6 things you need to know about the Jaguar I‑Pace

1. It’s the first electric Jaguar

There’s nothing too surprising here: batteries under the floor and between the axles, and synchronous electric motors front and rear for all-wheel-drive. Jaguar says the system generates 400hp with 516 lb ft of torque. We can expect 0-60 in 4 seconds and a range of 310 miles on the European cycle (220 miles in the tougher US test). The battery is a liquid-cooled 90kWh lithium-ion unit, designed in-house and packaged a lightweight aluminium housing that forms part of the I-Pace’s structure. You can get an 80 per cent charge in 90 minutes and 100 per cent in just over two hours using 50kW DC charging.

2. Design: and now for something completely different

If the electric car layout is largely familiar the design is certainly not. There surely has never been a Jag as cab-forward as this before – well perhaps one, the C-X75 supercar concept. “I was determined from the very beginning of this project to create a design which reflected this change in the mechanics of the car,” says Jag design chief Ian Callum. “The​ profile is possible because this car is electric. It’s not just that we wanted to create something that was very different from anything else we do.”

The result is a car with a long (2990mm) wheelbase, small overhangs front and rear, massively raked windscreen and long glasshouse with a coupe-like profile. If it’s not very Jaguar like from some angles, from the front the broad grille could only be Jaguar. And what about those bulging front wheelarches? Jaguar says the view from behind the steering wheel is actually a little E-type like… It is all made possible because Jaguar has come up with a uniquely electric vehicle architecture – undoubtedly aluminium for production – rather than basing I-Pace on an existing platform.

3. It’s an SUV…they say

Jaguar is calling the I-Pace a “performance SUV” but it doesn’t look like an SUV to us. Surely too sleek, too sporty, too low? So what are the dimensions? In broad terms, against a Jaguar XF, it’s about the same width but 300mm (12 inches) shorter and 100mm (4ins) taller. Not very SUV then, though the wheels are 23-inches and there are other SUV traits: it’s all-wheel drive of course, clever packaging of the motors is said to result in excellent ground clearance, and inside there’s said to be five-seater SUV versatility.

4. Tardis, move over

The SUV elements, the tearing-up of the Jaguar design rulebook, those extraordinary (for a Jaguar) proportions and the neat packaging of the electric drivetrain all come together inside where the I-Pace is said be spacious for five people. In SUV terms, claims Jaguar, the I-Pace takes up less road space than a mid-size SUV yet offers more room for passengers and luggage than is available in some large SUVs. A bonus is a completely flat floor throughout the cabin and some trick new storage bins inside. The boot offers 530 litres of luggage room (with a smaller 28 litre space under the front bonnet) and for production we assume will be accessed by a large rear hatchback door that appears to open up from bumper level.

5. A driver’s Jaguar?

From the makers of the F-Type and F-Pace? What are the chances? Certainly Jaguar is not holding back, saying the I-Pace will set the class benchmark for an “unrivalled balance of ride, handling and refinement”. Chassis guru Mike Cross adds: “We will prove that a zero emission vehicle can be a true driver's car.”

The ingredients certainly come with form: the double wishbones front suspension is from the F-Type and the Integral Link rear end is from the XF and XE sedans. With the wheel-at-each corner layout and very low centre of gravity, Jaguar says agility will be set the I-Pace apart from all other electric vehicles.

Other driver goodies to look out for include a low “sports command” driving position, intuitive “flightdeck” controls, a configurable 12-inch HD virtual instrument cluster and a full-colour head-up display, and a new three-spoke steering wheel with multi-function capacitive switches that remain invisible until needed. We like the sound of the centre console “struts” which replace the normal gear shifter by having buttons for park, reverse and drive integrated into them. More tactile and intuitive, according to Jaguar.

6. And a luxury Jaguar too?

You bet against a sophisticated ride at your peril. And for a car only 4,680mm long (not much longer than the Jag XE) the layout does promise an open and welcoming interior space. Where you will find? Wifi hotspots for all and what Jaguar says is a true Jaguar’s range of quality, natural materials and high standards of craftsmanship. Windsor leather, coloured carbon-fibre trim, Moonstone Alcantara, knurled metal finish knobs, and unvarnished open pore walnut veneers are all ingredients in the concept’s interior. As is a panoramic glass roof that lights up with LEDs at night.

And in case you still don’t get the message? The concept has a laser-etched detail on the dash saying: “Lovingly crafted by Jaguar. Est Coventry 1935”.

It’s a nice touch in a bold but we think beautiful new Jag. As Ian Callum says: “The I-Pace concept is a radical departure for electric vehicles. It’s a dramatic, future-facing design – the product of authentic Jaguar DNA matched with beautiful, premium details and British craftsmanship.”

We can't wait.