OWN ONE? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE
`
There’s nothing in your memory bank quite
like those first few miles in the I-Pace
a
Charging the I-Pace has been a bit of a faff. Read our best-practice guide below
Our I-Pace has tu
rned
heads, but beau
ty is
not only skin
deepI didn’t instantly warm to
the I-Pace. The big centre
console seemed contrary
to the space-creating possibilities of
an EV layout; the twin touchscreen
controls a bit confused. Then I drove
it. The I-Pace has a real sense of
quiet, opulent luxury. It feels special.
Like a Jaguar should. JA
SECOND OPINION
28 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 65
preconditioning you’ll be offered
210-215 miles, a figure the I-Pace will
f a it h f u l l y f u l f i l i f y ou c r u i s e at 70 mph
on motorways and remember to let
downslopes regenerate your battery.In our experience, it takes good
management and careful driving
to get anywhere near an honest 258
miles. But the Economy setting, the
softest of three driving modes, works
muc h b e t t e r t h a n mo s t b y a dd i n g
eight to 10 miles to the total range
while maintaining decent accelerator
response and cruising capability.
At charging time, we’ve so far had
a bit of trouble. The car has never
refused outright to take charge, but
we’ve had unsuccessful attempts
after which we’ve simply had to start
again. Other users report the same.
The way to make it work seems
t o b e t o e n s u r e y ou r I-Pa c e i s
in Park, power off, with the
(automatic) handbrake on
and with the tailgate securely
closed. You need to plug your
cable first into the power
source, and then into the car
(t he ha ndbook ma ke s t hat
point very firmly). Usually
there’ll be a loud click and
the dashboard will show
an amber ‘CHARGING’
message, whereupon you
can be confident of locking
the car and walking away with
the battery capacity growing. The
7kW charger in my own garage is
enough to keep a car like this healthy,
pr ov ide d it h a s a n e v e n i n g t o r e c ov e r
from a long trip.
K e y i mpr e s sion s s o f a r? T h i s i s
a s up e rb c a r, e s p e c i a l l y t h i s l at e s texample that improves in quality
detail on the early models Jaguar
rushed into service. The driving
position – around which former
Ja g u a r de si g ne r Ia n C a l lu m s a id t he
car has been designed – is wonderful.
Full marks for the seats, too, and the
amazing performance.
On range and connectivity, we’re
happy without being ecstatic. Hook-
up uncertainties do play on your
m i nd a nd , h av i n g got u s e d t o t he
300-mile ranges of much cheaper
Hyundais and Kias, the 220-250 mile
range of this car is just okay. Recent
chats with manufacturers bidding
t o l au nc h e le c t r ic c a r s m a k e it pr e t t y
clear 300 miles is the figure that
makes people feel safe.
We’ll get used to all this. We will
learn the I-Pace’s charging quirks
and soon see that 220 miles is plenty.
There is a learning curve, and we’re
on it. But in itself, from stem to stern,
the electric Jaguar is brilliant. Living
with it looks set to be a delight.
STEVE CROPLEY
JAGUAR I-PACE HSE 400
Price new £71,495 (after government grant)Price as tested £79,740 Options Photon Red
paint £700, monogram trim finisher £250,
suedecloth headlining £900, suedecloth
steering wheel £600, 22in five-spoke alloy
wheels £500, electronic air suspension
£1100, panoramic roof £960, activity key
£300, heated/cooled performance front
seats plus heated rear seats £1400, head-up
display £900, privacy glass £375, exterior
black pack £260 Range 220-260 miles
Faults Charging glitches Expenses None
TEST DATA
mile WLTP combined (read ‘realistic’)
range, but we’ve had trouble reaching
that without preconditioning – a
heating process you can put the car
through while it’s still charging.
But plug the car in overnight at
this part of the year and without