Jaguar I-Pace review: Soon to be retired, this pioneering EV is still a great drive

Time has caught up with the Jaguar I-Pace in some ways – notably range and charging speeds – but in others it still feels so contemporary today.

Let’s start with how it looks. Ian Callum’s design still looks fresh today – the new generation of Jaguars has to go some way to looking better than this. The inside feels similarly fresh, although the twin-screen setup looks a bit small by today’s standards. However, over-the-air updates have kept the functionality fresh. The quality is still spot on. The car is built in Austria rather than the UK, and the materials used are still a tasteful blend of modern and traditional.

But it’s how the Jaguar I-Pace drives that will impress you the most. The blend of ride comfort and agility is impressive, and rarely found together. And there’s still decent performance when you put your foot down, as there should be in a Jaguar.

I ran a Jaguar I-Pace for six months a few years ago and revisited it recently to remind myself what a great car it still is. I’ve done long distances in the I-Pace and used it for running around locally too, but it’s at its best on a flowing country lane.

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Independent rating: 7/10

There’s just one battery choice in the I-Pace despite there being four different models to choose from (although they’re selling out and won’t be replaced). Sitting within the one-of-a-kind skateboard chassis is a 90kWh battery that claims a range of up to 292 miles. Good luck with that – we never got anywhere near it.

Over-the-air software updates have improved efficiency over the years, but it’s still some way off that of rivals. The I-Pace lags behind in charging speeds too. At 100kW it falls short of many smaller, cheaper cars, let alone class rivals.

When it comes to dynamics, the I-Pace can teach the young upstarts a thing or two. Show it a bend and it’ll flow through without fuss, sticking to its line and feeling far more lithe and agile than most electric cars. Where there’s often a compromise in ride comfort that comes with sporty handling, the I-Pace is firm but comfortable over even the worst roads – even on the biggest wheels. Let’s just describe it as communicative, as is the steering.

Performance when you put your foot down will put a smile on your face too. Zero to 60mph goes past in just 4.5 seconds.

The interior is another triumph of design and still feels fresh. The 10in touchscreen, embedded in the dash rather than sitting separately, tablet-like, feels a little old-school though.

You feel as though you sit fairly low and snugly in the driver’s seat, despite the hefty battery pack that sits underneath the car. There’s plenty of adjustment of the seat and steering wheel, so you feel like you’re really in a sports car.

With its large glass area, including the roof, the interior feels airy. The view forwards through the deep front screen is fabulous, while rear passengers have okay space and a great view up to the front. The flat floor makes it easier than in some cars to sit a third passenger on the rear bench, although shoulder room might be tight.

There are big, handy storage areas inside – especially between the front seats – while the boot at 505 litres is as big as some SUVs, with a bit of underfloor storage for cables too. The seats fold to give 1,163 litres of space in total.

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The 10in infotainment screen may seem small by today’s giant tablet standards, but it runs the latest Pivi-Pro software, which makes the audio and navigation a doddle to use. If you don’t fancy Jaguar’s software, there’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto that connects wirelessly. Your phone can also be charged wirelessly.

Meridian provides the audio system for the I-Pace. It has a rich and punchy sound with a few different preset sound stages to play with. It sounds great in the super-quiet I-Pace interior. Pleasingly, there are a few high-quality knobs and buttons in the I-Pace – not everything is on one of the two touchscreens.

Tech-wise, Jaguar has kept the I-Pace competitive, so there’s the usual electronic driver aids, plus adaptive cruise control to take some of the pain out of longer motorway journeys. There’s even Alexa on board, which can connect to your home account.

Depreciation is the I-Pace’s worst enemy. You can buy an old I-Pace that looks pretty much the same as the current car – except for a few cosmetic tweaks – for under £20,000. The wise I-Pace buyer will buy on a lease rather than pay cash to protect themselves from the worst of the value drop. Those £70k price tags look high, no matter how appealing the I-Pace’s looks and the drive are.

The EV system isn’t the most efficient either, so you’ll be charging more often than in rival cars. The I-Pace also sits in a relatively high insurance group.

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The I-Pace will only charge at a maximum of 100kW on a fast charger, adding 78 miles every 15 minutes. On a home 7kW charger, it’ll take 12 hours and 45 minutes to completely charge the battery.

With a starting price of just under £70,000, the I-Pace is looking expensive, especially with so many used ones around and prices starting at well under £20,000

As with all electric cars, Jaguar will guarantee the batteries for eight years or 100,000 miles against any manufacturing faults.

As part of Jaguar’s reinvention as a luxury brand, the I-Pace has to die an early death. That’s a great shame, as this former World Car of the Year winner is still a piece of automotive art that drives as well as it looks.