[dtgsrq]

Having just rolled 20k miles and coming up on 18 months of I-Pace ownership as my daily driver, I thought a detailed post would help anyone on the fence about the car gain more insight from a veteran I-Pace owner. After recently seeing up to $20K off the 2019 models, the opportunity to buy one has really never been better. I'm still astounded and how poorly such a fabulous car (2019 WCOTY, another 50-60 international awards!) has sold in the U.S., but that is another topic. Maybe JLR is reading these posts and fixes a few of my pet peeves with a SOTA upgrade?
Anyway, here they are:

5 Favorite Features
1. Acceleration and Instant Torque. Moving to any EV changes your perspective on power, responsiveness, but the I-Pace really shines here. Motor Trend clocked it at 4.0 sec 0-60, a full half second faster than spec. I tend to think JLR 'sandbagged' the 0-60 time. Keep tires at 37 psi for optimal ride quality, too.
2. Styling and Overall Looks. Nearly two years since first seeing the vehicle announced, no other EV (other than maybe the Taycan) has grabbed my attention for its design and looks. It really put the "Sport" in SUV.
3. Adustable Height. I've been surprised how often I use this and how practical/enjoyable this feature can be. Whether just ensuring my front air dam doesn't scrape the curb while parking, deciding to jump a median by taking a U-Turn on a stopped and crowded street, or making my own parking spot by mounting a high curb somewhere, this feature rocks!
4. AutoPilot. No, its not fully autonomous, nor do I think I'll be an early adopter for this feature on any car (Darwin, anyone?), but the semi-autonomous LKA (Lane Keep Assist) and following distance (adjustable, BTW) really ease highway driving, especially in traffic.
5. Interior LED Lighting. The interior lighting, although initially I thought gimmicky, does add ambiance and has been popular with guest riders. I also opted for the "Jaguar" blue door sill lighting (highly recommended) as it really gives the car an even more upscale feel at night. (I could do without the branding on the puddle light, though.)

5 Pet Peeves
1. Directional Garage Door Opener. Others have commented about this on this forum, so I know I'm not crazy, but somehow the Homelink GDO signal is poor, directional, or experiences interference going through the UV-blocking windshield. At least twice a week I'm laughed at by my family for having to zig-zag up and down the driveway (oddly, only when departing) trying to get the danm GDO signal through to close my garage door! ("How much did you pay for this thing, again?") Aggravating.
2. Engine Cuts off when Drivers Door Opens. This has to be fixed in a software update. Leaving the car 'running' is nearly impossible for those moments you have passengers... e.g. on a hot day and need to run into a store, open to reach the mailbox, stop to pickup anything adjacent to the driver side, etc.
3. Brake Squeak/Squeal. This is also well documented on the forum, and JLR seems in denial (by reports of other attempting to fix it). There are two distinct undesired sounds: both a "duck growl" in the interior cabin while pressing the brakes, as well as a 'squeak' when stopping/starting at low speed. Independently intermittent, but enough to annoy you.
4. Console & Storage Design. While the middle console open storage looks cool when empty, if you put the commonly used things in there for which it was likely designed (phone, glasses, mint tin, etc.) and drive the car like it wants to be driven, you'll find those items on the floor. More could have been done to make that space a bit more 'cargo secure', I think. Also the open gap between the front footwells should have been rubberized (not carpeted) to keep object in there.
5. Incomplete SOTA. While it took almost a year (since my purchase in Dec 2018) to really get the Infotainment SOTA functionality implemented, many of the other software modules in the car still require a dealer visit. This along with constantly 'forgetting' my home wifi code are surprising given the state of the art nature of the vehicle.

Many trolls (and some owners) will note I did NOT mention the 'sluggish' infotainment. Sure it is not as responsive as desired, but in my opinion you just get used to it and it does not detract from the vehicle experience as much as the 5 Pet Peeves above.
Would love to hear from other veteran owners (6 months or more)...

 

[CurtSprings2]

For pet peeve #2 I changed the garage door light bulbs to incandescent from LED and I can open or close the door from nearly a block away. It seems LED and compact fluorescent bulbs produce a small field that interferes with the garage door antenna.

 

[Ken]

I have no issues with 1, 3 & 4, but in the case of 3, my car is new, so the squeal may yet come. With Teslas the squeal was sometimes due to the lack of use of the frictional brakes as opposed to regenerative braking. However #2 drives me nuts and I've posted about that before thinking I was doing something wrong.

I tend not to put much in that open area mainly because of aesthetics.

 

[dtgsrq]

For pet peeve #2 I changed the garage door light bulbs to incandescent from LED and I can open or close the door from nearly a block away. It seems LED and compact fluorescent bulbs produce a small field that interferes with the garage door antenna.

Great idea I'll definitely give a shot, but my GL550 (sold for the I-Pace) had no problem nor does my wife's BMW. And it works most of the time. Worth a try...Anything to fix that!

 

[MHK]

I hope that JLR does something with 3 and 4 in your pet peeves. For now, I am getting used to them.

 

[usarcher]

I've got a month and 5k miles on you, glad to see I'm not the only one dumping miles on the I-Pace.

I don't have issues with my garage door being directional and I have LED lights in them.

The engine cutting out when exiting caught me off guard the first time, but the car has trained me to go neutral plus engage the brake for the handful of times that I have needed to do that.

