On Friday I had my first taste of the new Jaguar I-PACE as I took my family for a test drive.
I was intrigued to see what it’s like as I think it would be fair to say that the motoring press have been raving about it, the first all-electric production car from the Jaguar Land Rover group.
Jaguar I-PACE Electric Car (Image: T. Larkum)
It turns out it is a nice car to sit in and drive; it’s very comfortable, has a decent (though not huge) boot and lots of features. My family particularly liked the rear seat heaters, air conditioning and USB ports.
It accelerates nicely and pretty quietly, and has a decent range – somewhere between 250 and 300 miles (with the usual caveats over driving style, ambient temperature, etc). Overall a pretty good car.
However, I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed as I was expecting something a little more special. I guess I’m a bit spoilt, driving a BMW i3 and having driven the Tesla Model S a number of times. But it pretty much seemed like just another Jaguar but this time with an electric powertrain.
Jaguar I-PACE Electric Car (Image: T. Larkum)
While almost any car can be improved by going electric, I had hoped for a more ‘clean sheet’ design. For example, it had a huge console between the driver and passenger as though it had a gearbox and transmission tunnel, where on the i3 there is space, and a flat floor.
Anyway, if you are in the market for a Jaguar then do consider the I-PACE as it’s certainly the best Jaguar available. It has good looks, electric performance and a decent range so it’s well worth a look.
My thanks to David at Guy Salmon Jaguar Northampton for giving us the test drive.