Jaguar Ipace Lease

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We recently test drove Jaguar’s only full electric (EV) car – the I-Pace EV400. In this article we will provide an honest and unbiased review on the car.

The Jaguar I-Pace was launched back in March 2018 when it had very little competition in the EV market. 2021 tells a different story, so how does the battery powered Jag compare with its latest rivals?!

The I-Pace is referred to as an Electric SUV. Personally, I struggle to see how it fits in to this class as it doesn’t look like an SUV, nor does it sit high like an SUV (maybe slightly higher than a normal car). Mmmm…. Crossover? Nope, I’m going to say it’s somewhere between a car and a crossover but who am I to argue with the big-wigs at Jag?!

Regardless of what class it fits in to, this is a good-sized family car with a big boot and plenty of space for adults in the back.

The Engine

The EV400 is a fully electric car so it does without any dirty, old-fashioned petrol or diesel motors that we’ve become accustomed to. Instead, the car uses 2 x electric motors – one driving the rear wheels and the other upfront.

Each motor produces 200ps and 348Nm of torques meaning a total output of 400ps an 696Nm. The AWD grip will come in handy here!!

So, what is the engine like to drive?

Press the ‘start button’ and you will instantly realise this isn’t a normal engine due to the lack of noise. The electric motors have come alive and as you take off, you do so in near-silence.

Driving an electric car can be a very pleasant way to cruise about. The smooth and effortless manner in which the car takes off makes for a very comfortable journey in and around town or sitting bumper to bumper in traffic.

Put your foot down from low speeds and you will feel the car accelerate quite swiftly due to the higher torque of the electric motors.

Jaguar quote a 0-60mph acceleration time of 4.5 seconds and I can well believe it! Slam your foot to the floor and you will be kicked back in your seat as the big cat lunges forward. Make no mistake, this is a very fast car with an addictive sort of power that will make you want to floor it at every opportunity. Penalty points and a fine is only 4.5 seconds away!

In normal driving, town or motorway, the electric motors are incredibly smooth as you would expect. The more I drive EV’s the more I’m appreciating how comfortable and enjoyable they are. Sure, give me a big V8 any day but as fun as that’d be, maintaining one would pain me. Going electric gives me all the power with much lower running costs!

One thing that did strike me with this car was how aggressive the regenerative braking system was. As soon as I lifted my foot from the accelerator, the car slowed down with nearly as much kick it accelerated with. You can adjust the settings in this car to relax the or increase the braking settings. Pretty sure this car was at full tilt! If you haven’t driven an EV before, this will be a very strange feeling.

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Choosing a vehicle today can save you a lot of money. Electric and Hybrid vehicles can significantly reduce BIK tax not to mention fuel savings.

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Personally, I don’t mind as have driven the cars before but it wouldn’t be a recipe for the ‘world’s most comfortable journey’. What it does do is put as much power back in to your battery as possible so maybe it’s not so bad after all. If you don’t like it, adjust it to the softer setting. Simples!

What about the electric range and all the other stats that make a hybrid a hybrid?

The EV400 has a range of 292 miles (470km) on the WLTP Cycle. We all know these manufacturers quoted figures can be hard to achieve, but road tests on this car have proved it’s not far off the mark!

The battery range will depend largely on how the car is driven but other factors can affect the batteries, such as the temperature outside.

CARMERCIAL’s thoughts…. Quiet, smooth, comfortable and very fast – that pretty much sums up the engine/ electric motors in this car! It’s a nice car to drive and offers a very usable range of nearly 300 miles to a single charge. There would be very few people on the road that would drive this in a single day meaning this car can hold its own with diesel competitors!

Benefit In Kind Tax (BIK)

The I-Pace will appeal to company car drivers and is probably aimed more at director-level due to the list price.

Government incentives have made hybrid and electric vehicles a more attractive option for those driving company vehicles. Full electric cars incur Zero BIK tax in the 2020/21 tax year and only 1% in 21/22 and 2% the year after that.

Zero emissions and Zero BIK. It’s easy to see why so many are looking at EV’s now after getting fleeced by the taxman for years on their company cars.

BIK - Diesel Vs. Electric

Below we have shown the difference of two similarly spec’d Jaguar cars, one diesel, one electric.

P11d Value £37,935 £69.740
Percentage Charge 32% 0%
Benefit in Kind £12,139 £0
Tax payable at 20% £2,428 £0
Tax payable at 40% £4,856 £0

So, what this tells us is that a 20% income tax earner can expect to pay £2,428/ year in BIK tax on the diesel compared to £0/ year in the electric. To break that down in to a monthly figure, it equates to £202.33/m Vs. £0/m. Twice this for someone in the 40% bracket…

£404.66/m Vs. £0/m which is a more likely scenario given the value of the cars!

WOW – BIG SAVINGS to be had by the driver then!

Our tagline is #DriveSmart and doing so can save you (and your business) a lot of money by choosing the correct company car. It may seem confusing but we’re here to help advise you on what options are available and what is best suited to your needs.