Never had brake squeal and I live where they love to use salt on the road in the winter, which lasts for months. One thing I wish they would have done is put sound deadening material into the wheel well. I find I can get some elevated tire/road noise at different speeds on different quality of road.

I find the interior storage pretty decent and thats with two young kids. I do wish we had the wireless phone charger like they originally talked about. I also think the trunks, especially the frunk, could have had a little more room.

SOTA has gotten better, not as frequent as I had hoped but have made steady progress. Do wish they were more open with what they are working on to fix and estimated release schedules. One thing that has improved is the sluggish infotainment.

 

[CurtSprings2]

Removing the LEDs also helped with range in my Fusion Homelink. Before switching bulbs my I-Pace had to be exactly inline with the opener and not too far back. Once on the street there was no way to open or close the door.

 

[Deutsch100]

Great write up, Thank you.

In regards to the integrated Homelink garage opener....I am blown away how amazing it works (in my I-Pace). From any angle, any direction it works and even before I pull in the driveway. We even changed the incandescent bulbs to LED 3-4 years ago, and still no interference. Btw, our electric garage doors are Chamberlain Lift Master Professional and are not new (the house was built in 2006).

My BMW i3S also killed the "motor" if you opened the driver door. I think all EVs do this, right? Even my BMW X5 PHEV did this. Annoying, yes! Our G63....if you open the driver door, it puts the car in P. Most cars have these things that annoy us and were purely added by corporate lawyers.

I too have never felt the Infotainment to lag. Sure, sometimes it is not instant, but it has never not worked and I find it near perfect. But, our 13 year old thinks it is slow and old, LOL.

 

[Ken]

It's funny, I don't think that's how it worked with my MS. Either I'm losing it or I always recall the car having its HVAC & radio stay on. Those are the 2 things that we're really discussing since the motor in these electric cars aren't actually running in idle like an ICE.

 

[[email protected]]

My break squeak even after the dealer replaced with new break but I hardly use it, mainly go in and out of the garage.
For #2, I think the intention is to prevent the owner accidentally left the car on without knowing so a stronger won't be able to drive it away, as EV makes no sound. Anyway, there is a way to have the car on with the driver leaving.

 

[Ken]

My break squeak even after the dealer replaced with new break but I hardly use it, mainly go in and out of the garage.
For #2, I think the intention is to prevent the owner accidentally left the car on without knowing so a stronger won't be able to drive it away, as EV makes no sound. Anyway, there is a way to have the car on with the driver leaving.

True, the car could be disabled from moving when you get out of the car, but for the courtesy of the passengers, you'd want the radio & HVAC to stay on.

 

[Deutsch100]

True, the car could be disabled from moving when you get out of the car, but for the courtesy of the passengers, you'd want the radio & HVAC to stay on.

Yes. Our G63, if you open the driver's door, the car automatically puts the car in P, but the climate and radio continue to run. Jaguar could so do this too. But, as I mentioned my 2019 i3 did the same thing...open the driver's door and Bam! Car off, everything off. Annoying to say the least, especially if getting the mail or if you forget or need something in the back seat or trunk!

 

[DocHudson]

True, the car could be disabled from moving when you get out of the car, but for the courtesy of the passengers, you'd want the radio & HVAC to stay on.

So if the key is still in the car, but you open the door, everything turns off? I didn't have the "engine on", but the InControl and cooling was operational and I thought I got out with the key still in the car and everything stayed on.

 

[Ken]

So if the key is still in the car, but you open the door, everything turns off? I didn't have the "engine on", but the InControl and cooling was operational and I thought I got out with the key still in the car and everything stayed on.

I'll have to try that, but I thought everything turned off regardless. It seemed to be pegged to sensing the driver's presence, but I could be wrong.

 

[DocHudson]

I'll have to try that, but I thought everything turned off regardless. It seemed to be pegged to sensing the driver's presence, but I could be wrong.

I just did it again and InControl stayed active, headlights were on, and the radio was on. I didn't have air running, but I'm pretty sure that works too for me.

 

[Ken]

I'll need to check that out. I'd be OK with that as a means of keeping passengers from roasting/freezing when I temporarily exit.

 

[sciencegeek]

Yeah if the engine isn't on, and only the ignition is on, you can get out of the car and the ignition (and all the electronics etc) stay on. Go figure.

 

[Ken]

Yeah if the engine isn't on, and only the ignition is on, you can get out of the car and the ignition (and all the electronics etc) stay on. Go figure.

But with electric cars, even if the ignition is on then the engine will never be on unless you press the accelerator. There’s no ‘idle’ like in ICE vehicles.

 

[DocHudson]

Yeah if the engine isn't on, and only the ignition is on, you can get out of the car and the ignition (and all the electronics etc) stay on. Go figure.

That's correct. Had the "engine running" tonight and got out with the key fob still in the car and the car turned itself off. Maybe some lawyer figured there was some liability that the "gas" would be pushed inadvertently and then Jag would be paying somebody millions.

 

[Ken]

You guys really need to explain to me what you mean by the ‘engine running’. I’m sure you know that ICE concept has no meaning with electric cars. No foot on the ‘go pedal’, even with the ignition on, no engine running. I assume you just mean the ‘ignition’ was on.