Not a BMW but Jaguar I-Pace

[Solo Man]

So my son surprised me by flying me up to Joburg and inviting me to drive back to Cape Town in his "new" secondhand I-Pace. He had planned the route as to the availability of charging stations across the country so first stop was Kroonstad after we charged up at Sandton City. At Kroonstad the charger had a problem as it was not charging as it should so after about three hours we had (we thought) enough energy to reach the casino in Bloem where the nearest charging station is.We had about 30km plus on the range of 212kms but as we got closer to Bloem the wind turned about and started blowing from straight up ahead. The range quickly diminished. When we came to the bypass road it said 5km and the station was 10kms away. I drove slower and slower until eventually we reached the off ramp. Long story short- we coasted at about 10 - 20kms/h into the casino grounds and up to the charging station. We had made it with the range showing zero in red for the last 3 kms and the central screen already dead. Took about 2 hours to get the car fully charged and then next morning we left for Colesburg. Charged the car whilst having breakfast and after about hour and a half was sufficiently charged to reach Graaf Reinett via Middelburg. In Graaf Reinett we spent the time going through the Heritage Museum and having lunch afterwards. Car was now at max charged as the next stop was Knysna 312 km away. By this time we had made some experiments as to what is the most economical way to drive the car so we cruised at about 100km/h for about 200kms. We were fortunate as we had a following wind but after about 220 kms the wind turned around and was from ahead again. Turned off at Uniondale as that was the indicated route but shortly afterwards reached the gravel road leading over i think it is the Swartberg Pass. Single lane with many many blind curves. We did not have enough range to turn around and go to George so had to proceed on the gravel road. Car has air suspension and the road was surprisingly in good condition. Eventually reached Knysna with 40km range left!! generated by the long downhills on the pass. Charged the car at the mall charging station and then had a good nights rest at a B&B in Hartenbos/Bayview. Next morning drove to the next charging point at Buffeljags near Swellendam. Then on to Caledon where we charged again and played some pool at the Casino. Next stop was Onrus River where my son dropped me off. My impressions of the trip is the power and speed of the car. Does 0 - 100 in about 4,8 seconds with no effort. Just step on the pedal and it goes. Overtaking is a doddle. Uphills you do not even notice. Car has some tire rumble/roar over coarse tar but on smooth tar it is very quiet bar some slight wind noise. Also has head up display which is also a nice to have. Never had considered Jaguar as a car that i would buy but was impressed with the quality and finish.

 

[modocrat]

To me, using an all-electric-car to cover that distance in South Africa is as good as jumping into an abyss. Sounds like you had an adventure with your son. I'm sure those moments when you thought the car was going to stall before getting to the charging station would have been nail-biting.

 

[momo1]

Seems quite an adventure and I'm sure good memories were made.
I'm all for electric cars but right now I think SA is a decade behind in getting the infrastructure right for them, maybe longer.
Would love to see some pics

 

[Straight six]

This I-Pace doesn't exist...I mean where at the pics

 

[AshG108]

Seems like a cool adventure but yeah, I am looking at going electric also now but looking at where SA is in terms of infrastructure and the price for electric vehicles....diesel still does it for me for now rather. However, some impressive EVs are on their way...which will be pretty exciting. Seen the BMW iX is R1 650 000 If I am not mistaken. I really like the i4 and the iX3. decent ranges as well

 

[modocrat]

Seems like a cool adventure but yeah, I am looking at going electric also now but looking at where SA is in terms of infrastructure and the price for electric vehicles....diesel still does it for me for now rather. However, some impressive EVs are on their way...which will be pretty exciting. Seen the BMW iX is R1 650 000 If I am not mistaken. I really like the i4 and the iX3. decent ranges as well

I took my X3 in for a service today and there was an iX on the floor. The front-end is absolutely hideous but the interior was classy and luxurious, a huge step up from the F and G models. (Current G model interior is just copy and paste across the whole BMW range).

