5 things to know about the 2019 Jaguar I-Pace

Jaguar has promised that every vehicle in its lineup will have some form of electrification by 2020. While some might lament the loss of the gasoline engine, I would argue those people haven’t driven the all-new 2019 Jaguar I-Pace.

My recent 2-day test was nothing short of amazing.

For more detail, you can read my full first-look review, but for now, here are five things you need to know about the I-Pace.

0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds

The I-Pace is Jaguar’s first all-electric vehicle, and it comes equipped with a 90 kWh battery pack. This translates to 394 horsepower and 512 pound-feet of torque.

As Jaguar pointed out during its press preview, this is approaching supercharged V-8 territory.

For comparison, the F-Type V-8 S delivers 495 horsepower and 460-pound feet of torque. It has a 0-to-60-mph time of 4.2 seconds.

Jaguar hasn’t announced plans to have any alternative battery pack options at this time.

240 miles of range

Range anxiety is real. And it will continue to be “a thing” until the charging infrastructure is not only fast but also as prolific as the multitude of gas stations littering our highways and byways.

To combat that, the range of electric vehicles has progressively gotten larger. Think back to the original Nissan Leaf; maximum range was about 80 miles – on a good day in temperate conditions.

But with 240 miles of range, the I-Pace will take you from Chicago to Indianapolis.

And with technology progressing, the extraneous drain on the battery has minimized as well. Jaguar estimates that things such as HVAC and heated seats will only draw about 1 percent of the power away from the battery.

Still concerned? There’s a screen for that. You can see what is drawing power, and then you can turn things off to maximize range.

80 percent charge in 40 minutes

If you are using a DC fast-charge station (aka a Level 3 charger), you can get up to an 80 percent charge within 40 minutes.

If you were to use a Level 2 charger (240-volts), you’re looking at 10 hours to hit an 80 percent charge and 12 hours and 36 minutes to get to 100 percent.

Jaguar recommends that you get a wall charger with at least Level 2 capability if you’re purchasing an I-Pace, but you can conceivably charge with a regular wall jack – it’ll just take you about 35 hours.

The I-Pace will come with Combined Charging System plug-in – which is the European and United states standard. This is in juxtaposition to CHAdeMO, which is the Asian automaker standard and appears on vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and Kia Soul EV.

The good news: Most chargers in the U.S. have the ability to charge both types of vehicles.

Predictive technology

This is either creepy or cool depending on your perspective.

Wth Jaguar’s new Bluetooth keep fob, once you pair your phone and set up your preferences, the I-Pace begins to learn who you are, what you do and how you drive.

If you were in a two-key household, the vehicle would recognize your specific key as you walk up to it and adjust your audio, climate and seating preferences accordingly.

The vehicle will also be able to learn your driving style – are you a speed demon or do you drive like a grandma? Then it will be able to calculate your range more accurately based on you specifically.

And this is where it gets a little creepy. If you are a creature of habit and, say, call your mother every day at 6 p.m. on your commute home from the office, the vehicle may ask if you want to call your mom if it’s approaching 6 o’clock and you haven’t made that call.

Priced less than the Tesla Model X

While Porsche and BMW have all-electric SUVs, people will most likely compare the I-Pace to the Tesla Model X.

And though I-Pace only has one battery pack option to Tesla’s two options (75 kWh and 100 kWh), if you compare base model to base model, I-Pace is the clear winner in the price category, as it costs $10K less than the Model X.

The base price of the I-Pace is $69,500, and the top-tier First Edition trim (2019 model year only) tops out at $85,900. The Model X starts at $79,500 and will top out near $150K for the up-level battery pack and AWD.

While we’re doing some comparing, we’d also like to point out the I-Pace has standard AWD (the Model X does not) and gets 3 miles of range more than the Model X.

The Bottom Line

When the Jaguar I-Pace goes on sale in the United States, which should happen by the end of the year, Tesla is going to have a problem.

Not only has Jaguar created a well-priced and well-optioned vehicle that bests the base Model X on range and features, but it also knows how to mass produce vehicles.

Tesla has notoriously kept journalists away from its vehicles, neither providing vehicles for a media fleet nor producing press programs that give journalists significant time behind the wheel. And this may soon come back to haunt the automaker.

Sure Tesla has a cult-like following, but I think those waiting in line for a Telsa could be wooed away from the brand by the cool technology and ready availability that will come with the I-Pace.

My social media onslaught even had my followers asking me if they should cancel their Model 3 reservations in favor of getting an I-Pace.

My answer: Yeah. You should.