2019 is going to be a very important year for the breakthrough of expensive electric cars.
The European premium brands have finally started working on them,
so next year, we can expect an Audi e-tron, a Mercedes EQC, a Porsche Mission-e,
et cetera, et cetera. There was one brand which took a head start,
because this Jaguar I-Pace is already available. That's important,
because the 4 percent additional taxes only applies to cars sold in 2018.
The I-Pace is a relatively simple car. There's only one version available,
which produces 400 horsepower from two electrical motors, one on each axle,
and a 90 kWh-battery pack.
The big rival, which has had the world all to itself for years,
is Tesla with their Model S and Model X. Despite the I-Pace being a crossover,
but we thought the Model S was the better competitor. It has seen many versions,
you had the 75, the 85, the 90, and the 100 kWh-versions,
which were also available with a "D", which stood for Dual: four-wheel drive.
Also, it was available with a "P", which added some extra punch for the sprint.
When it comes to price and power, we thought the 75D would be the best comparable Tesla,
so we brought that with us as well.
To compare it as good as possible, we'll have to take a look at practical things as well.
The space in the rear for example. What stands out in the I-Pace?
Despite the glass roof, I've got enough headroom.
The headrest is raised a little. There's enough room for my knees and my feet fit...
beneath the seat in its lowest mode. Also, despite the high floor,
which houses the batteries, the seat is high enough for a natural position for my knees.
I don't have to raise them, which would be uncomfortable on longer travels.
Also, the finishing in the back is very good. It might be better than in a base XF.
If I take a look at the seats themselves, the side support and materials are very good.
Let's take a look at the boot.
Because of the way the car is shaped, and because there's no engine in the front,
they were able to move the cabin to the front, which generates more room in the car.
Still, even though it looks smaller, there's still 650 litres of luggage space.
If you fold down the seats, you'll have 1.450 litres to play with.
Beneath the floor, you don't get a lot of storage, but just enough to put things away.
Then, the Model S. The headroom isn't as good as in the Jaguar,
but despite the glass roof, I'm alright back here.
The legroom is good as well, but you do notice the seats are different,
because my feet don't really fit beneath the seats. Also, the seating itself isn't very good.
It's slippery, you move about, it's a little flat...
It's better than before, but just look at the carpets.
They're loose, it's one big carpet... You can see your whole surroundings aren't really aimed...
at comfort, as opposed to the I-Pace. They started with an empty space and they put a seat in it,
and that's it. The finishing in the door is a lot simpler as well,
and there's nothing to be done about that. Let's move to the back.
Despite the fact the Tesla is lower, it has more space to offer.
It has 745 litres to play with, and if you fold down the seats, you have 1.645 litres.
That's a tad more. Beneath the floor is a big storage compartment...
which houses the charging cable. You can fit other stuff like wine in it as well,
because you can fit the cable in the front as well, just like you can in the I-Pace.
It's very nice that we finally have a real competitor for the Tesla's. We have always tried very hard to find a competitive hybrid...
or a plug-in hybrid in the most luxurious segment, but this EV actually is a real competitor.
This is a car people are going to consider if they want a Tesla-alternative or low additional taxes.
Maybe they just want a big car, which is very environmentally correct at the same time.
The 75D is the perfect rival to this I-Pace. Look at the battery capacity,
The Tesla has 75 kWh whilst the I-Pace has 90 kWh. You might think, shouldn't you get the other one?
The answer is no, because the Model S will get you further.
Usually, that is. I didn't drive 80 km/h,
I didn't switch the aircon off, I drove 130 km/h where it was allowed,
I accelerated quickly and I went with the traffic flow. If you don't do that,
you'll be hypermiling, and that's not an accurate display.
This time of year, just after the hot summer,
so it's around 26 degrees celsius, the I-Pace will carry me around 330 km further.
335 km if the roads are busier. The Model S however can take me for 380 km.
That doesn't only mean the Model S has a bigger range, but also that it's closer to the factory estimate...
of 490 km in the WLTP-cycle, whilst this I-Pace is supposed to do 480 km.
That means the range is kind of disappointing. It's probably not the weight, because they weigh...
about the same. I think it's the aerodynamics,
because this I-Pace is higher and that matters.
Jaguar has positioned this car very dynamically, and they're using the weight distribution to their advantage.
There's no heavy engine in the front, but rather a big battery pack in the floor.
That's good for its center of gravity. So despite its 2.200 kg and height compared with the Model S,
the cornering is very good. You've got more grip than you'd think...
and you almost get the feeling you get in an X6 M, which is a weird, high car.
It's very heavy and when you try to corner, you'll think it's not going to make it,
but when you do, you actually make it. No understeer because of the wide tires and center of gravity.
It's much more direct than you'd expect, which makes it a very nice car to drive, despite its lumpyness.
As a whole, it offers more sharpness when cornering than the Tesla,
but the longer the corner goes on, the weight becomes more apparent.
