Model X vs iPace vs eTron
Author
Discussion

coolpixel

Original Poster:

4 posts

66 months

Thursday 20th August 2020
quotequote all
am a long term ICE sedan owner and am thinking of switching to EV sometime later this year.

i love driving, used to drive for work-related business when that was a thing and we as a family are tall, and those criteria, along with the desire to get a SUV-ish car, got me to shortlist the above models.

i will love to hear real world driving range from owners of these models and also how much charging downtime when at public charging points.

would also love to hear just about anything else from an owning/driving experience for these models.

thanks in advance


gangzoom

7,952 posts

237 months

Thursday 20th August 2020
quotequote all
I've been using a X for coming up to 3.5 years as our main family car, my last update is below.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Real life range of a brand new X is around 250miles+ at 70mph-75mph, worst range in winter/against wind (yes that matters in EVs)/rain will be around 200 miles.

Reliability is the main issue I've had with our X, but given the other threads on here about a broken down eTron not been fixed for months and iPace software issues I would say all these cars are what you would expect from a 'premium' brand interms of reliability, so basically don't expect Toyota levels of reliability.

Personally I think EVs make great SUVs, you aren't punished much at all for fuel costs of having a poor areo design versus a saloon/hatchback (our X fuel costs is around 2p per mile), all of them give great performance for their size/practicability (you need a SQ7/RRS to match equivalent performance), and on the whole deliver an excellent driving experience you expect from an EV drivetrain versus a TDI.

Which you pick will simply come down to how much you hate Tesla, how much you prefer a conventional design, and than your budget/needs. They are all great family cars.

Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 20th August 11:53

coolpixel

Original Poster:

4 posts

66 months

Thursday 20th August 2020
quotequote all

thanks. i don't hate Tesla, but i certainly have rather strong opinions of its current CEO smile that though is unlikely to play into my decision.

gangzoom said:
I've been using a X for coming up to 3.5 years as our main family car, my last update is below.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Real life range of a brand new X is around 250miles+ at 70mph-75mph, worst range in winter/against wind (yes that matters in EVs)/rain will be around 200 miles.

Reliability is the main issue I've had with our X, but given the other threads on here about a broken down eTron not been fixed for months and iPace software issues I would say all these cars are what you would expect from a 'premium' brand interms of reliability, so basically don't expect Toyota levels of reliability.

Personally I think EVs make great SUVs, you aren't punished much at all for fuel costs of having a poor areo design versus a saloon/hatchback (our X fuel costs is around 2p per mile), all of them give great performance for their size/practicability (you need a SQ7/RRS to match equivalent performance), and on the whole deliver an excellent driving experience you expect from an EV drivetrain versus a TDI.

Which you pick will simply come down to how much you hate Tesla, how much you prefer a conventional design, and than your budget/needs. They are all great family cars.

Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 20th August 11:53

modeller

521 posts

188 months

Thursday 20th August 2020
quotequote all
If you love driving then it has to be the I-Pace .. the other two are boats. But range, cost etc ...

ZesPak

26,002 posts

218 months

Thursday 20th August 2020
quotequote all
Hi, I would definitely add the Model S to that list.

I was very happy with my previous Jaguar and the dealer, so I was pretty set on getting an I Pace.
This was over a year ago, so early days for the model and they offered no discounts whatsoever. When starting to add some sensible options it was quickly in Tesla S/X territory, but with the Jaguar having less options.

The e tron was a very similar story, but that's a real boat. Huge on the outside and quite disappointing on the inside.
The Model S and especially the Model X has both of them beat on practicality by a mile. The Model S has more boot space than an E class ESTATE. Properly cavernous.

Looks are subjective, but to me the Jag looks the best, the etron is an Audi and the X is a bit of a blob. The Model S can be a bit of a safe shape, but I think it looks very well proportioned.

For me, all of them were very similarly priced but the extra range, performance and practicality of the Tesla were in another league.
Interior, I do agree the Tesla's aren't the top but for me the seats are very comfortable and it's a nice place to be in with the nice big screen dominating it. In terms of infotainment, the others felt like a relic of another time. Like using a blackberry storm after you've been using a Galaxy S10.

