Hi all

I consider replacing my XF AWD with a newer I-Pace (2020 onwards because of the 11kW charger). We have a 44kwP solar roof and thus free charging. My wife's Tesla Model 3 is ok'ish in winter, but definitely loosing a lot of range in icy conditions. I suspect the same will happen to the I-Pace, as it does to all EVs.
Thats not my biggest concern though as we are able to basically recharge every day and need to drive only shorter stretches.
What makes me scratching my head is the I-Paces' weight. We are living in the Swiss pre-alps with plenty of snow and often icy roads. The road to our house has a curvy 13° / 23% incline, and while I'm sure going up will not be too much of an issue, I'm really concerned with going downhill, as adding more weight will increase the risk of loosing grip and sliding downhill without control. Of course having new, good quality winter tires is a must, and we make sure they get replaced after 2 years regardless of how much is left on them.
But the XF and the Tesla both are in the 1.9t range, the I-Pace is 400kg heavier.

On the other side I've read some enthusiastic reviews on how good the I-Pace deals with snow - so I was wondering if any of you guys has some experience on snow and ice, specifically on steep roads.

Many thanks,
Chris

 

I've had two of them, a 2019 and a 2022 (Covid car missing features). They were like tractors in the snow (non-studded snow tires). Ice, of course, is an issue with any non-studded tires regardless of propulsion method, but as far as plowing through a foot or more of snow, they were solid; the weight helps with the traction, and adjusting the ride height all the way up helped remove much of the drag. The advantage of having all the torque at very slow speeds means, assuming you are easy on the throttle, you don't dig a hole with you in it. So to gain the advantage, you have to drive it like an electric and use the near-infinite power variability. But I never got stuck or even close to it, and the car was excellent in the snow. Now, like with any car, you do have to watch for the kind of ice dams the snow plows make, which can have huge chunks of ice in them that'll damage bodywork, the lift isn't super high, but I enjoyed driving both cars in the snow and found them better than my prior gas SUVs. We also have a Volvo XC60 recharge, which uses electric for the rear and gas for the front, and while it also lifts, it isn't as well planted in the snow thanks to the gas engine driving the front wheels.

 

Thanks for the detailed answer. Appreciate that, especially because you guys get quite some snow in Oregon. I had the pleasure to drive there in early spring and was impressed by the snow walls flanking some of the roads.
Cheers
Chris

 

I-Pace owner in Ottawa, Canada here. I'm happy with the snow and ice control.

 

Question is: how are the car fires and recalls going?

 

Depends on who you ask, the car fires don't seem to be a very big issue at the moment and Jaguar has ramped up the battery replacement/recall effort with most of the folks I know now contacted and under some kind of a plan to either upgrade the battery or cash out the car. Some I-Pace owners have been pleased with the result and some not. I was contacted a few weeks back so Jaguar has been slowly working through the problem.

 

Hi everyone.

I feel compelled to update you on the new arrangements made regarding JLR's proposals regarding the I-Pace battery issue.
I am the proud owner of a 2019 I-PACE EV400 First Edition.
I am French and I bought it used in 2024 in the Netherlands, a country where electric vehicles are much more numerous.
I was aware of the battery issue, and this vehicle had a problem because the charge could not exceed 72% (test conducted by JLR Netherlands at the time of purchase). So I bought it anyway, knowing that the battery was still under warranty.
Upon my return to France, I contacted the JLR dealership in my region to have this issue addressed. The dealership responded positively to my request. So far, nothing new. When I dropped off my vehicle, they told me they were going to "repair the battery"!
Indeed, due to the rapidly growing electric vehicle market, garages specializing in car battery repair have sprung up in France. It took four weeks from the time I dropped off my vehicle to the time I got it back, repaired. The battery was removed from my car, sent to the specialist repairer, returned to the dealership, and reinstalled in my I-Pace. I now have an I-PACE with a battery that charges to 100% and is still under warranty.
Check with your JLR dealership if you have the same problem.

 

I’m now a proud owner of a 2021 I-Pace with air suspension and was able to gain some experience with snowy and steep roads.
I mean I knew before the purchase that the I-pace is doing a great job on flat areas. But I can now say that it’s also great on steep snowy or icy roads. I mean really steep. Those of you who know Emmental in Switzerland know what I mean.
We got a fair amount of Snow in this area, but I never had to mount snow chains, even at the occasion where the snow plow did not yet come through and we had to drive on 30cm of fresh snow.

Now my 400m drive way to the house is not just steep, but also comes with two nasty corners. You need a certain speed to go through as otherwise there is not enough momentum to climb the hill after the corner, but obviously you can’t go too fast as otherwise you’ll slide right out of the curve.
What I learned is that the car is very nervous on the rear axle in Snow or Eco or Comfort mode. Apparently in these modes more power is delivered to the rear axle by default. On icy roads the rear wheels will start spinning at some point. When that happens more power is transferred to the front, and although this happens very quickly, damage is done already because the tires lost traction. And although the electronics are really quick to correct any side going, that comes with a negative effect on the vehicle speed, because brakes are applied to stop the spinning wheels.
Good news is that the Dynamic mode comes with 50/50 power delivery. While certainly ‘dynamic’ is not always ideal on icy roads, it still getting the job done – the car goes up the hill and around corners like on railways without slowing down. This even works off road.

But my biggest worry was going downhill – because when driving down on an icy road, AWD does not really help. It’s mostly a question of tire quality and vehicle weight whether or not the ride is controlled or turns into a wild sledge trip.
The I-pace is surely not a lightweight, but I never had any issues so far. ASPC (All Surface Response Control) is doing a great job, but even without that the car got never out of control. Obviously new, good quality snow tires is a must here, no cheap China tires or all season.

A word to the range in cold weather – I’m pleased with the way the I-Pace estimates the remaining range, this is much better than for instance in my wife’s Tesla S. Even with pre-heated battery the Tesla can easily ‘loose’ 100km of range by driving 20km, and the range will keep dropping as you drive. The Jag will start with a much more realistic number – obviously lower, but it will stick to that. That makes planning much easier.


Chris

 

Thanks for posting this; that is helpful. The two I-Paces I had (2019, 1022) were both excellent in the snow, but I didn't drive up anything very steep. I always had snow tires in the winter, and the road in front of my house is rarely plowed, so less ice and more deep snow. And, in deep snow, snow mode was awesome. Now I use non-studded snow tires because I don't want to ruin my epoxy-covered garage floors, but if I had a bigger ice problem, I'd do the Studs and, after reading your note, would certainly look at using dynamic mode. Thanks again!