[Jimbo095]

Solihull iPace event, a quick write up!
So, they have 2x 'pre-production' models there, a first edition in photon and an HSE in Black. It was pleasant in the sense that there are only around 20 people Max, they feed and water you and valet park (not clean) your car. First 45 mins or so is in a 'theatre', there are various PowerPoint slides and videos, essentially an enhancement of the PR videos already out there. Someone (can't recall his title) then talked through the history, alterations from the concept and provided information ranging from charging infrastructure, to range, residuals, warranty, tech, etc etc. The Design Manager for the iPace was there and a few others to answer questions. There is then a big 'reveal' with light show etc which was cheesy but nice I guess. You then get to freely switch between the two rooms which have the two different models. I have many photos but don't really want to spoil it for people that are going, so will limit them! Below is some info provided and answers to some of the questions I and others asked.

220-240 miles real world
20-30 degrees ideal temps
No Tesla charge point sharing, they 'only have 270 of them anyway'
13 hours to full charge
100kw Max charge
500mm wading, same as X5
Over 50% predicted residuals on all models
8 year 100k warranty to 70% capacity on batteries.

I asked about long term ownership beyond battery warranty, they said it would not be cost effective to replace all the batteries but they 'see no reason' why the vehicle wouldn't be good for up 20 years for example.'
Will post a couple of pics and info slides but don't look if you don't want to see!

Favourite aspect: I'm no KAHN etc fan but 22'' carbon wheels are amazing, IMO.

Least favourite: Lacquer scratches on black car already, loose trim piece but was assured it was 'pre-production'
Issues. Also strange centre console removable tray that doesn't seem to stow anywhere.

Probably lots I've forgotten/missed but it's becoming an essay!
Any questions please ask!!

 

[Ty Rua]

Thank you. Interesting to read of real range estimates. There'll be those who do better, and worse. Cornwall to London on one charge - always had a stop anyway so not a real hardship.

 

[catwoman]

Nice pics and info, thanks for sharing . . good to see the lower central console with the arrangement of 'drive' buttons and various mode selections. It looks like the steering wheel controls are that shiny touch sensitive material, similar to the Velar style.

These are the first pics I've seen of the interior of a right-hand drive model.

Did the cabin interior feel like a nice quality place to be . . befitting of the luxury price bracket of the car?

 

[NATO]

For how long have you been invited to this event? I have been asking the dealer if there was one planned, but told "nothing planned until May" could you advise please when did you place your order?
It does seem the dealer is lacking behind in information from Jaguar........ :shock:

 

[Jimbo095]

Hi, deposit placed last March but I believe that's irrelevant. Hasn't been well publicicised at all, I informed both my local dealers this was happening, poor really. It runs until next Monday with 2 hour slots running throughout the day.

In terms of quality it predominantly felt like a nice place to be but there is definitely something at the back of my mind questioning the £80+k value. But it's so tricky to put a value on something relatively unique, for now.

Not sure if Steering wheel was differentto Velar or not, do the Velars and MY18 RRS 'buttons' not physically move at all right? I believe they don't, something about haptic feedback like the iPhone home button? The iPace buttons do physically move, not quite a 'click' like my MY17 RRS but a 'softer' movement if you like?!

 

[NATO]

Thanks for the information, have chased my dealer and they have offered me a slot next week. Saves me having to go to Geneva to have a look.

 

[Thincat]

Just returned from Solihull. Very pleased that I went. I think the black metallic paint looks very nice but the red is not as good as the other reds Jaguar use. The cabin was not a spacious as I was expecting but then I'm comparing it to my F-Pace. There was less headroom than in an I-Pace (but I don't actually need it anyway) and when you put the front seat back as far as it would go (my normal driving position) there is still not much space for the rear seat passenger as I had been led to believe - it's better than an F-Pace but not much. The boot space is significantly smaller than an F-Pace, the 'froot' is bigger than I expected. The biggest surprise was that there appears to be no room for a spare wheel. I got two different answers about wher the spare wheel would go (1) the spare would have to be placed on top of the load bay in its own cover- and so take up quite a bit of space and (2) the spare fits below the load cover but the cover itself sits higher - which also takes up space. As a result I plan to delete the spare wheel from my order.
I also asked about the description of 'one motor per axle' - saying that presumably there is some sort of a differential on each axle to allow relative movement of the wheels - the answer is that there is a clutch mechanism allowing relative movement when needed.
Overall I was very impressed.