It'll start heaving more than the Model S. The steering is a tad better,
but maybe that's because Jaguar has more experience in that. It also feels more like a real drivers car,
despite the way it actually performs.
The electric motor can regenerate in two modes: high and low.
In the highest setting, it regenerates more than the Tesla,
so it brakes quicker when you release the throttle. That makes it easier to drive it with just one pedal.
On the other hand, Jaguar should've refined it more.
For example, when I turn on the cruise control whilst driving 96 km/h,
and when I enter another area I want to slow down, so I'll lower the speed to 80 km/h on the cruise control.
Because it regenerates after each release of the throttle, it brakes everytime you lower the speed on the cruise control.
That's not very pleasant. It should be able to let go of the throttle...
which makes sure it'll roll out to 80 km/h smoothly.
This way, it feels a little unnatural if you release the throttle.
What would help, is changing the modes with paddles on the steering wheel.
Just think of the Mitsubishi Outlander for example, or in electric vehicles from the Volkswagen Group.
Now you have get into the menu's to change stuff, and that's just not very practical.
The same goes for the Tesla by the way.
When it comes to the feeling you get when you get into the car,
this just looks way better than the Model S. That's very simplistic,
and you could call it modern or clean, but they go a little far if you ask me.
Why do you think expensive cars have nice and smooth dashboards?
Those kinds of details are the things buyers want. Manufacturers don't do such things for fun.
People like that in more expensive segments, so they have something to look at.
When it comes to ergonomics however, you've got two screens here,
but it could be quicker. A known problem at Jaguar,
and it's not the clearest system I've seen. Especially when you're driving and you have to look for something,
you have to look away for too long. That's too bad, because autonomous driving...
isn't something Jaguar has done anything with. It has automatic cruise control,
a very basic form of lane keeping and that's it. Nothing else.
A little like luxurious German cars from 10 years ago. You might expect it to be exactly like Tesla,
because they introduced technologies like this, but Jaguar is clearly lagging.
When you get in the Model S, the atmosphere is almost from a different galaxy.
You could park a planet inbetween the gap between these cars.
Let's start with the most negative differences; the finishing and quality.
The seat I'm sitting on... The leather looks like aftermarket leather in a Toyota Corolla.
The clearly visible stitching... Sure, the wood brightens the lot up,
but the finishing isn't great either, just look at the gaps.
When I open the door, the windows don't give the impression that they'll go for...
for a long time, or that they're of very high quality.
Sure, Jaguar isn't a brand of which you'll think: "the stitching will be great after 400.000 km",
but you clearly notice Jaguar has more experience when it comes to building cars, especially in the finishing touches.
Let's continue, and let's have a look around us.
The multimedia screen I've got here, which is gigantic.
It's huge and very clear. You'll fly through the menu's.
It's not only very intuitive to operate, but it's incredibly quick as well.
I'm always impressed in lots of cars because they're so incredibly slow sometimes.
How slow the map moves. If you press a button,
the system freezes for three seconds and shows you the menu. It's especially annoying if you press the wrong button.
In a time where every iPhone or Samsung already is at its quickest, that can be very annoying.
Manufacturers say it's all because of temperature differences, but when you get in a Tesla, it all works!
It's quick, you'll fly through the menu's, everything's where you expect it to be...
How hard can it be? Ho, ho, ho.
Then, the drive. It's just as quick with less power, like I already said.
That means it has enough instant boost at any moment, so every sprint will be a delight.
The fun part is that when EV's first arrived, I thought rating drivetrains in the future would be boring,
because an electric motor is an electric motor, which produces a certain amount of power and that's it.
I was wrong, because there's a difference in smoothness. The way it picks up and how smooth the car does that...
When I'm in the Jaguar, I'm not annoyed at all. It's smooth and all and I've got lots of torque,
but when I get in the Model S, it just feels smoother.
When I press down the throttle... The way the motor picks up and gives me more power,
just feels smoother than the Jaguar. When I release the pedal and brake a little,
only to accelerate again, it almost feels like the clutch has to grab on in the Jaguar.
Of course that isn't the case, but that electric motor is just a little wilder,
which is less comfortable. But that's not the case in the Model S,
because it just breathes comfort. It's all incredibly refined and smooth.
The movements feel nice as well. The way the electricity is put on the road...
Also, if you release the throttle, it regenerates but not as hard as the Jaguar.
If you're not going downhill or quicker, that is. You just notice Tesla has more experience on the area of...
electric drivetrains than Jaguar. Clearly the experience is more important than more time...
for Jaguar to develop the car.
Then, the drive itself. When it comes to the chassis, I think the Tesla is more comfortable.
The creates more ease in the car. Especially when you turn in, it's not as sharp as the higher I-Pace.
When you're going through a long corner however, you'll notice it has an ideal weight distribution.
That way you won't get any understeer, because there's no weight on the front wheels.
Also, because it has a slightly lower center of gravity, than the I-Pace,
it won't slide as quickly. So, when it comes to driving pleasure,
you should go for the Jaguar, but don't think this isn't dynamic at all.
