Our cars Truly dynamic performance
So much time can be spent assessing EVs’ eco aspects, their performance capabilities are sometimes overlooked. Not this month…
Guy Bird
Getting out of town is a good thing sometimes. I’m a self-confessed fan of the city and all it can offer, but open roads with few restrictions for cars are becoming things of the past in the Capital. To properly drive anything – let alone a premium EV with real performance dialled into its DNA – you need to go further afield. So a recent 100-mile each-way commute to a car launch in the countryside provided the perfect antidote – and opportunity – for our long-term Jaguar I-Pace to show its hidden skills. Throughout central London and out the other side up the A40 and M40 the I-Pace is already happy – although its suspension can be a little firm over some city speed bumps – but once decent A roads with gentle curves and good driver sight lines are found, it really comes into its own. As an automatic without paddle-shift anything – even re-generative braking adjustment – there are no extra gears or tweaks to concern yourself with while driving, other than evaluating the twists and turns of the road ahead and steering through
them. Even manual foot braking is required less often. Once you learn how hard the I-Pace re-gen brakes itself, you can adjust your driving style, even at speed, with well- placed confidence.
Body control is already decent in regular Comfort or Eco modes – the I-Pace never feels wobbly – but when Dynamic mode is chosen, via a small button on the centre console, things tighten up a notch further while the left-hand side of the car’s driver display temporarily turns red to confirm your choice and the ambient lighting in the door cards, footwells and elsewhere stay red-tinted to keep the mood. But all of those marketing extras pale into insignificance compared to the enhanced real-world driving experience. Our car also benefits from the optional £3300 Dynamic Pack, which includes 22in gloss-black wheels, a tailgate
Why we’re running it
To see if Jaguar’s EV trailblazer can still cut it among a host of new rivals
spoiler, electronic air suspension, active suspension with adaptive dynamics and surface response. So beyond the solid- feeling but quick-reacting steering and great body control in conditions where lesser EVs appear far less agile, this I-Pace also can automatically lower itself by 10mm when travelling above 65mph for extended periods of time to improve aerodynamic performance. Meanwhile, continuously variable damping technology monitors wheel positions, steering inputs, acceleration and braking to optimally adjust suspension damping settings. A further press of the driving mode button can also implement Jaguar Drive Control with Adaptive Surface Response (or AdSR for short, as it displays in the driver’s instrument cluster). This tech draws on all-wheel drive system expertise to constantly monitor the car’s motor and brake settings to help tackle adverse weather and challenging surfaces. As Jaguar’s press blurb puts it: “This provides the optimum balance between comfort, refinement and agility.” And it’s not wrong. Few cars feel so ‘well-sorted’ dynamically while providing great comfort and stability – no harsh suspension crashes or bangs here.
Furthermore, unlike some more recent EV introductions from rival premium brands, the I-Pace doesn’t endlessly bleep and buzz at the driver for being one mile over the speed limit, or for crossing dotted centre line markings if that’s safer to do than drive through a mystery pothole near to the kerb or hedgerow. Instead it assists and improves your driving, while reassuring and cosseting. Yes, once you move into Dynamic mode, you might notice the car’s driver display taking a couple of miles off your predicted range, should you choose to keep it in that setting for your whole journey, but it’s surely a small price to pay for letting this wonderful ‘cat’ extend its legs once in awhile where conditions allow. Through this lens, the I-Pace really is electric.
Jaguar I-Pace R-Dynamic
HSE Black EV400 (90kWh) P11D price £77,440 As tested £83,775 (OTR) Official range 255 miles Our average consumption 2.1m/kWh Mileage 2,657
www.businesscar.co.uk | March 2024 | 45
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53
