MOTORING
Surrey’s Premier Lifestyle Magazine
Game changing pace setter
Jaguar has produced Europe’s first all-purpose electric car and it’s a dream to drive, says Euan Johns.
Tesla has just notched up ten years since its first car went on sale, a decade in which Jaguar has had time to sit back on its haunches and await the results. In the meantime, Jaguar has learnt from its American rival’s mistakes.
The recent launch of the I-PACE is not just Jaguar’s, nor merely Britain’s, but Europe’s first large, premium electric family car. It’s been priced to compete with the Tesla S 75D. It does, but that’s where the comparison ends as the I-PACE really does out-pace the Tesla in the driver’s stakes. This is a car that’s really good to drive, it’s quite frankly a hoot; it’s easy, well, as easy as plug and play.
It’s looks aren’t bad either, stemming from the fact that the car is very well proportioned. The snubby nose brings the front wheels forward with it and the rear is relatively high and squared off. This sets the template, with detail added by the rear spoiler, vented bonnet and flush handles resulting in a beautiful form and a far cry from the botoxed monstrosities of some of its rivals.
The recent launch of the I-PACE is not just Jaguar’s, nor merely Britain’s, but Europe’s first large, premium electric family car. It’s been priced to compete with the Tesla S 75D. It does, but that’s where the comparison ends as the I-PACE really does out-pace the Tesla in the driver’s stakes. This is a car that’s really good to drive, it’s quite frankly a hoot; it’s easy, well, as easy as plug and play.
It’s looks aren’t bad either, stemming from the fact that the car is very well proportioned. The snubby nose brings the front wheels forward with it and the rear is relatively high and squared off. This sets the template, with detail added by the rear spoiler, vented bonnet and flush handles resulting in a beautiful form and a far cry from the botoxed monstrosities of some of its rivals.
The car has also attracted some serious acclaim, something of which tennis ace Andy Murray was keen to take advantage. Two-time Wimbledon Champion, Murray fulfilled the promise he made during WWF’s World Earth Hour to ‘go electric’ and become one of the first Jaguar I-PACE customers on World Environment Day.
The C-X75 supercar-inspired I-PACE performance SUV has received critical acclaim, being named a ‘game changer’ at the 2018 Autocar Awards and collecting the What Car? 2018 Reader Award, securing it the title of the most anticipated new car of 2018 before it was launched and The Sunday Times Car of the Year for 2018.
Packed full of the latest innovations, the I-PACE is fully compatible with DC Rapid Chargers (100kW) as the technology is rolled out across the UK, enabling a 0-80 per cent charge in less than 40 minutes. Home charging with an AC wall box (7kW) will achieve the same state of charge in just over ten hours – ideal for overnight charging.
The C-X75 supercar-inspired I-PACE performance SUV has received critical acclaim, being named a ‘game changer’ at the 2018 Autocar Awards and collecting the What Car? 2018 Reader Award, securing it the title of the most anticipated new car of 2018 before it was launched and The Sunday Times Car of the Year for 2018.
Packed full of the latest innovations, the I-PACE is fully compatible with DC Rapid Chargers (100kW) as the technology is rolled out across the UK, enabling a 0-80 per cent charge in less than 40 minutes. Home charging with an AC wall box (7kW) will achieve the same state of charge in just over ten hours – ideal for overnight charging.
Go I-PACE
The Go I-PACE app captures journey data to calculate potential cost savings, show how much battery would be used per trip and tell users how many charges they would need in a week if they were driving the I-PACE.
As it builds a unique picture of a vehicle’s use, the app will even show how many journeys, if any, would have needed a stop to charge the EV’s advanced Lithium-ion battery. Journeys over 50 miles represent only two per cent of all UK trips. The I-PACE has a maximum range of 298 miles (WLTP) and could complete 98 per cent of these using just a fraction of a single charge.
When opening the app, users can enter the real-world fuel economy of their existing vehicle to calculate the cost savings switching to the I-PACE would deliver. Once enough journeys have been logged, the app will estimate the range drivers can expect to achieve from a full charge. An interactive map allows users to search for the nearest charging points along a chosen route or within a local area.
The Go I-PACE app captures journey data to calculate potential cost savings, show how much battery would be used per trip and tell users how many charges they would need in a week if they were driving the I-PACE.
As it builds a unique picture of a vehicle’s use, the app will even show how many journeys, if any, would have needed a stop to charge the EV’s advanced Lithium-ion battery. Journeys over 50 miles represent only two per cent of all UK trips. The I-PACE has a maximum range of 298 miles (WLTP) and could complete 98 per cent of these using just a fraction of a single charge.
When opening the app, users can enter the real-world fuel economy of their existing vehicle to calculate the cost savings switching to the I-PACE would deliver. Once enough journeys have been logged, the app will estimate the range drivers can expect to achieve from a full charge. An interactive map allows users to search for the nearest charging points along a chosen route or within a local area.
It’s important we all take small steps to live a more sustainable life and think about the actions we can make to look after our planet. This is one of the reasons I’ve made the switch to driving Jaguar’s new all-electric I-PACE. It’s clean and safe, but also has the world class design and sports performance that suits my lifestyle.
Andy Murray
Jaguar is also set to launch the I-PACE eTrophy featuring competing teams in souped-up versions of the I-PACE, making it the world’s first single-make championship for electric cars. One catch is the entry isn’t cheap: the car costs £200K plus there’s a £450K fee to enter as part of the ‘arrive and drive’ package. That’s going to be hard on the wallet, but really easy on the ears.
The basic model’s price is £63,495 and you’ll think it’s worth a lot more driving it. The I-PACE is guaranteed to put a smile on a driver’s face and that’s not just down to the drive experience and comfort. It’s the realisation that it is a serious pace setter in the drive to go electric.
The basic model’s price is £63,495 and you’ll think it’s worth a lot more driving it. The I-PACE is guaranteed to put a smile on a driver’s face and that’s not just down to the drive experience and comfort. It’s the realisation that it is a serious pace setter in the drive to go electric.