JOHANNESBURG - The Jaguar I-Pace electric car has been given an upgrade for 2021 and while it’s not one of those ‘Ludicrous’ performance updates of the kind Elon Musk likes to brag about on Twitter, it is something that buyers with access to three-phase electricity will find rather useful.
Now available in South Africa, the 2021 Jaguar I-Pace comes with an 11kW on-board charger as standard, in addition to upgraded infotainment and driver assist features.
When connected to an 11kW wall box, owners can now achieve 53kW of (WLTP) range per hour, versus 35km per hour when connected to a conventional single-phase 7kW wall box. This, according to Jaguar, reduces the time it takes for a full charge from empty to 8.6 hours, from 12.75 hours.
When hooked up to a 100kW public fast charger, 127km worth of charge can be achieved in 15 minutes, or 76kW if it’s a 60kW charger.
As before, the vehicle has a claimed range of up to 470km between charges (when measured on the WLTP cycle) and the electric motors - one on each axle - continue as before, producing a total of 294kW and 696Nm, which gets the car from 0-100km/h in a claimed 4.8 seconds.
The Jaguar I-Pace, which also happens to be South Africa’s reigning Car of the Year, also receives a new Pivo Pro infotainment system for 2021. This works through a pair of vertically stacked screens (25cm at the top and 12.7cm at the bottom), and the vehicle also features a 31.2cm digital instrument cluster.
The Pivi Pro’s new flat menu structure is said to make navigating the infotainment system even easier, with regularly used functions accessible via the home screen with just one click. What’s more, the navigation system reduces the number of steps required to set a destination and there’s also a new pinch and zoom function for the map display.
Connectivity is further enhanced by a dual-modem embedded SIM, wireless phone charging and a dual Bluetooth system that allows two phones to connect at the same time.
You’ll also have an easier time parking the new I-Pace, thanks to a 360-degree 3D Surround Camera, which is said to significantly enhance visibility. Also added to the list of driver assistance toys is JLR’s ClearSight digital rear view mirror, which allows drivers to see behind them even if the view is obscured by tall passengers or bulky objects.
The new I-Pace is available in three trim levels (S, SE and HSE), with prices starting at R1 942 600. The vehicle is sold with an eight-year/160 000km battery warranty as well as a five-year/100 000km warranty and service plan.
2021 Jaguar I-Pace prices
EV400 S - R1 942 600
EV400 SE - R2 005 100
EV400 HSE - R2 112 300