There was a fair bit of watching and waiting among the traditional car manufacturers when Tesla arrived on the scene. Tesla’s gamble on the uptake of EVs wasn’t matched by anyone else. As the tide turned, spurred on by political policy, the onslaught of EVs became inevitable. Jaguar was the first to market with the Jaguar I-Pace back in 2018. Since then, it’s received the odd nip and tuck, but remains largely the same car that arrived six years ago. Pretty much everyone else has launched an EV since then. So, how does the Jaguar I-Pace hold up?
As with so many things, you notice everyone else who has something that you’ve got. There are a lot of Jaguar I-Paces around. It has sold well. And it’s not hard to see why. Decked out in Carpathian Grey with 22” black wheels, the Jaguar I-Pace certainly looks the part. As everything else on the road has become gargantuan, it has also started to appear a little lower and a little sleeker. It’s an attractive car and the design has lasted well. In a market awash with electric crossover type vehicles, it stands out in a positive way.
As well it might at £83,835 as tested. EVs aren’t cheap and the Jaguar I-Pace has a sticker price which places it against some big hitting opposition. So, six years after its launch, should you still be considering one?
The interior is perhaps the part that ages the Jaguar I-Pace. Although, if you prefer physical buttons to compliment your touchscreen tech, that’s no bad thing. There are two touchscreens, one for the infotainment and another for the HVAC. It retains JLR’s push and pull rotary dial for the seat heating and fan speed. They’ve done away with them in their most recent models such as the Range Rover Sport, which is a bit of a shame. They’re very easy and intuitive to use.
Which was handy when the Jaguar I-Pace I was testing encountered an issue with the charge control module in its battery. After a charging stop on the way back from Coventry on the Saturday night (which cost 85p p/kWh!) the HVAC screen and rotary dials stopped working. The heating itself, however, was still functional, so there was a bit of educated guesswork to turn off the seating ventilation.
I thought it would be a case of turning it off and on again to resolve the issue. The timed charging function, however, also gave up the ghost, shortly followed by the rest of the car on Monday morning. This may sound disastrous, but the AA were with me within a couple of hours and it was a simple fix. A misfunctioning module which meant that the main battery wasn’t supporting the car’s 12V battery, which subsequently went flat. So, everything stopped working. I haven’t found any evidence of this being a remotely common issue, so it was a moment of misfortune that was easily and speedily resolved. In the perfectly manicured world of press demonstration cars, it was interesting to see the response times and resolution to a moment of imperfection.
Otherwise, the Jaguar I-Pace was a perfect family companion. Spacious, ISOFIX, big boot, comfortable…
The Jaguar I-Pace stands out in a positive way, here. A lot of EVs can feel functional rather than fun. Now, the Jaguar I-Pace doesn’t drive like a Caterham, but it does drive like, well, a car. Modulating your inputs to throttle and brakes is easy and the steering is consistent in response. You can’t always say that about the main player whose name begins with T.
On the motorway it settles into a cruise nicely. The cabin remains quiet and it serenely sails along. The only issue here, perhaps, is the range. A round trip to Coventry required a charging stop. It’s only 220-miles. This isn’t a problem unique to the Jaguar I-Pace, but regular long distances are more vexing given range anxiety and the state of the UK’s charging infrastructure. It’s a shame, because you’d happily pass by the hours behind the wheel of the Jaguar I-Pace.
The seats are supremely comfortable, heated and ventilated in the Jaguar I-Pace EV400 as tested, as standard. Along B-roads, it doesn’t feel 4.68m long and 2.14m wide. There’s no hiding 2.25-tons of heft, but the I-Pace does a good job of trying.
Performance is electric, literally and figuratively. 0-60mph takes just 4.5secs and even at higher speeds the Jaguar I-Pace has plenty of power in reserve. 396bhp and 696Nm of torque will do that. It’s monstrously powerful.
Whilst it never really encourages you to drive it quickly, you genuinely can. Turn the drive mode up to dynamic and the dash turns red and the responses become keener. It unmasks a sporty side that you don’t immediately realise. It’s a pleasant surprise which adds another dimension to the car. It’s also a dimension which keep the I-Pace relevant six years on. Not everyone has focussed on this element in the same way.
Whilst the Jaguar I-Pace has been around for a while, it doesn’t appear to have lost any of its charm. It’s spacious, comfortable, quick and well designed. It still looks good, and that’s important.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is that it’s not a platform Jaguar has built upon. Yet. The Jaguar I-Pace will cease production in 2025, but to date is the firm’s only EV. That will of course change, but the I-Pace seemed to herald a new era back in 2018.
Is it a case that other, more recently launched EVs have surpassed it? The fit and finish, combined with the performance, would suggest not. EVs are expensive owing to the cost of the batteries, but the Jaguar I-Pace hardly feels out of place for its price point.
The spec on the model tested felt spot on, too. The Carpathian grey paintwork adds £1500 to the price but combined with the 22” gloss black wheels made the car look superb. The black contrast roof at £520 rounded off the look. Understated yet elegant, very Jaguar.
The EV game, however, has moved on slightly since the Jaguar I-Pace was launched. Range has expanded, charging times have decreased and they’ve got even faster. In this respect, it could be considered a bit old school. A max charging speed of 100kW is glacial these days and it did take noticeably longer than more recently made rivals to charge at a rapid public charger.
As with all EVs, your personal use case is crucial. Out on long journeys all the time? This might not work for you. Very rarely ticking off more than 200 miles in a day? This could be perfect for you. It retains as much appeal as it always has. Judging by the roads around me, that appeal is substantial.
