Jaguar I-PACE is it the best electric vehicle in the world?

Jaguar becomes the first of the premium brand manufacturers to make a long range, practical, battery-powered electric vehicle. If you can afford the £60,000 asking price, you might well have everything you could want here: a 300 mile driving range, 395bhp, potentially zero emissions and a car that might be as comfortable taking to a racetrack as to a gravelly ravine. Welcome to the I-PACE.

Background
It seems to have taken the posh car makers a long time to have got their heads round the concept of full-electric power. Yes, they've dabbled with plug-in hybrids and shown futuristic concepts at motor shows but in terms of products customers can actually buy, the Tesla Model S has had the full-EV premium market for large cars to itself for well over half a decade. But stand by Elon Musk: things are about to get a whole lot tougher.

This Jaguar I-PACE delivers a Tesla-style 300-mile drive range but, thanks to proper 50/50 weight distribution and Jaguar know how, handling dynamics that owners of a Model S or a Model 3 could only dream of. Technology people can create an electric car. But only car people can make one like the I-PACE.

Driving Experience
We're looking forward to putting this I-PACE to the test; the prospects certainly look promising. The stuff you need to know here's quite straightforward - by electric vehicle standards anyway. The 90kWh lithium-ion battery pack lies between the axles and Jaguar has specified two electric motors so that it could position the wheels for a perfect 50/50 weight distribution. They're powerful too, giving this 'performance' EV a 395bhp output. Rest to 60mph takes just 4.5s. Drive like that though and the claimed 300 mile operating range will be used up pretty quickly.

You'd expect silent refinement and instant acceleration from rest from an electric car but, due to the heavy weight of all those batteries, less than stellar ride quality. Jaguar claims it's put a lot of work into that and offers I-PACE buyers a wide choice of suspension options. You can have passive or adaptive dampers or air springs with adaptive damping. An electric 4WD system is standard - one of those that can put as much or as little torque as is necessary to any wheel. If you were ever brave enough to try your I-PACE off road, you might be surprised at what it could do. Jaguar claims it would wade up to 500mm of water.

Design and Build
In theory, the I-PACE is a kind of SUV. But you might equally want to see it as a coupe, a luxury saloon or even some kind of sportscar. Designer Ian Callum isn't bothered either way. At 4,682mm in length, this model is 10mm longer than Jaguar's XE; it's bigger than the larger XF saloon too, with a 30mm longer wheelbase and 15mm of extra width. There's more of a cab-forward stance than you'd get in a conventionally-engined Jaguar but the silhouette looks very agile in profile. And it retains a traditional big grille, even though the three independent cooling systems (for the electric motors, the battery and the interior) don't really need it.

Inside, the cabin's very Jaguar-like, with big comfortable seats that come with faux-leather as standard and real hide at extra cost. You can even have wood trim if you want it. Ahead of the driver sits an all-digital instrument binnacle and the centre-dash infotainment layout is bespoke to the I-PACE too. As in the Range Rover Velar, it's a two-screen package, the upper part dealing with navigation, audio and 'phone functions and the lower part operating informational stuff you'll need less frequently. It's a comfortable five-seater and there's a decent 656-litre boot, with a further 27-litre compartment out-front.

Market and Model
From launch, the I-PACE comes in one 'EV400' package with a 90kWh battery and a 395bhp all-wheel drive powertrain. There are three standard trim levels - 'S', 'SE' and 'HSE', with an additional 'First Edition' flagship variant offered during the first year of production. Prices start at around £63,500 and range up to around £81,500 - but of course from those figures, you can deduct the usual government £4,500 grant that applies to all full-EV models.

Equipment levels are as generous as you would expect for the money being asked. Even the entry-level 'S' variant comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, full-LED headlights, sports seats, a Meridian sound system, a 'Navigation Pro' infotainment set-up, a rear parking camera, cruise control and heated door mirrors. 'SE' models add leather seats, a powered tailgate and power-folding mirrors. The 'HSE' gets a Meridian Surround Sound audio system, 20-inch wheels, Matrix-LED headlights, super-soft 'Windsor' leather upholstery and a 'Driver Assist' pack including adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree parking camera.

[OsvUkVehicleSupply]

Would you consider a Jaguar I-Pace for your new vehicle?

[kd-bclz]

I've owned BMW 3's and 5's. Audi A4 & A7. Alfa Romeo Giulia Q4. Land Rover Disco. So...some pretty nice cars. My 2019 iPace HSE is far and above them all in every way. It is magnificent. Got it with 20k on it from Carmax. This car is an absolute joy to drive and a head turner!

[linkup]

Watched the video and I bought the car, getting 230 miles from a charge in the summer, happy with that, expect 190 - 200 in the winter. Tried the model 3 and the S. Great cars with better tech however the interior in the ipace and a dealer network swung it for me along with the quality of the build. Faster chargers for CCS are popping up everywhere now so while it will never be as good as tesla chargers 40 minutes is good enough for me and I expect - most people. I just think it is now great to have a choice as this should make sure each manufacturer keep on top of their games.

