Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

76 |AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE

J

aguar aimed ambitiously high
with its new I-Pace mid-size
luxury SUV. “The target was to
create the best electric vehicle
on the planet,” says Jaguar
technical design director,
Wolfgang Ziebart. And that is
exactly what’s been done.
I-Pace matches the Tesla
Model X — its only direct
competitor until Audi’s e-tron
and the Mercedes EQC arrive
later in 2019 — for performance,
driving range and effi ciency.
But I-Pace is better designed
and built than anything from the
audacious American company
adored by EV evangelists.
I-Pace is available in three
model grades — the $123,814 S,
$135,070 SE and $145,723 HSE.
A $159,700 First Edition is also
available for the fi rst 12 months.
Options can easily add another
$20,000 or more to these prices.
The Jaguar’s chassis cradles
a large, fl at 90kWh lithium-ion
battery pack beneath the fl oor.
This can store enough energy
for a driving range up to 480km,

according to the new and more

realistic WLTP standard. Driving

aggressively will reduce this to

around 300km.

There’s an electric motor

for each axle, so the Jaguar is

all-wheel drive. The motors are

identical, so each contributes

equally to the vehicle’s combined

294kW and 696Nm power and

torque maxima.

Topping the EV tech is a mostly

aluminium hatchback body with

small front and rear overhangs.

Inside are fi ve seats and a large

cargo compartment. The cabin’s

interior design is one of Jaguar’s

best. The instrument panel is

classy and there’s no shortage of

storage spaces or power outlets.

Rear seat legroom is large-car

abundant, head room suffi cient.

Standard equipment in the

base S model is hardly $120K

worth, though. Fake leather, no

Apple CarPlay or Android Auto,

no digital radio, no blind spot

monitoring or adaptive cruise, no

power tailgate. You get more gear

in a $50,000 Mazda CX5.

Though the battery pack means

I-Pace weighs a hefty 2200kg or

so, performance is on the wild

side of exciting. Jaguar claims it

rips from 0-100km/h in just 4.8

seconds. Initial acceleration is

neck-straining strong.

Screen-selectable options

allow the I-Pace driver to

choose how it feels and sounds

to drive. “Creep” mode mimics

the way a conventional auto car

edges forward while idling if the

driver’s foot isn’t on the brake.

Regenerative braking can be set

High or Low.

With Creep disabled and

regenerative braking set to

High, the I-Pace can be driven

much of the time using only the

accelerator pedal.

The Jaguar steers and handles

with great grace, considering

its weight. Ride comfort, on

air-spring suspension (a $2000

option in Australia) is good. Noise

levels are impressively low,

especially with the EV soundtrack

function switched off.

I-Pace buyers get a three-

year subscription to the

Chargefox Network of public

chargers, but they’ll have to pay

extra $1500 or so for the 7kW

home or workplace AC wall-

box charger needed to make

the Jaguar a properly practical

proposition. It takes about 13

hours to charge the battery; a

10-amp household power point

would take days.

While Australia’s charging

network is still underdeveloped

compared to much of the rest

of the world, coverage is sure

to improve as more EVs hit the

market. Those prepared to make

the leap now, and with the budget

to afford an I-Pace, will fi nd that

Jaguar has produced the most

convincing luxury EV to date.

By John Carey

JAGUAR I-PACE FROM $123,814

THINGS WE LIKE

 Amazing acceleration

 Excellent handling

 Spacious, elegant cabin

 Adjustable drivetrain

characteristics

 Feels like the future is here already

 Three-year charging subscription

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

 Skinny standard equipment list and

too many expensive options

 Lack of fast charging infrastruc-

ture out of major cities can cause

range issues

 Paying $1500 extra for wall-box

home charger

 Long recharge times

SPEX (S)

 Made in England

 90kWh Li-ion battery/two electric

motors/epicyclic transmission/all-

wheel drive

 400kW of power/696Nm of torque

(combined system outputs)

 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds (claimed)

 Warranty: Three years/unlimited

km; 8 years/160,000km on battery

 Standard: Six airbags, stability con-

trol, autonomous emergency brak-

ing, lane keeping assist, automated

parking, rear cross traffi c alert,

18-inch alloy wheels, fake leather

upholstery, dual-zone air, 10-inch

infotainment touchscreen, naviga-

tion, Bluetooth, voice control.

 Redbook future values: 3yr: 50%;

5yr: 36%

Safety

Not yet rated

Performance

Handling

Quality and reliability

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money

Overall compare with ...

Mercedes EQC, Tesla Model X

STARS