I remember two things from my very first Jaguar experience as a young child. The Jaguar Mark ll I was traveling in was a beauty… and it backfired a lot.
Fast-forward to 2020 and to Jaguar’s sophisticated pure electric SUV, the I-Pace. It too is a knockout, but there is no backfiring. That’s because there is no combustion engine to tune incorrectly, nor an exhaust system to emit loud popping noises. Now I’m in a car that is silent, has two electric motors, a raft of lithium-ion battery cells and loads of tech.
It has been quite a leap coming from the basic cars of yesteryear that I learned to drive in. Those naturally-aspirated combustion engine vehicles were rudimentary; steering wheel, gears, clutch, brake, accelerator, and handbrake were the only driving tools – a stark contrast to the abundance of technology in cars nowadays that pretty much save drivers from themselves. Trappings too were virtually unheard of; the lucky few had a built-in radio and the forerunner to the air conditioner – a fan blowing out hot air.
But those unpretentious cars had personality aplenty and were exciting to drive. So, how excited could I get while being given the silent treatment from a sophisticated car with an electric powertrain? To find out, I spent time in the top-of-the-range Jaguar I-Pace EV 400 HSE all-wheel-drive.
Sleek, feline form
This story is from the 24 September 2020 edition of Finweek English.
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This story is from the 24 September 2020 edition of Finweek English.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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