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John Mahoney6 Mar 2018
REVIEW

Jaguar I-PACE 2018 Review

First battery-powered Jaguar is an SUV with the talent to topple Tesla's Model X
Model Tested
Review Type
Quick Spin
Review Location
Geneva, Switzerland

Six years after it launched the ground-breaking Model S sedan and two years since the Model X SUV first went on sale, Tesla's reign as the dominant force of the premium electric car market could be coming to an end. The first European brand to challenge Elon's creations is Jaguar's all-new I-PACE. What it lacks in trick 'Falcon-Wing' doors, the Brit car-maker says it makes up with superior style, performance and a better drive. Ahead of its launch at the Geneva motor show, motoring.com.au got a brief spin in a production model to see how Jaguar's first all-electric car is shaping up.

First of a kind

No doubt, the Jaguar I-PACE will one day be looked upon as a landmark car in Jaguar's history, a car as important as the original E-Type.

An all-new design from the ground-up, the Brit's first pure-electric SUV cost a fortune to develop, sucking up a large majority of parent company Tata's $25 billion investment in green technologies.

Hence, it shares very little with any other current Jaguar or Land Rover.

Featuring an advanced, slippery body, the British car-maker says that an unprecedented 94 per cent of the Jaguar I-PACE's construction is aluminium, which cuts weight and boosts rigidity.

That said, the liquid-cooled 432 lithium-ion cells that make up the powerful 90kWh battery pack, which is mounted low in the chassis between the axles, undo all that good weight saving and see the Jag SUV tip the scales at a substantial 2.1-tonnes.

At least the I-PACE engineers were able to shuffle all that mass around to provide an optimum 50/50 front/rear weight distribution.

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Under the skin

Measuring in at 4.7 metres long, making it almost as big as the F-PACE, the I-PACE boasts a cab-forward design usually favoured by mid-engine supercars. That's because it does without a typical large petrol or diesel engine under its nose, meaning the cabin can soak up some extra space.

Actually, if you could strip back the metal with a tin opener you would find a compact electric motor and transmission mounted close to the front axle. At the rear, another axle-mounted motor means the Jag SUV is all-wheel drive, but without any physical connection between front and rear axles complex ECUs decide how much torque and power is deployed to each axle.

Together, both motors produce a punchy 294kW/696Nm - that's enough for a 0-100km/h sprint of just 4.8 seconds and a limited top speed of 200km/h.

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Jaguar says its I-PACE is 0.1 second quicker than the equivalent, more expensive, all-wheel drive Model X 100D but ardent fans of the US car-maker will fight back and say that Tesla offers its SUV with a Ludicrous Speed upgrade that reduces the 0-100km/h sprint time to just 3.1 seconds.

Another area the Model X might be able to claim an advantage over the Jaguar is its range.

Jaguar says its I-PACE can cover 480km between charges, while its US alternative says can run for a claimed 565km until its larger, more powerful battery is drained.

In reality the range for both cars will be far closer as the Jag figure is recorded using the new more realistic WLTP cycle. On the same NEDC test as the Tesla, the I-PACE exceeded 540km.

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Come inside

Inside, the I-PACE gets Jaguar's best interior yet for fit and finish. According to its designers, it could have been fitted with a giant infotainment system but they chose not to because they didn't like them - a snipe at Tesla's mammoth portrait style screen.

Instead, there are twin screens that sit one on top of the other. The upper touch-screen is for the sat-nav while the lower panel operates the climate-control and is supplemented with a pair of good old-fashioned dials. The reasoning is to separate the functions and avoid having to scroll through endless sub-menus on the move.

Despite its bold claims of a more spacious cabin, knee room is tight in the rear seats and headroom in the second row is limited with the large panoramic roof fitted.

For those looking for a family-friendly zero-emission SUV alternative to a people-mover, prepare to be disappointed. Unlike the Model X, there's no seven-seat option, although the boot is decent at 650 litres and boosted by an under-bonnet 27-litre 'frunk'.

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On the road

Behind the wheel, the I-PACE doesn't feel like an SUV but the British car-maker says that with air suspension fitted it can raise its body by 50mm and wade up to 500mm off-road.

Pinching its front double-wishbone suspension from an F-TYPE and a rear integral multi-link set-up from the F-PACE, engineers have left no stone unturned in their mission to make the I-PACE the finest battery-powered car money can buy.

Unfortunately, we only had a coned car park to test the first pure-electric vehicle in Jaguar's 83 years of car-making. It wasn't enough for a definitive verdict but what we can tell you is we came away very impressed.

The thrust and incredible traction served up by its 22-inch wheels was astonishing and its nimbleness was, quite frankly, shocking. Weighing in around 380kg less than the Model X instantly proves its worth.

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The Jaguar resists body roll well and, thanks to its ultra-low centre of gravity, compared to something like a Range Rover Velar it makes you doubt its 2.1-tonne kerb weight.

Other highlights include sharp and accurate steering, powerful brakes and engaging handling that's surprisingly adjustable.

Sadly, we couldn't tell how well (or badly) the Jag rides on its optional air suspension (coil springs are standard), nor judge the effectiveness of its adjustable brake regeneration system that can generate up to 0.2g of braking when you come off the throttle. Engineers claim that in most circumstances 97 per cent of all driving can be carried out only using the throttle.

Pricing and Features
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We also didn't get the chance to try the firm's latest semi-autonomous cruise control, or any of the raft of driving aids or connectivity the new I-PACE offers. All of these things will have to wait for our first proper drive at the global launch in coming months.

Due to arrive in Australia in October, the I-PACE is already on sale priced from $119,000 - a considerable leap up from the F-PACE range that kicks off at $73,000.

But if you can live with the 13-hour charging time from a home socket or are prepared to invest in a fast-charger (45 minutes for an 80 per cent charge), the I-PACE looks like it will indeed reset the benchmark for electric luxury SUVs.

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2018 Jaguar I-PACE pricing and specifications:
On sale: October
Price: $119,000 (plus ORCs)
Motor: Two permanent magnet synchronous electric motors
Outputs: 294kW and 696Nm
Transmission: Reduction gear
Electric Range: 480km (WLTP cycle)
Safety rating: N/A

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Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Expert rating
85/100
Engine, Drivetrain & Chassis
18/20
Price, Packaging & Practicality
15/20
Safety & Technology
18/20
Behind The Wheel
16/20
X-Factor
18/20
Pros
  • Stylish looks
  • Surprising agility
  • Performance off the line
Cons
  • Huge premium over F-PACE
  • Space tight in the rear
  • No seven-seat option
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