[disinverted]

this is the best channel by far for proper in depth reviews of cars for people who care about detail. excellent review

[davidbee]

This I Pace is BY far MUCH better looking than ANY Tesla, the S being the only model coming a distant second.

[farhada]

Thank you OSV for such an in depth review of the Jaguar I-Pace. Although some here would question the length of the video, I would think that if you are seriously thinking of parting with £70k+ of your hard earned cash, you'd want this level of information and coverage of all key parts of a car. Although I have already purchased an I-Pace and am very happy with the purchased, I would have loved to have seen this video review before my purchase as some of my purchasing options would have been slightly different. I think in short if you prefer the tech-geeky nature of a Tesla, purchase that, if you want a luxury driving experience, purchase the I-Pace. However, charging is a big question and the Tesla supercharging network is second to none, however, for us, we rarely do more than the 80% charge per day and plug it into charge as soon as we arrive home, which means we have yet to visit a public charger. Once again, thank you OSV for such an in depth review and please keep up the good work. If I had seen this video before making my purchase, I would have most definitely considered OSV as a purchasing source and I will be recommending this review and others to friends/colleagues.

[dogphlap]

I've driven an i-Pace and a Model 3 Tesla for about 20 minutes gentle driving of each. I like the i-Pace because it has more dedicated actual mechanical switches but nothing else comes to mind (I have owned a Tesla Model S for almost 4 years and having to go through screen menus to accomplish simple tasks is a little annoying but not a deal breaker for me ). The Model S steering feels remote, with little feedback and the steering lock is only just adequate particularly considering it is a long and wide car (again not ideal but not a deal breaker, the Model 3 is much better in both respects) but the weight balance of which so much is made in this video is fine on all AWD Tesla cars. The Model S is too big for me (at the time I bought it I knew that but it was the only EV with the range I needed and I wanted an EV).
It's a personal judgement call but I think the Tesla Model 3 is a better car and an EV that will not require a petrol car back up (if you want a larger car the X and S are available). Tesla still has the best charging network (that is really important) but the service situation has gone from sublime to chronic and is about to get much worse with the release of the Model 3 here (that should also be a big consideration when choosing which EV to buy). What is the service situation for the iPace (I don't know, just curious) ?

[tofujiny]

Very few owners would need to do nearly empty to full battery charging at home and most wouldn't drive 200-240 miles without stopping. Have a snack use the can and charge.

[dogphlap]

At 3:12 the video seems to imply that creep can be turned on or off in the Jag while that cannot be done in a Tesla. You can do that in all Tesla's that I'm familiar with and have been able to do that since day one of those Models i.e. S, X and 3 via a touch screen menu option.

[offroadcamperfreaks]

just bought one, thanks for the very detailes and honest review

[gbthegreat]

Any car I have purchased in the last 4 years has been after consulting a OSV review. I collect my i Pace next week. As other commenters it is better than the Tesla. We have a C class for longer motorway journeys.

[MrPikkoz]

good point about the 505l boot, BUT it still is inflated as it is the space calculated to the roof, if you count the space under the parcel its around 360l, almost vw golf sized and less than a model 3 . And for driving experience, you should try the model 3 same 50/50 and better driving* sans the air suspensions (*as per every other reviews ipace vs model 3)

[DB-dxxu]

Only downside I read and hear is a lack of charging stations, up to 8hrs charge if this is correct, til more charging stations became available, even at your place of work, to charge whilst working, person's living in flats, on road parking with no option to charge from a charger fitted to their home's is a issue to resolve to the future of electric or (your local city jag dealership would collect your ev from your home, to take it to the dealership with a charge station at their dealership, for you.. to charge it for 8hrs, and then return it to you once charged up) with a build of lower charging time's, also, but I love it, and the best styling of a electric car, I've seen at present

[alexgrahamslaw]

Its a quality item that fills the gap between model 3 and model X.  Will be seriously considering it.  Range is fine.  How many times does anyone drive more than 200 miles?  just stop for lunch and recharge it.  Thanks for the review, no performance testing though?

[thedroidbha]

Quicker?? Seriously? The range and the software sucks in iPace compared to the Tesla.

[robpage]

What is the huge front grill for? Is that just in case the owner wants to add a petrol motor?

[WoolyChewbakker]

Well. The iPace has lasted so well over the last six years that Jaguar has not really bothered with many updates. It sells around 1, 000 of them a year now, so it’s doing really well and proved itself to be the best EV 😂😂😂

[danielcristea]

Really impressed with your oratory skills. I wish to get there too one day soon

[spacemonkey]

Horsham! As a Jaguar I-Pace EV400 HSE Owner I love mine!

[colinharvey]

Can it achieve that 100kWh number now there many chargers about that support it?