spar but is more like a long sunroof.
- Overall a more enclosed & significantly less airy feel than the Tesla
- Taller boot with larger opening but not as deep.
- Small under-boot.
- Tiny frunk barely holds the supplied cabling & has a very annoying catch which fouls on the cabling unless coiled and placed very precisely. Basically useless for anything else.
M3LR preferred
Seats
+ More luxurious and comfortable leather seats.
+ As well as heating, front seats also have a cooling feature.
+ Four memory settings each on both driver and passenger seats
+ Child seat Isofix anchors more accessible and usable.
+ If the passenger seatbelt is temporarily unplugged during drive, the warning sound is more pleasant than Tesla.
- No Easy Entry feature.
- No heated rear seats.
iPace slightly preferred except for lack of Easy Entry
Driving displays
+ Excellent customisable dash and optional HUD displays, including navigation
+ Both are in line with driver vision.
- The main screen is extremely laggy, freezes from time to time when setting/using navigation and has far too many counter intuitive sub menus and terminology.
M3LR preferred mainly because of this last point
Charging
+ Charge can be stopped and cable released just by pressing the button on the port as long as the key is present. Nice feature.
- Port door is very flimsy plastic & doesn’t auto close after cable removal (forget to close so drives with flap wide open)
- Setting a charge in the car only allows to a full 100% via ’preconditioning’ so difficult to accurately guess when it will finish or how to achieve a lower SOC.
- There are messy workarounds apparently (but via the Zappi, timed charges worked every time, exactly as per the Tesla).
- No Superchargers just an unreliable UK charging infrastructure for journeys.
- 90kW batteries take much (…much…much….) longer to charge compared to the Tesla & for significantly lower range.
- Whenever parked overnight -2 or -3% SOC loss even in the very warm weather recently experienced, presumably even worse in winter.
M3LR preferred, iPace extremely poor by comparison
’Starting’
- Foot on brake plus ‘start’ button then press separate D, R, N or P buttons on the console is far less convenient than the Tesla stalk (on the Jaguar it’s a traditional method which now feels very retro)
M3LR preferred, iPace poor by comparison
Driving
+ Handling, grip & cornering are good.
+ Suspension has a softer, more luxurious feel.
- Driving mode defaults to Comfort each time regardless of choosing any other setting & offers no option to maintain memory (performance, ice/snow/rain or ECO modes).
- Acceleration is on a par with a non-boosted M3 LR but at the expense of much higher consumption.
iPace is OK …but the Model 3 is more fun & enjoyable.
Heating/climate
+ ‘Passenger detection’ feature can control which seat positions receive heating/cooling, especially useful for rear occupants on a very hot day.
- Separate screen & multi function rotary dials for all climate controls, seat heating, fan speed etc but actually more distracting to use when driving than the Tesla screen.
- The ‘low’ temperature climate setting defaults to 16ºC, anything lower automatically engages the A/C with fan to maximum (and a quite dramatic increase in energy usage).
M3LR preferred
Noise levels
+ At lower speeds almost identical to my Model 3 but at higher speeds the noise level is by no means silent - only slightly lower than the M3LR.
IPace only slightly quieter than Model 3 (although my car has additional door/boot/frunk seals, lined frunk mat & boot acoustic insulation )
Energy consumption
- 90kW battery & a heavy vehicle with a large flat grille achieves a displayed ~250 miles range at 100% SOC, significantly less depending on driving style.
The battery takes an age to reach 100% from even 70%, far slower than the M3LR on the same 7kW charger. When driving it consumes energy at an alarming rate (averaging +460kWh even with a/c off in warm weather, Eco mode & driving very gently). As soon as A/C is used, even gently, available range is displayed as dropping by more than 10% & at higher fan settings as much as 20%.
M3LR preferred, significantly more efficient, faster to charge & greater range.
Hold feature
- Recently added, similar to Tesla but only activates automatically on an uphill slope, otherwise the car continues to creep/roll if/until it eventually stops & holds or if the brake is pressed.
M3LR preferred
Reversing
+ Excellent 360º 3D & topdown camera views including perfect parallel parking within lines, far more impressive and easier than Tesla.
iPace excellent, M3LR very poor by comparison
Voice recognition
- Inferior to Tesla and rarely accurate (same as a previous JLR Evoque). Music voice selection is almost 100% incorrect.