CARMERCIAL’s thoughts…. This is a No-Brainer for a company car driver; providing your company is happy to pay a premium on rentals over the equivalent diesel. Full Electric is the way to go these days. BIK is such a big factor in choosing a company car, let us help you find the right one. If it’s a premium car of good size you need, this could be the one!

The Specs

Like any Jaguar, you will have a multitude of options and packs to customise your car exactly how you want it.

The range starts with the ‘S’ model.

Key features include…

  • 19" 5 split-spoke, Gloss Dark Grey/ contrast Diamond Turned Alloy Wheels
  • LED headlights
  • Manual operated tailgate
  • Heated, electric, power folding door mirrors with approach lights/ auto-dimming
  • Luxtec Sports Seats
  • Meridian sound system
  • Pivi Pro
  • Online Pack
  • Interactive Drivers Display
  • Emergency braking system
  • Traffic recognition system
  • Driver condition monitor
  • Lane assist
  • 3d 360-degree camera

SE adds the following over the S…

  • 20" 6 spoke, Gloss Sparkle Silver alloy wheels
  • Premium LED headlights with signature DRL
  • Power tailgate
  • Heated/ Electric/ Folding/ Memory door mirrors with approach lights
  • Sports seats in grained leather
  • Blind spot assist pack

HSE adds the following over the SE…

  • 20” Gloss dark grey alloys
  • Matric LED light with signature DRL
  • Animated indicators
  • Power gesture tailgate
  • Windsor leather seats
  • Meridian 3d surround sound system
  • Driver assist pack

CARMERCIAL’s thoughts…. Plenty of choice here but budgets will restrict how many goodies you can get. The cars are well spec’d to start but as always, you can add more. The base (if you can call it that) ‘S’ model really has enough for most people and you wouldn’t feel you had scrimped in any way. If you can afford more, it’s worth a look!

The Exterior

After selecting your desired spec, you can then progress to adding individual options and colours.

On the outside, there are a good choice of metallic and premium metallic paints as well as the popular solid Fuji white.

Styling can be further enhanced with the addition on privacy glass, a black contrast roof, black exterior pack or a full range of alloy wheel upgrades.

Several headlight upgrades are available to bring the lower models in line with the higher spec HSE.

*We’d always advise talking to us about what you would like in your car. Quite often on lease it can be cheaper to go for a higher spec HSE rather than spec’ing up an S model.

CARMERCIAL’s thoughts…. The ‘S’ isn’t overly special on the outside. We find the base models do look quite ‘base model. The styling of these cars is quite different/ strange but a well kitted out version makes it look all the better!

The Interior

On the inside you have a choice of Ebony (black) leather or an Ebony/ light oyster colour combination. There are quite a few upgrades you can make to the seats by way of extra functions in the electrics or premium leather coverings. The headlining colours come in Ebony or Light Oyster.

Further combinations can be configured for the finisher trims and steering wheel and for the ‘techie’ people amongst you, a head-up display and upgraded sound systems are other nice features.

As mentioned before, a lot of these cost-options come as standard on higher spec cars. Leasing a car works a bit differently than when purchasing. Quite often a more expensive vehicle can work out cheaper or much the same as a lesser spec’d car due to a stronger residual value (RV).

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CARMERCIAL’s thoughts…. The car is well finished on the inside. Nice quality of leather, plastics and materials are used throughout the cabin. The I-Pace feels more premium on the inside than the likes of Tesla’s cars. The Audi E-tron would be one of its main competitors but Audi is up there in terms of quality too.

Options & Accessories

The options list continues with more exterior and interior features. Additions to the infotainment system, safety & security systems as well as dynamic and convenience type bells and whistles.

Jaguar also have an extensive accessories catalogue for all those bits and pieces you’d like to add but maybe don’t necessarily need. Expect the price of your car to climb quickly if you get carried away with these!

CARMERCIAL’s thoughts…. It’s nice to have a list of accessories to choose from but most are probably more of a want than a need. Many tend to be over-priced so consider whether they’re actually worth it!

Our Verdict

The I-Pace has been out for 3 years now and has generally had good reviews on most aspects of the car. If you’re in the market for a premium EV it’s definitely worth a look.

Premium interior and build quality, fast electric motors with a very usable range of nearly 300 miles to a single charge makes this a great choice for you next company car; especially if you cover a lot of mileage.

It’s not the cheapest car out there but then it doesn’t have many competitors and the ones that are out there, are similarly priced.

All in all, the I-Pace is a comfortable and nice car to drive. Personally, on the styling front I wouldn’t say it’s the prettiest of things. However, an HSE with big wheels and a black pack makes it a bit more appealing!

CARMERCIAL Leasing can source and fund any make and model of car or light commercial vehicle. We use a wide range of finance house and dealerships to find you the best deals in the market.

We pride ourselves in being able to offer clear and concise advice on what is going to work best for YOU and YOUR business.

Please get in touch, we’d be happy to help.

#DriveSmart with a CARMERCIAL Lease.