First Drive: Jaguar’s electric I-Pace ticks all the boxes for performance, practicality and range

What is it?

Electric cars have seen huge growth in their first decade as a readily available mode of transport – but they’ve still not made it into the public consciousness as a viable vehicle for everyday life. Try now to forget all your preconceived ideas about EVs. Forget the gimmicks and concept-like design, and instead imagine a performance Jaguar with enough practicality to suit your nuclear family.

What’s new?

The I-Pace is a completely new car, designed from the ground up specifically for Jaguar. It’s the first electric car created by the brand – if we forget about the one-off electric E-Type – and follows on from the design language of the Big Cat’s existing SUV ‘Pace’ range.

What’s under the bonnet?

For the technically minded among you, the I-Pace has two permanent magnet electric motors that each produces 197bhp, putting power directly to each wheel and giving you all-wheel drive. The battery has a capacity of 90kWh.

What’s it like to drive?

If you put all of the numbers to one side, there are two key benefits to driving an electric car that you really have to feel to understand. Firstly, because torque is available as soon as you put your foot on the accelerator, power delivery is nearly instant, giving that 4.5-second time of 0-60mph. Then there’s the regenerative braking – something that you can switch between high and low if it’s too aggressive for you on the I-Pace – which means as soon as you pull back off the accelerator pedal the car will start braking for you and you’ll find you rarely need to use the actual brake pedal.

How does it look?

There are some key style points that make the I-Pace stand out from other Jaguars. It might be billed as an SUV but it doesn’t really look like one. Designer Ian Callum explained that to accommodate the batteries the car had to be taller, which led to this profile, but at 1.5m the I-Pace still has a sleek, sporty look.

The wheels sit flush with the body of the car, giving it a stockier appearance but aiding with the aerodynamics too. It’s also got a cutaway in the bonnet for cooling that you might not even notice unless you’re standing next to the car.

What’s it like inside?

The interior is unmistakably Jaguar, with a leather finish in the First Edition cars. The dashboard protrudes into the car as if someone had pinched it in the middle and pulled, further giving a feel of elegance and speed inside. Sporty seats in the front and three in the rear give space on a par with other C-segment saloons and SUVs.

What’s the spec like?

While the whole car might be new, you’ll recognise the infotainment as very JLR. In particular, the dual touchscreen on the centre console is from the Range Rover Velar. You also get a third screen behind the wheel and can specify the car with a head-up display. These features all look the same, but for an EV there are some extra touches to make life simpler.

If you’re planning a route, the I-Pace can tell you how much battery will remain at each destination and this data will update as you drive. It also has other electric-specific features, such as a false futuristic noise you can have pumped around the cabin as you drive. If you’d rather just enjoy the silence, though, you can turn this off, which acts as an exterior noise canceller too.

Verdict

What’s the best thing about this car? Once out on the open road you could soon forget that it’s an electric vehicle at all if it weren’t for the dials showing your electric range rather than fuel remaining. While the price will still make it unattainable for a lot of drivers, let’s not forget it’s still a Jag and a luxury one at that.