M3LR preferred, iPace very poor
Wipers
+ Work perfectly in all conditions
iPace preferred
Lights
+ Matrix lights work perfectly in all conditions including auto high beam/adjustable cornering etc.
iPace preferred, M3LR poor by comparison
Windows
+ No internal edge misting or condensation when wet.
+ Smart camera based ‘Clearsight’ rear view mirror gives multiple options instead of viewing via the rear window ‘slot’.
+ Door mirrors show a more effective wheel/kerb view when reversing.
- Overall visibility lower than M3
- Very small rear windows & tailgate window ‘slot’.
- No rear wiper, same as Model 3 - annoying on both.
iPace preferred (M3LR OK though)
Sound system (Meridian) & entertainment
- Muddy sounding bass & only a 3 frequency equaliser.
- No option for Spotify, Netflix, Youtube etc
M3LR preferred
Apple Car Play (/Android Auto)
+ Very useful and works well
iPace OK but not something I really need
OTA updates
- Both cars have this but the Jaguar update took 3 attempts to initiate & required locking, alarming & exiting the car after setting.
M3LR preferred
Cruise control/lane keeping
+ Speed sign recognition has been very good including temporary signs. Much better than Tesla
- Lane keeping etc is OK (not confident to try on anything other than motorway).
- Missing the multiple Tesla options including offsets, audio warnings etc.
- The Jaguar does not ‘auto steer’.
M3LR preferred
In Control app
Not able to test as this wasn’t my car/account
JLR Dealership
- This is something I have a lot of experience with & I’m afraid my local JLR showroom/service centre were woeful with my last vehicle & I wouldn’t use them again. Tesla Stockport on the other hand were excellent & several of their people are now local to me at the Chester SC.
Tesla preferred
Overall...
This does feel like a good £80k EV and my wife/her sister prefer it to a Model 3 & therefore a Model Y. However it would be ‘my’ car so the criteria I judge it by differs, in some cases significantly from theirs (sister-in-law quote - ”the Jaguar won’t break my nails compared to the stupid Tesla press-out door handles” - probably not the most important factor in appraising a car!). Comparing to our Daughters Model X, the iPace falls very short of course and everyone agreed with that.
My main priorities from an EV include efficiency and the convenience of charging on longer journeys so on both these criteria nothing currently comes close to Tesla. The Jaguars’ range is OK for most of what I need but occasional long journeys North or even into parts of Wales would be difficult without the supercharger network. Tesla also remains ahead with battery development, BMS cell management etc.
Home charging speeds on either solar or fast 7kW can only be described as appalling compared to the Tesla (ie using solar PV, plugged in & parked for three days, 60kW consumed added only 22% SOC on a 90kW battery pack!!). Although current running costs of an EV are low with some free public charging, low energy plans etc, this is bound to increase in future. This experience has made me realise that for charging speed and charging/driving energy loss, Jaguar is very far behind & has opened my eyes to just how inefficient other EVs may be in real world conditions.
This vehicle has been a big disappointment because externally with de-chromed trim & black alloys the car looks fabulous. It’s just a shame about almost everything else that is of importance to me. Others may disagree of course.
So, much as the iPace is undoubtedly better built more attractive and luxurious, there are too many things that a Tesla offers for me to want to change brands as things stand (….and for needing a loaner in the first place, I suppose I should thank the person who carelessly left their handbrake off in a public car park!)
On the face of it the Jaguar is an impressive EV, externally attractive, especially in HSE ‘Black Edition’ trim and internally luxurious together with a higher driving position. My wife prefers this aspect of an SUV or crossover over a standard saloon and the reason we are likely to exchange the Model 3 in a few years time.
Although these are purely personal judgements, I’ve listed the main characteristics of the Jaguar versus the Tesla below, my own preferences shown with + as positive and - as negative.
Exterior fit/finish
+ All iPace panel gaps are excellent and consistent as is paint quality. Although my M3 also has consistent panel gaps, paint is thin along the lower wheel rim areas, showing faint evidence of grey undercoat bleeding through when viewed flat to the ground (but not from a normal standing or driving position). Very slight colour variation is also apparent on front/rear Model 3 panels. I cannot find fault with the Jag.
iPace excellent, M3LR is merely OK
Unlocking/locking
+ Door handles move fully out similarly to the premium Teslas
- The boxy, basic looking fob needs to be present to activate the doors (there is an external button on all door handles, useful for when the key is in a pocket).
