Smart, Sexy Jag
2019 Jaguar I-Pace EV400 First Edition Electric, Intelligent, Stylist and Sporty
By Randi Payton // Decisive Media Network
The 2019 Jaguar I-Pace is an electric vehicle with an SUV body type that is stylist, luxurious, fast, quiet, sporty, and it runs without gas, as the term EV suggests.
With an electric range of 234 miles on a full charge, its mission is to compete in a growing luxury EV market where other electric SUVs are all challenging the class-leading Tesla Model X.
Despite Tesla leading the pack by a huge margin, the Jaguar I-Pace is a revolutionary vehicle with the features of a luxury SUV and the advantages of an intelligent electric vehicle. However, it’s not alone in its quest to challenge Tesla. Other EVs entering the market includes Mercedes EQC, Audi E-Tron, and Porsche Taycan.
The 2019 Jaguar I-Pace comes in four trim levels: The 4-door AWD starts at $69,500, SE 4-door goes for $75,850, and the HSE 4-door has an MSRP of $80,500. I drove the top-of-line I-Pace EV400 First Edition around town for a week and found it to be one of my best driving experiences yet.
The sporty 2019 I-Pace was designed to build on Jaguar’s stellar reputation of producing top quality SUV’s like the F-and E-Pace, which offer the comfort and style of European class luxury. The five-passenger SUV is powered by a 90.0-kWh battery pack, and two electric motors that generates 394 horsepower at 512 lb-ft of torque.
Although the stylist I-Pace won the 2019 World Car Design of the Year award, it still has a long way to go to challenge the Tesla Model X. Since January 2019 only 1,522 vehicles were sold in the U.S. through August, while the Tesla Model X averaged over 10,000 during the same period.
So far, there are more than 16 all-electric vehicles in the market, and more are on the way. Prices range from around $30,000 to over one-hundred thousand dollars. The I-Pace is one of the less expensive luxury EV SUVs. It starts around $69,500 MSRP compared to $84,900 for the Tesla Model X. The I-Pace EV400 First Edition I tested had a sticker price of $88,001 with the optional premium package. However, federal and local tax incentives can offset the price, depending on what state you live in.
Owners of the I-Pace will need to purchase a Level 2 home charger, since it takes two days to get a full charge on a regular 110V outlet and only four hours with a fast charger. Although there’s a ChargePoint app to locate charging stations around town, finding one that was close and available in Prince George’s County, MD was time-consuming and scarce.
Sporty performance was incorporated in the vehicles design and engineering. Everything from its lightweight (94%) aluminum body structure to positioning the battery below the floor to give the I-Pace a low center of gravity. An adjustable air suspension produces a comfortable ride and firm grip on the road, especially in the sports mode. The I-Pace uses the multilink front suspension from the F-Type, and an integral-link suspension in the rear from the Jaguar F-Pace and E-Pace. The height-adjustable suspension lowers the vehicle during entry and exit, and lowers more at speeds over 65 mph.
The 2019 Jaguar I-Pace is equipped with some of the latest intelligent technologies. A Bluetooth signal recognizes when the driver is approaching the vehicle and automatically activates personal settings, including entertainment, seats, climate control and more. Intelligent technology in the vehicle can also learn the driver’s preference for entertainment, climate and seat positions. It can adjust heating and cooling by determining which seats are occupied. In addition to opening the garage door, the I-Pace can control other functions in the house, like lights and climate control.