In Europe, the networks are quite good so I don't really buy into the Supercharger (SuC) network as a USP, but it's a nice addition if you do need it.

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

276 months

Thursday 20th August 2020
quotequote all
Charging networks it isnt even a competition

You have unreliable low speed random or the supercharger network. In a few years UK might have a solid 100kw+ non tesla network but its not there yet

But you only need those chargers if you do a long day of driving typically (though for say iPace on motorway in winter you'd need one for a 180+ mile round trip).

All 3 are good cars, none are without issues.

Model x - Most range,most tech, fastest (or about equal with ipace depending on version), absolutely HUGE. Full adult 7 seater with boot space. Its an incredible piece of tech and the gull wing doors are crazy and provide awesome access into the back at the cost of a potential roof rack.

iPace - smallest inside? Best drive I hear (not had a chance to drive), Not the best range, decent luxury but laggy info, best looking.

Etron - solid wafty luxury, big, heavy, inefficient but OK for road trip if you can find 150kw chargers. I think one of the car tv reviews had it lapping a track a little quicker than the standard model x but wont out drag any of the others. Looks of it bore me to death but its a solid safe choice thta tries ot pretend its an ICE car.

ZesPak

26,002 posts

218 months

Thursday 20th August 2020
quotequote all
RobDickinson said:
Charging networks it isnt even a competition

You have unreliable low speed random or the supercharger network. In a few years UK might have a solid 100kw+ non tesla network but its not there yet
So I've heard, I was talking from my experience, that's why I said "in Europe" smile.
The on board Nav in a Tesla telling you how many chargers are available is a godsend though.

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

276 months

Thursday 20th August 2020
quotequote all
ZesPak said:
So I've heard, I was talking from my experience, that's why I said "in Europe" smile.
The on board Nav in a Tesla telling you how many chargers are available is a godsend though.
Sorry, wasnt commenting on your post at all.

I've still not used a fast charger in 10-11 months .!

ZesPak

26,002 posts

218 months

Thursday 20th August 2020
quotequote all
RobDickinson said:
Sorry, wasnt commenting on your post at all.

I've still not used a fast charger in 10-11 months .!
I've used one on a couple of occasions.
Once, the second week I had it, I forgot to plug it in in the evening biggrin. Took me a 10min charger stop on my route so no harm done.

hyphen

26,262 posts

112 months

Thursday 20th August 2020
quotequote all
Not keen on a Model Y?

X seems a larger car than the Jag or Audi. So if you need the additional seating then only the X will do.

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

276 months

Thursday 20th August 2020
quotequote all
Y is larger than the ipace or etron on the inside, faster than both and cheaper I suspect, but not yet available to even order in RHD countries.

potentially on sale late next year?

Witchfinder

6,346 posts

274 months

Friday 21st August 2020
quotequote all
I opted for the E-Tron because it was significantly cheaper than anything else. I'm leasing, but the 50 Technik I have can be bought for about £53k brand new. The cheapest Model X is £82k, and you're looking at at least £60k for a new I-Pace.

I have the 50 battery because I very rarely do long trips, and it's been more than adequate so far. I also picked Technik trim because again it's significantly cheaper.

Space inside the E-Tron is comparable to my previous Volvo V90. The boot isn't as deep or quite as long, but it's enough for me to carry my big fencing bags and other sports equipment. Passenger accommodations are plenty big enough, even for very tall people.

If you need to do lots of longer trips, you might be best going for a Tesla. The range and additional choices it gives you for public charging are going to really help. I drove a Model S a couple of years ago and really liked it, but thought it was too expensive. I'd seriously consider the Model S over the X in your shoes. The other alternatives you might not have considered are the EQC and Mach E.

You can do longer trips I'm an E-Tron or I-Pace, it just might not be as convenient. If regular long trips aren't important, you could save yourself a bundle.

ZesPak

26,002 posts

218 months

Friday 21st August 2020
quotequote all
Fully agree with Witchfinder. If the numbers were more in favour of the jag/audi, I would have gone for them.
Not regretting the Model S one bit though.