 

[Hugo_za]

My e-tron was with Audi for some software issue so I figured I'd test drive the i-pace for comparison sake. Here's my short take on it:

• The interior is ok if a bit pedestrian compared to the EQC and e-tron. The dash feels like it extends pretty far and the materials are good for the most part. There are a few questionable choices, and the seat adjustment buttons are the worst I've experienced in any car since...wait for it...I reviewed the 2nd generation Jaguar XF several years ago. The switchgear on the steering column isn't particularly premium, and the steering wheel controls are the new dynamic touch kind that's not particularly responsive. The camera rear-view mirror is pretty neat.
• The seats are definitely more comfortable than those in the EQC but I still prefer those in the e-tron
• Jaguar's new Pivi Pro infotainment system is a huge step up from the InControl Touch Pro it replaces. I think Jaguar took a page out of the Mercedes playbook when they came up with the system though since it operates on many of the same principles, which makes it as challenging to use as MBUX. The voice command system is pretty much on par with the one in the e-tron. Cudos to their virtual instrument cluster though. It's super bright and the graphics are crisp. My test car lacked a heads-up display though so I can't comment on that
• The Meridian sound system in the i-pace is what you expect from a premium SUV. I listened to the same tracks as I did in the EQC and the difference was clear as day. Bright highs, no distortion and great bass reproduction made for a pretty excellent listening experience. Getting back in the e-tron I listened to the same tracks and still came away impressed at the quality of the standard Audi sound system.
• Driving dynamics. The i-pace is very clearly a driver's car. It's fast, responsive, has excellent steering response and feels pretty composed on the road but it is still a bit more crashy over humps than the e-tron. It is a much better ride than the EQC, and the fact that the air suspension can be raised counts in its favour. One thing that bothered me a little was the limited visibility out of the rear window, but then again that's where the camera rear view mirror comes in.
• Cabin noise/operation. There's more cabin noise on the road compared to the e-tron but less than the EQC. A nice treat is the soundtrack that plays when the car is in dynamic mode. The touch screen climate control is a miss for me. There is a noticeable gap between the display and the touch surface, and the angle of the display and the panoramic roof makes it impossible to read at times. The push-pull dynamic climate knobs add too much complexity to something that should be super simple.

I owned a Jaguar S-Type many years ago during the Ford era of Jaguar, so past ownership history does not exactly translate well in this case. I have driven the latest XJ, XF, and F-Pace models and the i-pace does feel like a step in the right direction, though there are still a few areas where quality corners are being cut.

 

[Benji]

Sounds like a fun adventure. I would love to have an electric car for the daily grind and keep it plugged in at the office But unfortunately the prices are way too high even for used examples

 

[msm]

Sounds interesting - thanks for the share OP. I think for the daily commute, it will start to make sense. Hoping prices do eventually start coming down in SA.

I’ve seen some I-Paces on the road and must say that they also look very good. In comparison, it seems like BMW EVs have been beaten to death with the ugly stick…

 

[kingr]

Some serious range anxiety there! Nice trip though. With time, our infrastructure will get there to cover long distances trips across provinces. For now, EV’s are only practical as city cars.

I’m pro ev and would definitely buy one.

 

[Solo Man]

Here are some pictures

Sorry, can't seem to upload pictures.

 

[MR_Y]

I was invited to test the i Pace at a Jaguar event a few years back. Very quick car, but I got sea sick (motion sickness). The auto regeneration seemed too eager to slow down the car, when getting off the throttle, and that feeling was disconcerting when taking bends. I think it is something that you can learn to modulate (the throttle that is) and get used to the sensation.

However, driving the Taycan a few months ago was a different experience. The auto rengeration was very gentle and you didn't get that rocking motion in the bends, when backing off slightly.

 

[Solo Man]

Here are they!

 

[m0lt3n]

That Jaguar is a beaut!

Solo Man what was the costs of the fill ups each time?

 

[Solo Man]

Do not have the cost per charge but overall cost was about R2200 for the trip which was about 1800kms. Rough calculation is about R1.35/km. Also keep in mind they charge R5.80/kw at the charge station where as home power supply is about R2.20/kw iirc. One has to pay a deposit before the charger will start charging. Means you have to have credit in your "account" before it will charge and as soon as the credit runs out it stops automatically, which happened once. App is on the phone so deposit, switching charge off, etc., is all made by phone. Easy enough.