 

[Jimbo095]

I was only advised that spare wheel would sit in the boot, luckily I hadn't specced it anyway...

 

[maldives9]

Hi
I attended the Solihull event today - had a fantastic afternoon with my 9 year old son.

Love the car - would have liked it to be higher off the ground (Jaguar guys think the 2 cars on show may be in access mode which is 40mm lower than drive mode).

The First Edition on show is red - but looks a very attractive orange under the display lights. When I push the front seat all the way back to where I need it the rear legroom is on par with my old Evoque (tight).

Interestingly the 'floating' centre console ala "look you can see all the way through each front footwell" disappeared from online videos a few weeks back and in production vehicles the centre console is fixed to the floor as normal - shame.

Told my dealer last week that other people were being invited to Solihull - invite arrived Monday morning this week.

I'd love to post some pics - but this forum is a bit confusing for images etc.

Thanks

Richard

 

[maldives9]

Looks like images might be working then (oops) ...

 

[mikew]

Spare wheel - I was told by my dealer that the space saver spare raises the boot floor slightly, but they couldn't say by how much.

The real issue though isn't a slight loss of height resulting from the spare being stowed under the floor; it's what on earth you do with the full size wheel if you ever have to deploy the spare! Imagine having to fit a 22" wheel with 40/255 tyre into a boot already full of holiday cases!

Better to rely in the inflation kit and, if that fails, wait for the recovery service to arrive.

 

[johnd]

Better to rely in the inflation kit and, if that fails, wait for the recovery service to arrive.

That's one point of view. Mine is totally the reverse. Inflation kits tend to have minimal reliability; I'd much rather have all the options that the spare offers. And 22" wheels? Thanks, but no thanks - a good ride is much more important to me than a bit of bling.

 

[Guest]

In 2005 I had 3 punctures on my Nissan Primera in a month ... without a spare wheel I would have been screwed. In fact before that I recon that before 2005 I must have had over 30 punctures since 1995 when I brought my first car.

However since 2005 I've not had a flat ... never ... and this is down to that fact that tyre technology has come on leaps and bounds. I've just got a Kia Stinger with no spare ... and I'm not worried at all. No flats in 12+ years makes me confident that my general drives these days won't give me a flat. If you do a lot of real off road driving then I'd say get a spare, however if you haven't had a flat in many years then probably you won't in future.

 

[Thincat]

In 2005 I had 3 punctures on my Nissan Primera in a month ... without a spare wheel I would have been screwed. In fact before that I recon that before 2005 I must have had over 30 punctures since 1995 when I brought my first car.

However since 2005 I've not had a flat ... never ... and this is down to that fact that tyre technology has come on leaps and bounds. I've just got a Kia Stinger with no spare ... and I'm not worried at all. No flats in 12+ years makes me confident that my general drives these days won't give me a flat. If you do a lot of real off road driving then I'd say get a spare, however if you haven't had a flat in many years then probably you won't in future.

I used to be like that but I always had a spare. Then, two weeks after I took delivery of my F-Pace (with space saver) I got a puncture because of a nail. I took the wheel off the car and took it in my other car to Kwick-Fit where it was declared unrepairable and on the way home on an entirely different road I got another puncture in the other car!

 

[mikew]

That's one point of view. Mine is totally the reverse. Inflation kits tend to have minimal reliability; I'd much rather have all the options that the spare offers. And 22" wheels? Thanks, but no thanks - a good ride is much more important to me than a bit of bling.

I understand your point of view, but you didn't offer an answer to what to do with the full size wheel if your boot is fully loaded. Imagine you're on holiday for a fortnight with three friends and the boot is piled high with all your gear. What are you going to do with the wheel? Have a pair of roof bars fitted just in case? An 18" wheel has exactly the same diameter as a 22", so that won't help.

Although I honestly can't remember the last time I had a puncture; obviously they can and do happen. So I can't see there is a perfect solution here. In recent years I've got used to BMWs with run flats, but wow does your ride suffer.

As regards the 22" wheels being a bit of bling... Jaguar says that the I-Pace handles at its best on them. Jaguar also says the ride on 22" wheels is very acceptable, even on the steel springs. I actually opted for the active air suspension; partly for the ride, but also for the ability to increase the ride height when required. Something I will need.