Jaguar has revealed prices for the most hotly anticipated car of 2018.
The all electric I-Pace is available to order now with prices starting at £63,495 – brought down to £58,995 once the government’s £4,500 electric car grant has been subtracted.
That’s not cheap but it’s a significant amount less than its closest rival, Tesla’s Model X, which starts at around £75,000.
Penned by Jaguar’s Scottish head of design Ian Callum, it’s a stunning looking car.
Callum and his team could have taken the easy route of putting batteries and an electric motor into one of Jaguar’s other SUVs, the F-Pace and E-Pace.
Instead they’ve come up with a bespoke piece of design that mixes SUV credentials with the dynamism of the XJ.
A short, low bonnet, aero-enhanced roof design and curved rear screen allows it to achieve a drag co-efficient to just 0.29Cd. That aerodynamic shape means the electric motors don’t have to work as hard, improving range.
Jaguar says the I-Pace will be able to travel just shy of 300 miles on a single charge.
That’s lower than the 351 miles claimed by the longest range model of Tesla Model X (which you have to pay £93,000 for) but much farther than any other electric car currently on sale.
The battery pack slots in under the floor, meaning the I-Pace has much more passenger space than its modest 4.86m by 2.14m dimensions would suggest.
Jaguar says each passenger has 89cm of legroom and the absence of a transmission tunnel allows for a central 10.5 litre storage compartment.
The boot is a capacious 656 litres and there’s a 30 litre compartment under the bonnet that stores the charging cables.
The battery pack brings the I-Pace’s weight up to more than two tonnes but a very low centre of gravity means it should grip the road well.
Power is provided by two electric motors, giving the I-Pace four-wheel drive.
Using a home wall charger takes around 10 hours to get the battery up to 80% , so it can be charged overnight. The 50kw public fast chargers that are now common will take it to 80% in 85 minutes, while the 100kw rapid chargers due to be rolled out over the next couple of years will do it in just 45 minutes.
The I-Pace will go from 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds. That’s well off the pace of a Tesla Model X equipped with “ludicrous mode,” which does it in 2.9 seconds (although you pay £129,000 for the privilege) but still faster than a Porsche 911. Top speed is 124mph.
Premium fully electric cars are due from BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Volvo but Jaguar is the first mainstream premium manufacturer to get theirs to market. With superb looks and comparatively keen pricing, the I-Pace looks like a winner.