2024 Jaguar I-Pace HSE Black | PH Review
The facelifted I-Pace is getting undeniably long in the tooth - but it still has a thing or two to show other EVs
There really isn’t very long left for the I-Pace, Jaguar’s trailblazing EV. This is the MY24 facelift - spot the new ‘shield’ grille and Eiger Grey paint - after which will probably (but not definitely) follow an update for 2025. That’s the year Jaguar’s enormous reinvention is set to begin, when it will launch an assault on the luxury market and make only electric vehicles - but not the I-Pace, it seems. Having been confounding expectations since 2018, the I-Pace will be gone before we know it. High time then that we remind ourselves what the old electric Jag can still offer, and what the next generation can learn from it.
History tells us that its maker can’t resist add-ons and trinkets when a car is coming to the end of its life, so it’s refreshing to see that, by and large, this remains the same handsome I-Pace as ever. It’s ageing very gracefully, which hasn’t always been the case for big Jags. And there’s bit more to it than you might think, with a Black Pack in for a lot of models but the previously Gloss Black bumper finishers and rear diffusers now body coloured. Jaguar reckons the move ‘serves to simplify and refine the design while taking away visual mass’. Certainly, it remains one of the more striking EVs, while (pleasingly) not being all that massive, either - it’s obviously pretty wide, but only 40mm longer than an Alfa Giulia. The refreshed grille ‘gives a simpler, cleaner finish to the front of the vehicle while strengthening its inherently electric DNA’. In case you couldn’t tell how modest this facelift is.
So much so, in fact, that the interior hasn’t changed at all - which is great news. There are big chunky buttons and dials for drive modes, HVAC and transmission, the Pivi Pro screen is sharp and responsive (if a tad small), and the driving position manages to feel appropriate for both a vaguely sporting Jaguar and an SUV. Nothing chafes or frustrates, and nothing requires acclimatisation; there’s a lot to be said for that these days.
But the really admirable thing about the I-Pace is that it manages to be conspicuously battery-powered and yet also discernibly a Jaguar - which is to say it drives like one. It is a model of cool, calm composure in a segment that endlessly fumbles the description. Perhaps 21s would offer the best ride-handling compromise because there is a tiny bit of low-speed fidget on the biggest wheels, but otherwise it’s a dream: steering just right for resistance and speed, wheel and body control very good, refinement supreme and pedal weights spot on as well. The feedback is subtle, sure, because that’s the nature of electric vehicles - but you take real satisfaction in operating an I-Pace.
Even the elements that date it a tad are far from the end of the world. There isn’t a one-pedal drive setting (though that’s probably kept the brake feeling reasonably natural) and Dynamic mode isn’t an all-guns-blazing button fit only for scaring passengers once or twice. It just nicely tightens up the whole driving experience, for those times it feels appropriate. It's a reminder that EVs don’t need gimmicks if there’s genuine substance to the package.
It's funny how, despite sharing nothing with any previous Jaguar, a similar fate seems to afflict the I-Pace in terms of popularity. Like the old saloons, it’s one of the best in the class to drive; but as with those previous models, that’s not enough on its own to sell it to customers. The I-Pace is big enough inside without ever feeling truly commodious, for example, and the chunky C-pillar that makes the car look so good makes over-the-shoulder visibility tricky.
It is in battery tech though that the I-Pace is starting to fall behind the competition. Inevitable really, given the pace of change in the segment and certainly a consequence of newer architecture from faster-moving rivals. Case in point, the Hyundai-Kia E-GMP platform, which allows something like a Genesis GV60 to offer punchier motors (160kW versus 147kW, for another 90hp), from a significantly smaller battery (77.4kWh against 90kWh) allowing it to go faster (because it’s lighter) and more efficiently, making for a comparable WLTP range despite giving away so many kWh. And it’ll charge much faster, too. Plus there's a Kia EV6 GT for those after something a little more driver-focused.
The I-Pace’s older elements would be easier to overlook had it not remained so much money. Once upon a time, this was the best an electric SUV got for £70k - and while that probably remains true as something to look at and drive, the advancements made elsewhere by rivals make it look expensive on paper. Thanks to a few options on this test car (the Dynamic Pack, most notably, which brings with it the air suspension) the I-Pace’s asking price is £83,775. In short, there are better EVs available for that amount of money. A secondhand one remains highly recommended, yet the game has moved on and the I-Pace can no longer quite keep up on all fronts. That it comes very close is a testament to how well its maker did the first time around. But the second coming of the Jaguar EV is arguably past due.
