T5 JAG said:
I understand that most UK dealers have had demonstrators in stock for some weeks but are not allowed to register them on the road until Jaguar have given them an update?
Have any forum members had UK dealers test drives yet?
I have refused to confirm my order until I have experienced the I Pace on local roads, so I am a little frustrated - having seen the car in the showroom.
I had a test drive on Saturday and will be taking my wife to try it out on Wednesday (2 days time) using trade plates because the dealers (& Jaguar?) don't want to register the car until the 1st September. In the UK that is the start of the new model year and new cars have a distinctive number which makes them more valuable. My dealer is limiting test drives on trade plates to customers who have placed an order. Presumably it will be a 'free for all' from 1st September when anyone can book a test drive.
Conclusions from my test drive: ,
The car was a red SE with Head-Up display and 20in. wheels. The dealer also had a a black First Edition in the showroom with a cycle rack fitted to the back - I got the impression that would not be going out on test drives much! Interestingly the I-Pace was in the showroom next to a F-Pace and a XF and I was surprised at how much lower it is than the F-Pace - more like the height of an XF yet when you get inside you have a choice of sitting high up as you would in an F-Pace or much lower as you would in a saloon. The lower exterior height might be exaggerated by the air suspension being on a low setting in the showroom.
When I actually got into the test car I raised the seat and steering wheel and the driving position felt very similar to that of my F-Pace but without the huge bonnet in my line of sight! Starting off with no engine noise at all is quite weird.
The drive was very impressive. The only criticism I had was that the view out of the rear view mirror is much more restricted than on my F-Pace and this effect was made worse by the privacy glass - which I will not be specifying. The I-Pace feels much more solid and significantly better built than the 3 Tesla's I have driven. The acceleration is very addictive! and it handles very well, particularly in tight turns, I drove it hard on a round-about and when lifting off the accelerator there is a definite and reassuring tuck-in. It feels like a sports car to drive rather than an SUV. I felt that the steering was slightly heavy, perhaps because the steering wheel is slightly smaller diameter than the one in my F-Pace. I think I can get used to it but if there is a way of adjusting and making it less heavy I think I would do so.
I think I was the first customer to test drive this particular car and the salesman, who was sitting next to me, did not know the answers to my questions such as has it got air suspension? I didn't get a chance to try all the settings and gadgets but apparently it was in 'comfort mode'. My main concern was that my wife would find the ride uncomfortable - because of back problems she was unable to travel in my XF but she finds the F-Pace OK because of the upright seating position and less harsh suspension. I was hoping that the I-Pace would be as good as or better than the F-Pace and not like the XF. I deliberately drove over potholes and cats eyes which I normally have to avoid when my wife is in the car. I was satisfied that it behaved better than my F-Pace, in particular, I hardly noticed the cats eyes.
Towards the end of the test drive we got onto a sweeping stretch of duel carriageway and very quickly the car was going well over 100mph - I'm going to have to watch that! The exit slip road had a very tight left hand bend, which I was expecting, and I took the opportunity to take the bend faster than I would normally do. The car behaved impeccably with none of the body roll that I would expect with my F-Pace.
Because we didn't know how to turn off the artificial noise the car wasn't quite as silent as I was expecting but getting back into my supercharged petrol F-Pace afterwards highlighted the engine noise (which I like) but also the engine note changing with gear changes which I don't normally notice.
Overall I was very pleased with my purchase decision and can't wait to get mine!
