Jaguar’s award-winning, all-electric performance SUV, the I-PACE, was featured on Drive TV in a road trip from Bowral in NSW’s Southern Highlands to the white sands of Hyams Beach. While the city might be considered the I-PACE’s comfort zone, with a range of up to 446km and the luxury execution of the cabin, host Trent Nikolic found the I-PACE “most inviting for a long road trip”. Refined and fun to drive, he made the journey with “real ease” and concluded the I-PACE is the “definition of a luxury electric vehicle”.

TICKS EVERY BOX

After the trip, Nikolic’s full review of the I-PACE found it ticked every box you would expect it to, and was a beautiful car to drive, even out of its comfort zone. Captivated by the exterior styling, he loved the way “the clever door handles retract back into the body for a sleek appearance, the subtle tailgate spoiler looks the part, and premium LED lighting leaves a strong visual signature”. Inside, the driving position “is spot on, featuring plenty of adjustment for all drivers, and is comfortable thanks to the quality of the front seats”. Even out on the open road for long stretches, Nikolic said “the I-PACE's cabin is as cosseted an environment as it is comfortable”.

JAGUAR I-PACE

BEHAVED, BALANCED & SPORTY

As he worked his way around the south coast of NSW, he always had plenty of charge in reserve as he approached each town with a charger, meaning there was no “dreaded range anxiety”. Power wasn’t an issue either. Equipped with an electric motor on each axle, the I-PACE “uses its 294kW and 696Nm to rocket from 0–100km/h in just 4.8 seconds”. What most impressed Nikolic was “when we hit the twisty sections how well-behaved, how well-balanced, and how sporty the I-Pace feels”. He found the silence of the car and its poise enhanced the driver experience. The steering system was smooth and precise at any speed, with fantastic stability on the highway at 110km/h, and he felt “the I-PACE is a lovely vehicle to spend time with on an open road”.

Jaguar High Class Feel

PREMIUM, HIGH CLASS FEEL

Improvements to infotainment and connectivity didn’t go unnoticed for Nikolic, particularly on a long road trip. The 10-inch touchscreen was “bright and responsive in all conditions” and Apple CarPlay was “faultless”. The Pivi Pro system worked well in every other area too, “whether that be controlling functions within the infotainment system, monitoring what the battery system is doing, or simply using something as simple as the satellite navigation”. Overall, the infotainment system has a premium feel to it, with the screen, graphics and displays all looking high class.

After a week and almost 2000km behind the wheel Nikolic “left impressed with the way the I-PACE behaves in the real world”, finding a neat middle point between practical and sporty. And with edgy styling and clever design, the luxury I-PACE “still looks the part a few years after its original launch”.