SPECIFICATION | 2023 JAGUAR I-PACE R-DYNAMIC HSE BLACK
Engine: 2x147kW motors, 90kWh battery pack
Power (hp): 400 (total)
Torque (lb ft): 512 (total)
0-62mph: 4.8sec
Top speed: 124mph
Weight: 2,226kg (EU, with driver)
Consumption: 250.7Wh/Km (WLTP, which comes out at 2.5mi/kWh)
Range: up to 292 miles (WLTP)
Price: £77,495 (price as standard; price as tested £83,775 comprising powered gesture tailgate for £115, Secure tracker for £340, Wi-Fi enabled with data plan for £440, Four-zone climate control for £630, Lockable cooled glovebox for £100, Dynamic Pack (JaguarDrive Control with Adaptive Surface Response, Electronic Air Suspension, Active Suspension with Adaptive Dynamics, Tailgate spoiler, 22-inch Style 5056 wheels, gloss black) for £3,300, Black contrast roof for £520, Self seal tyre for £100, Eiger Grey paint for £735)
And the utter madness of JLR to not spin a number of EV offering off of this platform rather than investing so much to bring it to market then letting it die on the vine implies there was infighting and some old boys in the room harrumphing.
The car is clearly an EV in its proportions and stance, which I admire. Far better to reflect what it is rather than make it look like an ICE clone.
Shame about the lack of batter upgrade. I would have thought that battery or motor upgrades would be an easy plug-in replacement, but I'm not an automotive engineer.
Still great inside. I'd still have one over an Audi, BMW or Merc, but it's getting pricy for what it is.
It's the reliability that worries me - LR couldn't make my Discovery boot stay closed - they had to replace the entire thing to make it work. There's always that hint that nobody really knows how the tech works...just that it worked when new.
The interior tech looks pretty first gen too. If they were (are?) reliable they'd make an interesting used buy. I see they're low 20s now for 3 or 4 year old cars - how are the batteries holding up? Also, I love the 18" wheels on them! They look tiny! I've no idea what the profile of the tyre is but I sort of love it! Shame it's not a cooler wheel design, like a chunky split-rim old landy style look.
And the utter madness of JLR to not spin a number of EV offering off of this platform rather than investing so much to bring it to market then letting it die on the vine implies there was infighting and some old boys in the room harrumphing.
I’ve been looking for an EV for a few months.
procrastinating..
Saw a couple in the office car park, nicer looking than the other EVs there
I understand that the charging isn’t the best, but acceptable.
As a private buyer, a low mileage HSE can be had for say 35k & a couple of years old
I’m tempted to put my money into that than a new car EV TBH
The future of Jaguar worries me but they still produce some cracking cars and not just this
It's the reliability that worries me - LR couldn't make my Discovery boot stay closed - they had to replace the entire thing to make it work. There's always that hint that nobody really knows how the tech works...just that it worked when new.
The interior tech looks pretty first gen too. If they were (are?) reliable they'd make an interesting used buy. I see they're low 20s now for 3 or 4 year old cars - how are the batteries holding up? Also, I love the 18" wheels on them! They look tiny! I've no idea what the profile of the tyre is but I sort of love it! Shame it's not a cooler wheel design, like a chunky split-rim old landy style look.
Never been sold on the iPace. Has always looked a little oddly proportioned in my eyes.
I actually find the I-Pace quite a good looking car. Shame it’s not been developed further by JLR.
Cracking things to drive, first car I thought that was really good 'traditional' car that just happened to be powered by batteries, rather than trying to be something different (Leaf), comprised heavily by them (various hybrids) or just plain meh (Tesla).
A hugely missed opportunity by JLR not to take it in different directions.
It’s a normal ‘S’ spec, but with air suspension, the adaptive dynamics really helps with the handling. It has the 20 inch wheels which is a compromise between the 22s and the 18s. I really wanted one in Caesium blue as well (I would have liked silver wheels though)
I actually find the I-Pace quite a good looking car. Shame it’s not been developed further by JLR.
I’d still like to consider one, unfortunately read there have been a lot of niggles with them and some not so cheap or quick to fix, which really puts me off. Glad to hear of owners liking their’s very much. I’d be interested to know what’s the longest anyone’s owned one for, how many miles, longest trip without stopping, and anything needed fixing/bills.
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