Five years ago, there was no such thing as a Jaguar SUV; the prospect of an all-electric Jaguar seemed an unrealistic prospect too.
Fast forward to 2018 and both those things are very much a thing and the thing is, they’re the same thing.
Anyone slightly tuned into what’s going on in the world of Jaguar or electric vehicles (EVs) will know we’re talking about the I-Pace – a fully electric SUV, which has just been revealed in its production-ready form.
Jaguar cleverly opted to unveil the car at its own dedicated event a few days before the Geneva Motor Show, rather than let it get swallowed up in the usual hubbub of new car reveals.
So what kind of details did Jaguar actually share on the I-Pace?
Powertrain
Rather than a petrol or diesel engine, the I-Pace will make use of a 90kWh battery pack, powering two electric motors to drive all four wheels.
With a name like I-Pace you’d be expecting, err, pace, and that’s certainly the case with the powertrain creating the equivalent of 395bhp to achieve a 0-62mph sprint of 4.5 seconds – which is quicker than a Porsche 911 Carrera!
Interior
Anyone who saw the original concept will notice many familiar elements dotted around the I-Pace’s cabin.
One key feature carried over from the concept to the production car is the sweeping dashboard, which is defined by its trio of giant infotainment displays – a pair of ten-inch screens in the centre console and a third behind the steering wheel replacing the conventional analogue dials and knobs.
The layout has been optimised to achieve the most spacious environment, while sophisticated materials, including the option of a premium textile Kvadrat interior, ensure the car meets the usual standard of luxury you’d expect from a Jaguar.
Practicality
That sloping roofline implies rubbish boot space, but the numbers suggest it will be very practical, with 656 litres of luggage capacity, which is 100 more than the BMW X3 and Audi Q5.
Collapse the rear seats and that space expands to 1,453 litres. That may seem like loads, but it’s some way off the 2,180 litres available in Tesla’s Model X.
Price
Both Jaguars and EVs are renowned for being expensive, so you’d think that combining the two would result in a seriously pricey motor; again, not so.
You’ll be able to pick up an I-Pace up for £63,495, but you can deduct £5,000 thanks to the current government’s plug-in vehicle grant, slashing the price to a reasonable £58,495.
Range
The achilles heel of EVs is often how far the car can go on a single charge and in the I-Pace, you’ll be able to drive for 298 miles before you’ll need a charging point.
Connect it to 50 kW DC outlet and it’ll recharge to up to 80 per cent of its total mileage range in 85 minutes, reducing to 40 minutes for 100kW charging points.
It’s the closest any car has come to giving Tesla sleepless nights, but what do you think of the I-Pace? Let us know down there in the comments.
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