- Walk-up open and lock work by pressing the driver door button but this doesn’t activate the alarm.
- The car does not lock on walk away & using the key fob requires a second press to activate the alarm.
- ….much less useful than the Tesla key card/phone key (or ring) although if I had been able to use the In-Control app maybe this would have been easier.
M3LR preferred, iPace very poor by comparison
Interior layout
+ High quality materials/fit & finish.
- Too many screens/switches/buttons/surfaces and angles. Far too much chrome and different style switches..
- Two separate central control screens are disjointed and confusing in use.
- Screens are much more laggy than Tesla.
- Glass roof doesn’t have the central spar but is more like a long sunroof.
- Overall a more enclosed & significantly less airy feel than the Tesla
- Taller boot with larger opening but not as deep.
- Small under-boot.
- Tiny frunk barely holds the supplied cabling & has a very annoying catch which fouls on the cabling unless coiled and placed very precisely. Basically useless for anything else.
M3LR preferred
Seats
+ More luxurious and comfortable leather seats.
+ As well as heating, front seats also have a cooling feature.
+ Four memory settings each on both driver and passenger seats
+ Child seat Isofix anchors more accessible and usable.
+ If the passenger seatbelt is temporarily unplugged during drive, the warning sound is more pleasant than Tesla.
- No Easy Entry feature.
- No heated rear seats.
iPace slightly preferred except for lack of Easy Entry
Driving displays
+ Excellent customisable dash and optional HUD displays, including navigation
+ Both are in line with driver vision.
- The main screen is extremely laggy, freezes from time to time when setting/using navigation and has far too many counter intuitive sub menus and terminology.
M3LR preferred mainly because of this last point
Charging
+ Charge can be stopped and cable released just by pressing the button on the port as long as the key is present. Nice feature.
- Port door is very flimsy plastic & doesn’t auto close after cable removal (forget to close so drives with flap wide open)
- Setting a charge in the car only allows to a full 100% via ’preconditioning’ so difficult to accurately guess when it will finish or how to achieve a lower SOC.
- There are messy workarounds apparently (but via the Zappi, timed charges worked every time, exactly as per the Tesla).
- No Superchargers just an unreliable UK charging infrastructure for journeys.
- 90kW batteries take much (…much…much….) longer to charge compared to the Tesla & for significantly lower range.
- Whenever parked overnight -2 or -3% SOC loss even in the very warm weather recently experienced, presumably even worse in winter.
M3LR preferred, iPace extremely poor by comparison
’Starting’
- Foot on brake plus ‘start’ button then press separate D, R, N or P buttons on the console is far less convenient than the Tesla stalk (on the Jaguar it’s a traditional method which now feels very retro)
M3LR preferred, iPace poor by comparison
Driving
+ Handling, grip & cornering are good.
+ Suspension has a softer, more luxurious feel.
- Driving mode defaults to Comfort each time regardless of choosing any other setting & offers no option to maintain memory (performance, ice/snow/rain or ECO modes).
- Acceleration is on a par with a non-boosted M3 LR but at the expense of much higher consumption.
iPace is OK …but the Model 3 is more fun & enjoyable.
Heating/climate
+ ‘Passenger detection’ feature can control which seat positions receive heating/cooling, especially useful for rear occupants on a very hot day.
- Separate screen & multi function rotary dials for all climate controls, seat heating, fan speed etc but actually more distracting to use when driving than the Tesla screen.
- The ‘low’ temperature climate setting defaults to 16ºC, anything lower automatically engages the A/C with fan to maximum (and a quite dramatic increase in energy usage).
M3LR preferred
Noise levels
+ At lower speeds almost identical to my Model 3 but at higher speeds the noise level is by no means silent - only slightly lower than the M3LR.
IPace only slightly quieter than Model 3 (although my car has additional door/boot/frunk seals, lined frunk mat & boot acoustic insulation )
Energy consumption
- 90kW battery & a heavy vehicle with a large flat grille achieves a displayed ~250 miles range at 100% SOC, significantly less depending on driving style.
