Jaguar I-Pace long-term test
When Jaguar launched the fully electric I-Pace, it had few rivals, but that’s certainly not the case any more. So, is it still worth considering? We've been living with one to find out...
The car Jaguar I-Pace EV400 R-Dynamic HSE Black Run by Steve Huntingford, editor
Why it’s here To see if Jaguar’s electric SUV still feels like the future, or if it’s had its day
Needs to Combine its sleek looks with dynamics, luxury and range worthy of a prestige electric car
Mileage 4218 List price £77,495 Target Price £74,033 Price as tested £84,035 Test range 197-230 miles Official range 261 miles Private price now £43,507 Dealer price now £48,946
26 June – Styling it out
Familiarity is supposed to breed contempt, or at the very least indifference. But as I say goodbye to my Jaguar I-Pace, I still think that this electric SUV is one of the most striking looking cars on the road.
Remember, it’s a model that’s been around since 2018. And yet (to my eyes, at least) it continues to give off the air of a futuristic concept that’s just driven off a motor show stand. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is designer Ian Callum’s best work – and this is a man who was also behind the Aston Martin DB7 and the Jaguar C-X75 supercar that sadly never made production.
Of course, good looks wouldn’t be enough for me to recommend the I-Pace if it felt dated elsewhere. However, in most respects it doesn’t.
For starters, it remains great fun to drive, thanks to its eagerness to turn in to corners and precise, sweetly weighted steering. Meanwhile, the ride manages to be supple yet well controlled, and that’s on my car’s massive, 22in wheels.
It’s worth noting that I specified the £3300 Dynamic Pack, which includes an Adaptive Surface Response system that is supposed to detect what sort of conditions are under those wheels and automatically setup the suspension to suit. That said, we’ve driven plenty of I-Paces without this over the years, and they also struck a lovely balance between comfort and agility – albeit riding on chunkier rubber.
The interior of the car is another area that doesn’t feel remotely dated, with the quality of the materials and the way they’re assembled still worthy of something priced at such a heady level. It helps, too, that Jaguar has made important upgrades over the years.
Most significantly, the current touchscreen infotainment system is a lot more responsive than the one in early I-Paces, and requires less clicks to get to the things you want. For example, where previously you had to press a minimum of three icons to pick a radio station from a list of options, now it’s just the one, as it should be.
In fact, the car scores highly full stop for ease of use; as I mentioned in one of my earlier reports, the climate controls are particularly well thought out, with a single dial letting you adjust the temperature, fan speed or heated seats quickly and with the minimum of distraction.
As for practicality, I found the I-Pace to be more than spacious enough for my needs. And while my family isn’t the biggest (whether you’re talking about the number of members or how tall they are) I suspect you’ll find the same unless you regularly transport more than two people in the back of your car or your kids are built like basketball players.
Instead, the one area where I think the I-Pace is showing its age is in its battery technology. A maximum charging speed of 100kW means a 10-80% top-up takes at least 44 minutes, whereas the significantly cheaper Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 can do the same charge in as little as 17 minutes, thanks to a maximum rate of 238kW.
In addition, even in optimum weather conditions, I found that I was able to cover only around 230 miles between stops when starting with a full battery, and that fell to just under 200 miles when it was cold outside. By contrast, my colleague Allan Muir got between 248 and 286 miles out of his EV6.
On the other hand, while some electric cars seem to lose a couple of miles of range for every motorway mile you cover, the I-Pace’s range readout proved very accurate on all types of road (and in all weather conditions), so I never found myself worrying that I’d have to make an unscheduled stop.
It may not be perfect, then, but the I-Pace is far more than just a pretty face. Instead of coming away feeling that it's had its day, living with mine has left me more impressed than ever.
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