It's not like you have to sail through corners, because the handling is great.
Which is nice, because it's also very comfortable.
Of course, I can talk about the interior. If you look around, it might be not as good as the Jaguar,
but that's more of a problem for the passenger, because this autopilot...
I just have to say it. It's still the benchmark, the market leader.
Mercedes is close and so is Audi, but what they can do, isn't allowed yet in the Netherlands.
Anyway, the Model S's autopilot is so incredibly good. When you leave the motorway behind another car,
and even though I keep my hands close through an S-curve, it will follow the car in front automatically.
There hasn't been another brand which has this much confidence when it comes to autonomous driving.
Everytime I get in a Tesla, because I've driven them a few times now.
This and the Model X as well, but if I get in it after six months or so...
and I turn on the autopilot, I always go "wow". It's so incredibly neat between the lines,
without any bumps or anything. It always brakes on time for cars in front of me,
I can just keep going because it'll brake for me. Braking and braking and I'm standing still again.
It's remarkable that Tesla still has this big of an advantage, after all these years.
Of course, there are EV-advantages which go for both cars. If you're charging it,
you can control the time the climate control switches on. That way you can cool the car if it's hot,
or that it's nice and warm in the winter. Gadgets like that make it fun owning a car like this.
I can imagine that you don't want anything else after two winters.
When it comes to pricing, both cars are pretty similar.
You can get the Jaguar from €80.000 and the entry price for the Tesla is €84.000.
The Jaguar has a slightly less luxurious trim as standard, so the prices for the cars as they stand here are...
the Jaguar is just above €100.000, whilst the Tesla 'only' costs €95.000.
There's still something to talk about in this test: loading the cars.
The place I'm standing right now already shows us an advantage of owning a Model S:
Tesla's Supercharge-network, which is laid across the whole of Europe.
It doesn't matter if you're heading for the south of Spain or Italy; you can get there because of the Supercharge-network.
The car will calculate where you'll have to stop, how long you've got to charge,
and the car is able to charge up to 125 kW with a supercharger.
Of course, the more charged it is, the slower it'll go,
so more than 80% isn't really beneficial. If you're using public superchargers,
the maximum will be around 80 to 85 kW, which is still incredibly quick.
Also, for charging it at home, you can charge a single phase,
you can use a trickle charger, but you can also choose for triple phase charging.
It doesn't matter if it's 16A or 32A, but it does reveal the first disadvantage compared to the I-Pace.
Because when you're at a public charging station like Fastned, you'll find out that the Tesla-plug is a little strange.
That's why we've got some sort of transfer socket, like going from an iPhone 4 to a iPhone 5.
You'll plug in the CHAdeMO-plug, and you're able to use the supercharger.
It's much simpler for the I-Pace, because you just have to use one CCS-plug.
You can charge up to 90 kW, depending on the location.
Here, it only goes up to 50 kW, but Fastned also has places which offer 175 kW.
The I-Pace will be able to process 90 kWh, so if you come in here with a few miles left,
the batteries will be 50% charged after just half an hour, which will take you 180 km.
That's pretty decent, but it's got a big drawback.
Because it doesn't support triple phase-charging, you're very limited at home and at public charging stations.
It can cost you a third of your speed. If you arrive home with an almost flat battery
and you have to single phase-charge it, it can take up to 30 hours before it's full again.
Sure, you can leave with half a battery in the morning, but if you have to return home again that night,
it could give you problems, which would make you stop at the first Fastned-station.
You could get over it, but it sure is a practical disadvantage compared to the Tesla.
I like to compare it with the semi-automatic gearbox, which we'd always like to complain about at AutoWeek.
Think of the gearboxes Peugeot used. Sure, you can lift when it changes gear,
but it shouldn't be necessary. The same goes for triple phase-charging,
you can live without it, but you shouldn't have to live without it.
So, the conclusion. These cars differ more than I initially thought.
If you look at them in the old fashioned way, the Jaguar is the better car.
It's clear that Jaguar has more experience with building cars. The finishing is better, the gaps are smaller,
the interior looks better, it feels warmer, it's more luxurious so it makes you feel better.
Also, it involves you in the drive, so it's the better drivers car.
However, Tesla is clearly the better EV of the two. Tesla does a better job of applying new technologies.
It even gets further on a smaller battery capacity, so it's more economical.
You can also charge in more ways, because the triple charge-system is very important for charging...
at home or at a public charging station. Tesla's Supercharge-network is still something Jaguar isn't...
able to beat yet. Maybe in the future, but we're living in the present.
Also, the drivetrain sends the electricity to the wheels in a very smooth way.
That way, the car is at ease. Also, it's more comfortable...
and the Autopilot is still a very impressive system. The Jaguar doesn't even come near that amount of impressive.
So it comes down to what you want as a driver. If you are a gadget freak who wants the newest of things,
you should get a Tesla. If you're an 'old fashioned car enthusiast',
who wants a nice looking car, which also provides some driving dynamics,
you should get the Jaguar.
For me, the winner is the Tesla.