It was somewhat ironic for FERDI DE VOS. Sitting in the Jaguar I-Pace, a car from a quintessential British marque that’s famous for the euphonious and sonorous six-cylinder growl of its legendary in-line six-cylinder engines. It uttered no sound, no roar, no howl. Nothing. Not even a whimper.
It was as if you expected some type of noise. But the only sound was an electronically generated burwarble, most likely inspired by the sci-fi movie Tron that was only audible while driving.
One could amplify it with the press of a button, but (thankfully) it never turned into an overpowering and relentless drone.
Meet the I-Pace, the latest model from the brand with the leaper on the bonnet which, despite all the raucous Coventry Cats up until now, will be the one that growls the loudest in the near-future.
A SPARK UPWARDS
It represents, to misquote Neil Armstrong’s famous words, one small step for EVs; one giant leap for Jaguar.
Why? Because in much the same way the XK engine family guaranteed Jaguar’s prospects for over forty years, the all-electric I-Pace could be the, uhm, pace-setter assuring the marque’s continued sustainability.
The Jaguar I-Pace is bigger than anticipated. It’s simple, elegant lines and cab-forward design, long wheelbase and huge wheels contribute to the illusion of it being smaller, while in actual fact it is slightly larger than an E-Pace, albeit incrementally lower.
Inside, the layout is also reminiscent of the E-Pace. The passenger cabin and luggage space is optimised, and while Jaguar classifies the I-Pace as a mid-sized SUV, it has interior space comparable to that of a larger sports utility.
UNDER THE JAGUAR I-PACE COVER
It uses a 90kWh Lithium-ion battery comprising of 432 pouch cells to drive two synchronous permanent magnet electric motors — one on each axle.
Both motors fit concentrically around a compact, single-speed epicyclical transmission and differential, and this enables instant and precise distribution of torque to the wheels.
As a result, the combined motors produce 294 kW of power and 696 Nm of torque; enough for sports car-like performance. With its instant torque delivery, you need to brace yourself when the zero-emission Jaguar takes off, sprinting from 0-100km/h in just 4.8 seconds.
According to Jaguar, the I-Pace can deliver a range of up to 480km (WLTP cycle) between charging when driven at sensible cruising speeds using the all-important Eco mode.
The automaker also claims it will be possible to achieve a battery charge from empty to 80% in just 40 minutes using DC rapid charging (100kWh) or top up an additional 100km in as little as 15 minutes.
Alternatively, home charging with an AC wall box (7kWh) will take the I-Pace from empty to 80% in just over ten hours.
Read the full driving impression of the SA-bound Jaguar I-Pace in the July edition of Driven.
Report by FERDI DE VOS | Images © JAGUAR
