There has been a lot of negativity on the forum recently against a backdrop of possible new owners. I wanted to say something positive!
I was (am) a petrol head and sold a 5.0ltr twin supercharged 510hp Jaguar XFR and replaced it with an I-pace a few months ago. Prior to this I was partial to Porsche and Lotus and I retain a Noble M12 GTO3R.
I was enjoying a tricky but enjoyable windy road home yesterday and it dawned on me just how much I admire this car, both technologically and as a pleasure to drive. It is very agile despite its weight; it maintains a great deal of poise and bestows plenty of confidence. It is not prone to sudden deflections or instability. Re-assurance is easier to come by as compared the XFR (also 2 tons) which is just as capable but requires more faith it will do as it is told. The permanent 4-wheel drive also helps keep it online and in the right direction despite the weight. You would expect understeer rather than oversteer but actually on the road I haven’t been able to elicit either. It is just a thoroughly enjoyable and forgiving car to drive and I find it remarkable the car is so accomplished.
Then it has to be one of the most comfortable and beguiling places to be. The seats are supportive but forgiving, the pedals are well spaced and the accessories are generous and useful. You don’t have to drive the car fast and if you want to cruise, you do so in style and feeling relaxed and altogether in a good space. Even when parked, you might be tempted to sneak out, put on the instantaneous heating, recline the seat and listen to some sounds on the all-embracing and rather wonderful surround sound system… and just….relax (aman person cave of sorts).
I have even learnt the virtues of no longer ignoring passengers wanting to stop on a journey and now by contrast enjoy a coffee and a slice of cake. Even driving on the motorway at 62mph has become somewhat fascinating (I have never felt less stressed). My friends and family don’t know what to make of it.
Finally, there is something wonderful about the fact your car is fuelled up at home – it all seems…well...so seamless.
I know people are having issues, serious issues in some cases and I don’t mean to demean these experiences but every car can have issues, not all of them do. I-paces are sophisticated and electric cars are a relatively new phenomenon. As I said in a previous post, my first car was a Triumph Dolomite Sprint which would never restart when warm, when cold I had to remove the spark plugs every morning and put them in the oven, I could watch the world go by through the missing drain plugs in the footwells, and would either boil to death or freeze, but I put up with it - I still loved and wanted that car regardless.
This forum is indispensable and anyone buying an I-pace should seek advice and information right here, but I have just one piece of advice if you are thinking of buying an I-pace.
Don’t buy one unless you want to be part of an experiment of sorts, if reliability is top of your list, wait until the technology and knowledge has progressed (a warranty will help but is not a get out of jail free card). Embrace a great car in its own right alongside the possible risks that come with it. Expect the unexpected. Be ready to be forgiving whilst hoping it won’t be necessary.
Then you will enjoy what is a wonderful piece of modern engineering that at all other times is a lot of fun, purposeful, relatively rare and a joy to be a part of (and even more so at current prices).
I was (am) a petrol head and sold a 5.0ltr twin supercharged 510hp Jaguar XFR and replaced it with an I-pace a few months ago. Prior to this I was partial to Porsche and Lotus and I retain a Noble M12 GTO3R.
I was enjoying a tricky but enjoyable windy road home yesterday and it dawned on me just how much I admire this car, both technologically and as a pleasure to drive. It is very agile despite its weight; it maintains a great deal of poise and bestows plenty of confidence. It is not prone to sudden deflections or instability. Re-assurance is easier to come by as compared the XFR (also 2 tons) which is just as capable but requires more faith it will do as it is told. The permanent 4-wheel drive also helps keep it online and in the right direction despite the weight. You would expect understeer rather than oversteer but actually on the road I haven’t been able to elicit either. It is just a thoroughly enjoyable and forgiving car to drive and I find it remarkable the car is so accomplished.
Then it has to be one of the most comfortable and beguiling places to be. The seats are supportive but forgiving, the pedals are well spaced and the accessories are generous and useful. You don’t have to drive the car fast and if you want to cruise, you do so in style and feeling relaxed and altogether in a good space. Even when parked, you might be tempted to sneak out, put on the instantaneous heating, recline the seat and listen to some sounds on the all-embracing and rather wonderful surround sound system… and just….relax (a
I have even learnt the virtues of no longer ignoring passengers wanting to stop on a journey and now by contrast enjoy a coffee and a slice of cake. Even driving on the motorway at 62mph has become somewhat fascinating (I have never felt less stressed). My friends and family don’t know what to make of it.
Finally, there is something wonderful about the fact your car is fuelled up at home – it all seems…well...so seamless.
I know people are having issues, serious issues in some cases and I don’t mean to demean these experiences but every car can have issues, not all of them do. I-paces are sophisticated and electric cars are a relatively new phenomenon. As I said in a previous post, my first car was a Triumph Dolomite Sprint which would never restart when warm, when cold I had to remove the spark plugs every morning and put them in the oven, I could watch the world go by through the missing drain plugs in the footwells, and would either boil to death or freeze, but I put up with it - I still loved and wanted that car regardless.
This forum is indispensable and anyone buying an I-pace should seek advice and information right here, but I have just one piece of advice if you are thinking of buying an I-pace.
Don’t buy one unless you want to be part of an experiment of sorts, if reliability is top of your list, wait until the technology and knowledge has progressed (a warranty will help but is not a get out of jail free card). Embrace a great car in its own right alongside the possible risks that come with it. Expect the unexpected. Be ready to be forgiving whilst hoping it won’t be necessary.
Then you will enjoy what is a wonderful piece of modern engineering that at all other times is a lot of fun, purposeful, relatively rare and a joy to be a part of (and even more so at current prices).