51mes

1,533 posts

222 months

Friday 21st August 2020
quotequote all
RobDickinson said:
Charging networks it isnt even a competition

You have unreliable low speed random or the supercharger network. In a few years UK might have a solid 100kw+ non tesla network but its not there yet
As usual, stretching the truth to fit an almost religious viewpoint. Yes the supercharger network is quite frankly super - widespread in the UK 500 points (across many locations) I believe now. However the non tesla 100kw+ UK network is rapidly expanding and completly usable. Using zapmap:

Tesla superchargers:


UK CCS 100,150 & 350kw


These tend to be ionity, instavolt, shell and polar and all work off contactless payment.
Ionity on its own have over 100 points in the UK on their own and will have 20 UK sites in the next year. I've personally never had a problem with the first two, and only once with polar.

We then have the backup of the ccs 50kw networks, which are not exactly slow...

So yes Tesla is better, but it's not all bad elsewhere.

S.

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

276 months

Friday 21st August 2020
quotequote all
Oh sure, fine, UK non tesla fast charger is a solved problem glad it's sorted!

JD

3,086 posts

250 months

Friday 21st August 2020
quotequote all
51mes said:
These tend to be ionity, instavolt, shell and polar and all work off contactless payment.
Ionity on its own have over 100 points in the UK on their own and will have 20 UK sites in the next year. I've personally never had a problem with the first two, and only once with polar.
Ionity have 10 sites in the UK not over 100 and were not contactless the last time I looked:

"All IONITY charging stations offer quick, seamless, on-the-spot smartphone payments via mobile browser. Simply scan the station's barcode, enter your details, and authorize payment. Access as a guest, or register your payment details so all your future payments are as easy as scan-and-go."


ZesPak

26,002 posts

218 months

Friday 21st August 2020
quotequote all
51mes said:
As usual, stretching the truth to fit an almost religious viewpoint. Yes the supercharger network is quite frankly super - widespread in the UK 500 points (across many locations) I believe now. However the non tesla 100kw+ UK network is rapidly expanding and completly usable. Using zapmap:
I agree that Rob is making a blanket statement. And the numbers do look good (as I said, in Europe it's not even an issue imho).
But experience from some posters here raise a number of points:
  • A lot of these fast charger locations only have two or three stalls, while Tesla often has at least half a dozen (the 5 closest to me have a minimum of 8 and a max of 18)
  • A number of these seem to be out of commission with no way of knowing beforehand (experience from other posters here)
  • You need separate cards/subscriptions to make use of them
I've said on numerous topics, but a general API that allows you to see availability (both for defects and occupation) like Tesla has would be a major step forward. Driving towards a charger you need, not knowing there's going to be a queue or even one available seems like a step backwards. But I can imagine some other networks have their own apps for that already?

Edited by ZesPak on Friday 21st August 11:09

aestetix1

873 posts

73 months

Saturday 22nd August 2020
quotequote all
Charging is a non-issue these days. My suggestion is go to the A Better Route Planner website and do some test journeys with each car. See how much difference it makes. You will find that most of the time the difference is in the order of minutes. Even driving down to the south of France will only take maybe an hour longer over two days in the worst case.

Get the car that suits your needs best.

jason61c

5,978 posts

196 months

Saturday 22nd August 2020
quotequote all
coolpixel said:
am a long term ICE sedan owner and am thinking of switching to EV sometime later this year.

i love driving, used to drive for work-related business when that was a thing and we as a family are tall, and those criteria, along with the desire to get a SUV-ish car, got me to shortlist the above models.

i will love to hear real world driving range from owners of these models and also how much charging downtime when at public charging points.

would also love to hear just about anything else from an owning/driving experience for these models.

thanks in advance
I think you'll struggle to get a balanced answer.

Given the price gap, you need to decide if you want a luxury, well built car(what are you coming out of?) or an american built car with extra tech.

ZesPak

26,002 posts

218 months

Sunday 23rd August 2020
quotequote all
jason61c said:
I think you'll struggle to get a balanced answer.

Given the price gap, you need to decide if you want a luxury, well built car(what are you coming out of?) or an american built car with extra tech.
As a jaguar and Model S owner and big fan of the ipace, please ignore statements like this and have a look at the interiors yourself.