I need help, friends. I've owned Jags my whole life, but swapped to a Tesla Model S for my everyday driver two years ago. I'm totally sold on EV, and to address my wife's desire for a more SUV-like experience, I'm looking at alternatives to my Model S. I've dismissed Hyundai, Genesis, Lexus, and Audi. The BMW iX is very nice, as is the Cadillac Lyriq, but I was stunned by the amazing drive of the iPace. Here's what's preventing me from pulling the trigger on a 39K mile, sub-$30K beautiful 2022 iPace that I found:

1. I *LOVE* Tesla's lane-centering technology. I can't quite get a read on whether the 2022 iPace has lane-centering, or if it's really just 'lane-keeping', which nudges you back away from the edge of the road when you drift. I want lane-centering. I don't care if I have to keep ONE hand on the wheel, but I want the damn car to steer itself down the highway. Does the 2022 actually do that? Does the 2024? And does the car demand two hands on the wheel at all times?

2. I read (and saw YouTube videos) of the steering aid technology turning off while you're driving *without giving audible notice to the driver*. That's insane. Some planes used turn off auto-pilot without giving adequate notice to the pilots, and then they crashed. Seems like a stupid, yet resolvable flaw. Has this been fixed in software updates so that the driver is notified?

3. There are no JRL dealers near me. Not a problem if it visits the dealership once per year, but I've read so many stories of cars having to visit the dealership regularly. That's inconvenient and expensive, especially since I doubt much can be done by my local independent. Are regular dealer visits a continuous issue, or is that something that is generally worked out once the car is a few years old?

4. Are the charging gremlins that I've read about mostly limited to pre-2022 vehicles? And should I expect poor charging rates at superchargers?

5. I've read comments from owners that the dealer service centers don't really know the cars well since there aren't many of them on the road, and that's not likely to get better since Jag discontinued them years ago. Is this an actual widespread problem, or just an issue for remote areas?

6. Will I be sorry that I bought this car? I don't mind maintaining my car, but I do have expectations of solid reliability, as I've enjoyed in all of my post-1994 Jaguars. In the past 30 years, I've only required one tow of a Jag, and that was due to a failed fuel pump. Last I checked, the iPace doesn't have one of those. [img alt=""]data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7[/img]

Thank you,
Doug

 

1. At least here on Europe’s winding roads the Tesla’s lane centering is not very good, it will let you drift almost out of a curve before it starts correcting. Quite scary if you ask me.
Same on my 2021 I-Pace, it does lane keeping, but I would not call this lane centering. That might be different in other markets. I’m not using it very often. Best is to do a test drive to see how it suits you.


Not sure what you mean with driving aid? Power steering, or lane centering? Can’t really comment on the latter as I don’t use lane centering for above reasons. In general the Jag is quite modest when it comes to whistles and bells, something I actually appreciate when comparing to my wife’s Tesla S which is constantly yelling at you because it sees issues on our narrow roads which are not really a problem.


I think most issues are with older cars and are sorted on the newer years. You still want a full warranty on the car because of the car’s complexity.


DC 100kW is the best you can get, under really ideal conditions. To my experience it is usually less, something between 50 and 90kW. Bring some more time if you need to do longer stretches. The Tesla beats this easily. AC charging is 11kW from 2021 on, was 7kW before. I’m mostly using AC charging from my solar roof, no issues so far.


Not an issue here in Switzerland, Dealerships have all the knowledge and tools that are needed. There’s not much in terms of maintenance, so I’m not worried about that.


The car is well build and feels very solid compared to the Tesla. Mine never let me down so far. The ride compared to the Tesla is like moving from a go-kart onto a flying carpet. The Tesla is very direct, but also very uncomfy at slow speeds and basically a rattle box with poor build quality. The Jag has a firm ride, too, but it’s much more comfortable and quiet. Acceleration and top speed are comparable, so is range. The Jag’s range meter is much better than that of the Tesla, especially when it is cold. The Jag has excellent off road capabilities, the Tesla does not. But at the end of the day it’s always a personal preference.

cheers
Chris

 

Chris,

Thank you very much for your comprehensive and thoughtful reply. I really appreciate the time you spent responding. To your comments:

1. I use the Tesla Auto-pilot (not full self driving) to keep my car in my highway lane, and I use adaptive cruise to manage the accelerator and (hopefully) not hit the car in front of me. I don't use it on winding roads, but most of California is traversed by generally straight, wide-laned highways, and the Tesla does an *outstanding* job of just keeping the car in the lane without drifting from side to side. I rented a Genesis and was very disappointed by the Lane Keep Assist, as it seemed to ski down the lane, drifting to the right, then drifting back to the left, then back to the right. I'm sure I looked drunk to the car behind me. To your point, I need to take it and test it on a real highway instead of just doing side-street test drives.

2. I said, "I read (and saw YouTube videos) of the steering aid technology turning off while you're driving *without giving audible notice to the driver*." I used the term 'steering aid technology' because I wasn't sure what to call what the iPace has: LKA or lane centering. My concern here is that, if the car is assisting in steering, and then it decides to shut off, I want to know about it, and it needs to be audible. As I'm driving, even with auto-pilot, I'm actually watching the road, and I simply won't notice a subtle icon on the dashboard turning from green to yellow. If the car decides to stop doing something that it was doing a minute ago, *especially steering or braking*, I want to know about it. I'm fine if it's a toggle so I can turn it on and you can turn it off, but it just simply needs to be there. I appreciate that you don't know if that's there or not since you don't use the feature; hopefully someone else can weigh in.

3. I appreciate the warning about ensuring I buy the extended warranty from JLR -- just in case. I've read that warning a few times.

4. I do most of my charging at home as well, but occasionally my wife and I do trips that require longer drives. I sure appreciate that, when the Tesla's battery is down to 15%-20%, it takes charge quite speedily at the super chargers. Guessing my wife won't really appreciate a 30 minute delay on the iPace unless she's hungry and there's a place to get a meal while the car is recharging.

Anyway, I'm still struggling here. I feel that if I get the Jag and dump the Tesla, I'll miss the things that Tesla does very, very well. But boy, the feel of the Jag was spectacular.

/Doug

 

I've had too many issues to go through here in both my 2019 and my 2024. I would not recommend this vehicle.

 

Thanks to all who responded. We did another, more comprehensive drive of a 2020 iPace, knowing we wouldn't buy it, but trying to determine if we wanted to find a suitable 2022+ specimen. Ultimately, when we got it on the highway, we were less impressed with the drive and the size of the iPace than we were on our first test drive. So we are going to pass.

We narrowed the field down to the BMW iX and the Cadillac Lyriq, and I think we're going to go with the Lyriq once we find a suitable one at a reasonable used price.

/Doug