Armored vehicles usually feature powerful and torquey engines. Think Mercedes-Benz Sonderklasse and full-size Range Rover. This particular armored vehicle, however, is a Jaguar I-Pace with B4 ballistic rating.
South Africa-based Armormax, which is much obliged to armor the Tesla Model S as well, claims that its latest build is a world first for the I-Pace. Developed in conjunction with Jaguar Land Rover South Africa, the factory-approved electric vehicle is covered by the factory warranty.
B4 means that bullets up to .44 caliber won’t pierce the bodywork or windows. By design, the run-flat tires of this I-Pace can safely carry the driver and occupants out of harm’s way in case of a puncture or blowout.
The big question is, how much added weight are we dealing with? Armormax claims 440 pounds, which is 200 kilos if you prefer the metric system. It’s not much by armored vehicle standards, and the reason the South African outfit kept it light is – obviously enough – driving range.
In production since 2018 at the Magna Steyr assembly plant in Austria, the I-Pace lags behind the competition in terms of both weight and power. Tipping the scales at 4,784 pounds (2,170 kilograms), which makes it heavier than a Tesla Model Y, the British utility vehicle is officially rated at 394 horsepower and 512 pound-foot (695 Nm) of torque on full song.
Good for 246 miles (396 kilometers) between charges according to the EPA, the I-Pace needs a little over 10 hours to fully charge using a 9.6-kW home charger. Zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) takes 4.5 seconds, and the most basic of specifications is $71,300 sans destination.
Never a great seller, at least not in comparison to the golden standard known as the Model Y, the I-Pace sold 1,409 examples in the United States last year. Over in the Old Continent, 8,079 units were delivered in 2021. Given these numbers, it shouldn’t be all that surprising that Jaguar contracted Magna Steyr to build the I-Pace in the British marque’s place.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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