@Raeth, @Jelle, I share your sentiments! I drove home - in my Model S - feeling underwhelmed too. For the exact same reasons: bulky on the outside, not that spacious at all on the inside, smaller and lower than I had hoped, small boot, infotainment system that feels like you're back in 2009, even slower to respond than I feared.
I am booking a testdrive and hope the ride at least is "next level" compared to my five year old Model S. But that overwhelming feeling that I had when I first got the MS, that sensation that I had "arrived in the future", well, I kinda had that all over again when I got back in my car yesterday evening - after stepping out of a brand new so called "tesla killer".
I guess there are two things I need to separate. The car is much smaller, in _every aspect_, than the Model S (let alone the Model X, why Jaguar invited comparisons with that car by pitting them against each other in a drag race will forever be lost on me). But that smaller size is not a fault, just a fact, a choice. When I got the MS I always said that everything about it was great, but I would have preferred it if it was a bit more compact. Now, after five years, I notice that its dimension have become "the norm" for me. I'm sure that after a while, I will be fine with the more compact dimensions of the I-Pace. So I'll do my best to let that go.
But with respect to the infotainment system, my worst fears came through. Not only is it mindboggingly slow (I had heard of one second delays, in real life it feels even more than that for some operations), it also looks outdated. It would even compare unfavourably with the BMW i-Drive system I had 9 years ago. Compared to the Tesla? INCOMPARABLE, even to the version it came with 5 years ago, before all the OTA improvements. And I am not talking about the size of the MS's touch screen, I actually agree with many critics that it is not the most ergonomical solution. I am totally fine with the I-Pace's physical buttons and multiple smaller screens - it's just what is displayed on them that feels like a timewarp in the wrong direction.
Actually.. Now that I rethink this, it's not all the screens. The bottom screen, that mainly does the climate settings, is actually fine. It looks and feels more contemporary, it doesn't lag nearly as bad, it's pretty nice actually. But the main screen, with the infotainment, navigation and general settings, ouch...
Were there any positives? Well, I found the FE 20" wheels gorgeous in real life, and the HUD promises to be very nice.
Like I said, I will book a testdrive and hope the ride convinces me. If it doesn't, I might make someone on the waiting list very happy. Because the list of downsides is significant: much smaller for both passengers and cargo, impaired charging, much less range considering the battery size, crappy infotainment that I fear is beyond the power of OTA updates to repair. The ride has to really convince - and that is not that easy. Nowadays it seems all the rage to criticise Tesla's ride qualities, but 5 years ago the entire auto press raved about the unbelievable ride the Tesla offered, making everything else on the road feel like a coal train. The rest of the playing field hasn't improved that much since, and although I am sure Jaguar managed to step things up, I don't think it will be by a landslide.