The battery takes an age to reach 100% from even 70%, far slower than the M3LR on the same 7kW charger. When driving it consumes energy at an alarming rate (averaging +460kWh even with a/c off in warm weather, Eco mode & driving very gently). As soon as A/C is used, even gently, available range is displayed as dropping by more than 10% & at higher fan settings as much as 20%.
M3LR preferred, significantly more efficient, faster to charge & greater range.
Hold feature
- Recently added, similar to Tesla but only activates automatically on an uphill slope, otherwise the car continues to creep/roll if/until it eventually stops & holds or if the brake is pressed.
M3LR preferred
Reversing
+ Excellent 360º 3D & topdown camera views including perfect parallel parking within lines, far more impressive and easier than Tesla.
iPace excellent, M3LR very poor by comparison
Voice recognition
- Inferior to Tesla and rarely accurate (same as a previous JLR Evoque). Music voice selection is almost 100% incorrect.
M3LR preferred, iPace very poor
Wipers
+ Work perfectly in all conditions
iPace preferred
Lights
+ Matrix lights work perfectly in all conditions including auto high beam/adjustable cornering etc.
iPace preferred, M3LR poor by comparison
Windows
+ No internal edge misting or condensation when wet.
+ Smart camera based ‘Clearsight’ rear view mirror gives multiple options instead of viewing via the rear window ‘slot’.
+ Door mirrors show a more effective wheel/kerb view when reversing.
- Overall visibility lower than M3
- Very small rear windows & tailgate window ‘slot’.
- No rear wiper, same as Model 3 - annoying on both.
iPace preferred (M3LR OK though)
Sound system (Meridian) & entertainment
- Muddy sounding bass & only a 3 frequency equaliser.
- No option for Spotify, Netflix, Youtube etc
M3LR preferred
Apple Car Play (/Android Auto)
+ Very useful and works well
iPace OK but not something I really need
OTA updates
- Both cars have this but the Jaguar update took 3 attempts to initiate & required locking, alarming & exiting the car after setting.
M3LR preferred
Cruise control/lane keeping
+ Speed sign recognition has been very good including temporary signs. Much better than Tesla
- Lane keeping etc is OK (not confident to try on anything other than motorway).
- Missing the multiple Tesla options including offsets, audio warnings etc.
- The Jaguar does not ‘auto steer’.
M3LR preferred
In Control app
Not able to test as this wasn’t my car/account
JLR Dealership
- This is something I have a lot of experience with & I’m afraid my local JLR showroom/service centre were woeful with my last vehicle & I wouldn’t use them again. Tesla Stockport on the other hand were excellent & several of their people are now local to me at the Chester SC.
Tesla preferred
Overall...
This does feel like a good £80k EV and my wife/her sister prefer it to a Model 3 & therefore a Model Y. However it would be ‘my’ car so the criteria I judge it by differs, in some cases significantly from theirs (sister-in-law quote - ”the Jaguar won’t break my nails compared to the stupid Tesla press-out door handles” - probably not the most important factor in appraising a car!). Comparing to our Daughters Model X, the iPace falls very short of course and everyone agreed with that.
My main priorities from an EV include efficiency and the convenience of charging on longer journeys so on both these criteria nothing currently comes close to Tesla. The Jaguars’ range is OK for most of what I need but occasional long journeys North or even into parts of Wales would be difficult without the supercharger network. Tesla also remains ahead with battery development, BMS cell management etc.
Home charging speeds on either solar or fast 7kW can only be described as appalling compared to the Tesla (ie using solar PV, plugged in & parked for three days, 60kW consumed added only 22% SOC on a 90kW battery pack!!). Although current running costs of an EV are low with some free public charging, low energy plans etc, this is bound to increase in future. This experience has made me realise that for charging speed and charging/driving energy loss, Jaguar is very far behind & has opened my eyes to just how inefficient other EVs may be in real world conditions.
This vehicle has been a big disappointment because externally with de-chromed trim & black alloys the car looks fabulous. It’s just a shame about almost everything else that is of importance to me. Others may disagree of course.
So, much as the iPace is undoubtedly better built more attractive and luxurious, there are too many things that a Tesla offers for me to want to change brands as things stand (….and for needing a loaner in the first place, I suppose I should thank the person who carelessly left their handbrake off in a public car park!)
