Jaguar I-Pace: owner review
Jack Burnford gives his verdict on his I-Pace electric car, which he's owned for six months and covered 4000 miles in...
Car: Jaguar I-Pace EV400 SE 90kWh
Owner’s name: Jack Burnford
“I’ve had my Jaguar I-Pace for six months now, and even with lockdown we’ve covered about 4000 miles.
“The biggest revelation is that I don’t just love this car because it’s electric, I love it because it’s a great car: the driver’s seat is exceptionally comfortable, I have great visibility of the road, the materials are top-notch and the sound system is incredible. Sure, it’s an expensive car, so you have high expectations, but I would say it has surpassed mine.
“Above all, though – and to my surprise – it is fun to drive; the feedback through the steering wheel really lets you know what’s going on with the wheels, and it is really composed and sure-footed when you need it to be, but also so refined when you just want to potter along. It is possibly the best all-rounder I have ever driven.
“Downsides? There are only niggles, really. I wish it had a rear windscreen wiper, and even in good weather better visibility through the small back windscreen. The camera makes up for it a bit, but it’s a bit laggy and very wide angle, so it’s not great for manoeuvring. The infotainment system isn’t fast enough either. From turning the car on to being able to press start on a destination in the sat-nav takes far too long.
“The range has never caused me problems, although I was nervous of longer journeys at first. The truth is that the vast majority of my driving is over short distances, and having a home charger means I can always be fully charged when I need to go further. If I had one piece of advice for an owner it would be to plan ahead and be realistic; do that, and there’s no reason to ever be caught out.
“That said, I do pity people when they first come to research electric vehicle (EV) charging. Away from home, there are so many apps to choose from – and so many providers. The terminology all needs explaining too - from Type 2 to Chademo, whether you can charge at motorway stations or in other places and so on. Even now I meet owners who’ve had their cars for months but who are still struggling to work it all out. It shouldn’t have to be so hard.
“Also, I think EV buyers should remember that, although an EV can’t match the convenience of being able to stop for five minutes and fill up, I do start every day with it having essentially filled itself while I sleep. It’s also cheap to run – if not buy – and while that gap may narrow, right now it does a lot to offset the additional upfront purchasing costs. The flipside to that is that some of the public charging costs are huge – a potential owner doesn’t just need to work out if the charging infrastructure is there to support them, but also if it makes economic sense.
“I do have a second car, but it’s a beautiful 2010 Defender 90 – the polar opposite in every way to the I-Pace, but so much so that it compliments it perfectly. I do use it now and again when the distance I’m travelling goes beyond what’s simple with the I-Pace, and if I’m honest “I do find it hard to contemplate an EV-only life at the moment – my commute is irregular and can be a long way, so having that flexibility is crucial, but I can say with certainty that I can’t contemplate not having an EV in my life now.”
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