Jaguar I-Pace Review: We Drive The EV With Highest Range In India, Here's All You Need To Know

To test the latest electric car we took the I-Pace around one of the most dense concrete jungles and that too when it was raining heavily. Time to see how good an EV really is.

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New Delhi: With high fuel prices pinching our vallets everyday, electric mobility is one such option that everyone wants to know about and try. At the moment the choices in EVs are very less but the market is slowly changing with a few notable market launches. The latest EV is a stylish one being the Jaguar I-Pace. Now at a crore plus it is not quite an affordable EV but it does show what the technology can do and how EVs can look/feel different to conventional cars. Hence to test the latest electric car we took the I-Pace around one of the most dense concrete jungles and that too when it was raining heavily. Time to see how good an EV really is.

First of all the I-Pace really does look like an expensive car and gathers attention similar to a sports car due to its unique proportions. Being an EV it does not need to be shaped like a standard car hence you can see the coupe-like proportions plus the short overhangs. Then the huge 22-inch wheels, flush door handles along with the flowing lines do add a lot of charisma. This is the most attractive EV in the world right now, by far. But since it was raining heavily we decided to get in the car instead of staring at it from the outside and here too it is a nice place to be- as you would expect a crore plus car to be. The quality is very good and so is the design with the big touchscreen and the sporty looking steering wheel. The driving position is different and not your usual SUV like position.

There are a lot of features on the HSE trim with a four zone climate control, heads-up display, Meridian 3D surround sound system, panoramic sunroof, Matrix LED lights, surround camera, cabin air ionisation, electric air suspension, wireless charger and more.

The rear view mirror is also not a simple one too with a camera display while you can even spec it with "sustainable textile" upholstery. Space is decent and thanks to not being a conventional car, the wheelbase is fairly long too- similar to a much bigger petrol/diesel SUV. The rear luggage compartment capacity of 656 litres is also larger than most medium-sized SUVs, increasing to 1,453 litres with the seats folded flat. Driving the I-Pace is a silent affair and here, the car has all-wheel-drive with 400PS and 696Nm of torque.

The performance shocks you with the speed plus the silence. With the electric car you have to get used to the instant power and the way it gathers speed with no noise. The I-Pace is actually faster than some sports cars with restraint being important so as to avoid speeding fines!

While the performance is good, what is better is the ground clearance. Too many EVs have low ground clearance but the I-Pace has a healthy 230mm when raised hence that clears flooded roads and places where other SUVs would simply stop. Something useful in a city like Mumbai, no doubt. Now let us talk about the range. EVs are getting better and here the I-Pace claims an official range of 480km. The real world figure would be less of course but it depends on how you drive and the conditions. But we drove the car fast, drove it on empty roads, in traffic and what not. The result was that we got roughly 360km. That is more than any EV in terms of range that we have driven in India.

The real world range is really good and you would not have to charge it more than once or twice a week. Speaking of which, the I-Pace via a standard cable will charge in two days. We do not think many would have that kind of patience so a better option is the wall mounted charger that the car comes with and here it will charge in 14 hours.

The I-Pace is an expensive car but it is indeed the prettiest EV and also the one with the highest real-world range till now. So if you have the money, this is one nice way to beat going to the fuel pumps every now and then!

Jaguar I-Pace

What we like: Design, features, quality, performance, range

What we do not like: Price

Photography: C. Pereira