Out at the country's borders, we reached the ascent of the Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road, which lies on the border of the Emirates' border with Oman. Just over seven miles in length, with 60 corners, the pass rises up to 1,220 metres above sea level and without an onward road from the summit it really is a driver's paradise. Not in the e-tron though, which weighs 2.5 tonnes and felt it, with the nose pushing wide on the turns and the body heeling even with the air suspension set in its most sporting Dynamic mode. It's safe enough (even though the Goodyear tyres howled like a puppy with a foot on its paw), but there's no fun in it, where the Jaguar iPace is a genuinely entertaining drive.
There was also a chance to drive off road on a specially prepared track, where the e-tron traversed chassis contorting obstacles with little problem, with terrific throttle accuracy which allows you to control the speed into hazards, though the traction control by braking is a crude device which can leave you stranded with one wheel spinning.
So it's a great cruising car capable of swallowing miles between charges, with terrific driver systems such as the steering-wheel paddles, which introduce increased levels of regeneration braking, but dynamically it's a bit of a lummox. Perhaps the strangest thing is that in making the car look and behave almost exactly like conventional Audis, there's almost no sense of occasion in driving it or looking at it. We can debate all day whether battery electric is the basis of future transportation, but if it is and this is an example, the future's going to be efficient and refined, and the tiniest bit boring...
Stat Attack
Battery: 432-cell, 95kWh 700kg, lithium-ion battery mounted in floor
Motors: 224PS/355Nm front asynchronous electric motor and a 184PS/309Nm rear synchronous electric motor
Transmission: four-wheel drive with step down gearing from motors
Power/Torque: 408PS (402bhp) at 13,300rpm, 664Nm (490lb ft) for ten seconds
0-62mph: 5.7sec
Top speed: 124mph
Price: £82,240