Jaguar has clearly beaten every European automaker by being the first to launch an electric crossover. Say hello to the I-Pace, not the concept, but the car you will be able to buy.
We even have UK pricing: £63,495 before any incentives. It's not cheap, but that hasn't stopped thousands of people from placing pre-orders, ad we can see why.
The I-Pace looks nothing like any other crossover on the market, and that's coming from a company known for innovation. That curved rear window and big hips, inspired by the C-X75 supercar, stand out from a mile away.
But everywhere you look, there's something to enjoy: vented hood, rear diffuser, floating center console... you name it.
As far as the size is concerned, the I-Pace is 4,682 meters long (184.3 inches) with a 3-meter wheelbase. That makes it about a foot bigger than the E-Pace and slightly shorter than the F-Pace. In fact, there's an overhead shot of the three together that perfectly depicts this.
As you already know, this car is fully electric, with the under-floor battery providing not only 50:50 weight distribution, but also 90 kWh of juice. Depending on which press release you read, it either gives you 298 miles (475 km) or 240 miles (386 km) of range. What you'll need to remember is that a Tesla Model 3 only has 50/75 kWh of battery.
The beast is also very powerful, thanks to the electric motors sending 400 PS (394-hp) and 512 pound-feet (694 Newton-meters) of torque to all four wheels. With a zero to 60 time of 4.5 seconds, it will probably push your head into the back of the headrest. Cornering shouldn't be a problem either, as the Active Air Suspension is adaptive and the body has a torsional rigidity of 36 kNm/degree, the highest of any Jaguar model.
The interior is just as good, especially the center console. Just like the Range Rover Velar, there are two screens down there, but they installed more buttons for the digitally challenged. We're not sure how we feel about the push-button gear selector, but the small steering wheel and optional carbon trim make up for it.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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