When you hear about Jaguar what comes to your mind? Is it the classic E-Type? Or maybe the legendary XJ220? How about the fairly recent and sinister sounding V8 F-Type?
The bottom line is that the brand Jaguar has been and is still synonymous with fast, well-handling and iconic sports cars that are on the bucket list of every car enthusiast.
Now how shocked will you be when I tell you that the Jaguar that we’ll be talking about today is a compact family SUV?
To be fair, I’m not expecting much. Due to a recent shift in the automotive industry, there’s a high demand for SUVs on the market and almost every brand is coming out with one.
That includes luxury and performance car brands like Bentley, Rolls Royce, Porsche, Maserati and even Lamborghini.
Jaguar, in order to stay relevant, has also come out with its own SUVs; The F-Pace in 2016 and the more compact E-Pace in 2017.
The common feature among all these SUVs is that they are all powered by internal combustion engines. So if you wanted to go all-electric, your only option was Tesla with its Model X.
Well, until Jaguar stepped in and introduced their contender for the electric SUV, the I-Pace. The I-Pace is Jaguar’s first attempt at an Electric Vehicle and it happens to be in a form of a compact SUV.
But how does it stack up against its only rival and a veteran in the EV business? Let’s find out.
Performance
When it comes to performance, Tesla’s are renowned for leaving everyone in the dust. There are numerous videos online that show a Model X embarrassing supercars at the drag strip.
However, the I-Pace is no slouch either. It achieves a 0-60 time of 4.8 seconds on all trim levels thanks to the dual electric motors driving the front and the rear axles. The combined output of the motors is 295 kW (395 hp) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque.
Compared to that a base Model X, the 75D, does it in a measly 6 seconds with its dual motors producing 193 kW (259 hp) and 243 lb-ft (329 Nm) torque.
The top spec Model X, the P100D is much quicker and more powerful than the I-Pace but it also sits at a much higher price point.
Carwow staged a drag race between the I-Pace and the mid-spec (100D) and the top-spec (P100D) on their YouTube channel and you can see the results yourself:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRlq3mSMtYo&w=560&h=315]
Design and Quality
When it comes to design, the I-Pace takes it. It looks much sportier and blends in with other cars due to its conventional looks and with an untrained eye, you might even mistake it for its petrol-powered sibling, the F-Pace.
The Model X is also a good looking car but its almost non-existent front grille and insane falcon-wing rear doors make it look more futuristic and stand out from the rest of the traffic.
To understand the logic behind this you need to know that the intended purpose of an SUV is to be practical for every day, family use. And a daily driver needs to be subtle rather than a showstopper.
As far as quality is concerned, both SUVs are dead even. Both have interiors made of high-quality bits and you’ll be happy regardless of what you buy. Reliability is however questionable in Jaguar’s case as its cars have a reputation of breaking down.
However, their recent cars are in process of breaking this stereotype but it’s a bit too soon to change our minds.
Tesla, on the other hand, has proven to be reliable and take the edge on this one.
Practicality
Another reason why Teslas were so popular was their range. Compared to other Electric Vehicles, Tesla’s could easily travel further from a single charge.
The range on a Model X 75D is 259 miles while its 295 miles for the P100D. The I-Pace, however, does not come slow with its range of 290 miles which places it almost in the same league as the P100D.
The Model X, however, take the win on the boot space as it has a total of 2367 litres with the rear seats folded compared to the 1453 litres of the I-Pace in a similar configuration.
Price
Last comes the price. The S trim of the I-Pace will set you back $69,000 while the top-tier HSE trim costs $80,000. Compared to that the base Model X 75D starts at $84,000 while the supercar slaying P100D will cost you a whopping $140,000.
To put things into perspective, you can get a fully loaded, top-tier I-Pace less than the price of a base level Model X. This is a no-brainer and the Jaguar wins this one.
Verdict
All things considered, it’s pretty obvious that Jaguar I-Pace takes it You are just getting more bang for your buck.
Think about it, for $80,000 you get the highest spec Jaguar that is faster, cheaper and better looking than its lowest spec rival.
There’s also a certain cool factor that you get while owning a Jaguar or a “Jagggg” as Jeremey Clarkson eloquently put it!
The I Pace accelerates to 60 in 4.5 seconds, not the 4.8 stated. It is faster than three of the 4 Model X versions ($84,000, $93,000 and $97,000) . The Model X has been characterized by consumer mags as the least reliable car on the planet.
Hey Kent. 0-60 times can vary depending on conditions including road surface and tires. The one we tested averaged around 4.8s. And yes, the Model X has been characterized as a “least reliable car”. However, that claim is solely based on the feedback from owners who had problems, which aren’t many considering the brand itself is relatively new. What we’ve done here is compare the overall reliability of brands. Yes, Tesla isn’t the most reliable out there but it’s still nowhere near Jaguar’s reputation for unreliability that has been made over the years. Jaguar has been improving the quality of its cars in the recent couple of years so here’s to hoping people can get past that. Hope that cleared the confusion.