Practical experience Jaguar I-Pace: users about their electric crossover

Jaguar is not deaf to the criticism of users. Software optimizations followed at the end of 2019 that would increase the driving range by up to 8 percent, about 40 kilometers. In mid-2020, the model was also revised in terms of hardware, after which three-phase charging was added, among other things. There was also a slightly less powerful entry-level version with 320 instead of 400 hp. Good news, but looking at the sales figures, at most a few hundred of these updated I-Paces will have been sold. The I-Pace is still available and was recently updated again, the entry-level version disappeared from the scene in the meantime. 

I-Pace: comfort and space 

Why people fell for the I-Pace at the time becomes clear when reading the reviews. “I think the finish is good when it comes to the dashboard, the seats and everything,” said an I-Pace First Edition driver. Nevertheless, he remains critical, after all, the I-Pace is not a cheap car. “As far as I am concerned, what could be improved is the tailgate button and all that plastic inside.” 

Another early driver summarizes it this way: “A driver’s car that is electric and not a driving computer on wheels. Not the top of the available technology, but the top in terms of finish, front and rear, space and overall comfort.” 

Speaking of the seat, another I-Pace First Edition driver notes that the seats have more or less adjustment options depending on the version. “The performance seat (which, in addition to the beautiful design, is ultra-comfortable) lacks the extension / shifting of the seat cushion that the sports seat does have”, although this does not seem like a major loss to him. Another First Edition driver is also pleased with the seats: “These are fine, since I cover quite a few distances every day, that is very important to me.” 

The trunk seems quite large with a statement of 656 liters, but those liters alone do not tell the whole story. “The luggage space is not bad, but because of the sloping roof and the small frunk I sometimes run out of space,” says the owner of this white I-Pace EV400 S. The owner of a comparable car adds: “Trunk is spacious, but with or without parcel shelf hardly matters due to the low rear. It is therefore not possible to ‘keep stacking’ like in a station. And I also miss a ski hatch, which is unfortunately not available.” 

Infotainment and controls 

The Jaguar I-Pace revolutionized infotainment. At least, for the British brand, which had to catch up to a certain extent. That does not go unnoticed: “Infotainment/tech: here, again, Tesla is the benchmark. The Jag’s system is less intuitive and slower than the Model S’s. The size of the screen is laughable by comparison,” wrote one critical driver. Another driver chimes in: “Multimedia screen is slow. This is an important point of communication with the car and its slowness makes the overall experience with the car less positive.” Finally, an owner who has the same findings, but handles it resignedly. “Infotainment system is not good and very slow. But most parts you set once to your own wishes and then you don’t look back at it. 

Driving the I-Pace 

“The driving behavior is sublime as far as I’m concerned. I really enjoy the car and the car feels like a coat to me, it steers and drives really well”, a driver blows his praises. “I don’t feel much of the weight so far, as others say.” This driver also experiences the fact that Jaguar masks the weight well: “Comfort: the car drives fantastic. The air suspension and handling are very pleasant. While driving you do not notice that the car weighs more than 2 tons.” 

It may also be a matter of getting used to, because this I-Pace 400 rider does notice the kilograms. “The car handles very well on the road, but when steering you notice the heavy weight at the bottom of the car. As a result, you soon make too many steering movements, which causes a little rocking of the car. Passengers in particular experience this as unpleasant, but this quickly diminishes once you get to know the car.” And as for comfort? “I don’t have air suspension and I think the standard suspension is fine. A bit firm, but that seems to be the air suspension too.” 

It is almost the only driver who calls the car ‘firm’, this driver experiences it very differently: “The suspension of the car is very much geared to comfort. The high-profile tires help with that. The result is that the car will sway a bit if you want to drive very fast on a winding or uneven road.” That swaying is caused by the chassis, not by the tires. “On a big bump in the road, the car sometimes wants to sway a bit, but otherwise it is tight on the road,” said another driver. “I have rather large wheels under the car, 22 inches, which would not benefit comfort and range. I believe that right away, but I experience the comfort and range with these wheels as more than fine.” 

Range I-Pace in practice 

With an electric car you cannot escape the subject of ‘range of action’, certainly not with the Jaguar I-Pace. Is it really that bad with the electric range? “With the current weather, between 4 and 8 degrees Celsius, I can’t get further than 300 kilometers net at the moment,” said the owner, for whom the car feels like a coat. Although this 300 kilometers deviates considerably from the stated 480, there is a nuance: “This is with a lot of highway and I just drive 130 km/h, the car is in Comfort or Dynamic mode and I also just accelerate smoothly to medium. . So I don’t adapt.” 

This experience is shared by another driver: “You can reach that 480 kilometers, especially in the winter, so never, never. At the moment (no passengers, 120-130 km/h on the highway) I don’t get further than 300 kilometers if I’m lucky. With more people and/or luggage on board and/or cold outside, this quickly drops to 240-250 km.” It is clear that the range concerns drivers when we start seeing lists: “I drive the maximum speed set on cruise control and never faster than 120 km/h. At 0-5 degrees I get between 250-260 km, at 5-9 degrees 260-280 km and at 9-15 degrees 280-320 km”, says an owner who finds the range very disappointing. 

The slow charging via one phase is also regularly mentioned, although this seems to be mainly a theoretical problem for most owners. “The whole 1-phase charging problem, I was quite shocked and actually wanted to get rid of it right away,” writes an initially disappointed driver. “I have now found a mode that works for me.” This turns out to be a 20A charger, so that the car can now be charged with 4.6 kW. The result? “I’ve hardly ever needed a fast charger. Maybe 1 or 2 times, but this was also to try it out.” 

Malfunctions and problems 

The start was also turbulent for some owners. Several report the failure of all screens in the car, sometimes immediately after delivery. After a software update, which took a while, this problem has been solved. Other than that, the I-Pace turns out to be doing pretty well. It does happen that owners are stranded with an empty 12V battery, a problem that we see with more electric cars. Striking: the I-Pace turns out to be quite friendly to its tires. This owner drove more than 60,000 kilometers with it, another drove more than 80,000 kilometers. 

“Build quality is very good, except for a few points. After 2 years and 80,000 km, no technical problems. Except the first day I got the car and all the screens went black… The solution took over a month. I did get a replacement vehicle”, this owner summarizes his experiences. 

Conclusion about Jaguar I-Pace 

Even though owners are generally positive about their electric Jaguar, the mediocre range and slow charging also affect them. The infotainment system can also count on the necessary criticism. Nevertheless, the assessment of the Jaguar I-Pace is positive, in particular the use of materials on board and the driving characteristics are almost unanimously positive. After some start-up problems, the car also appears to be quite reliable, with the added bonus of low tire wear.