[ted99]

New to forum to track owner experience. I love this auto and my test drive. My current two leases of PHEV's toll next year and the i-pace is head of the list. BUT after all of my experience with English car electrical gremlins (Lord Lucas, Prince of Darkness) I'm glad there is a year of owner experience to glean before I have to pull the trigger.

 

[jsimon7777]

Do it! This is our third EV and third fourth luxury car. It's definitely a favorite.

 

[Timbo]

Yup. Totally cool car and very fast. Ride is fantastic and Tesla guys drool a bit although they won’t admit it.

 

[McRat]

Fun car to play with. Unlike some EV's, the I-Pace can turn TC/SC off, you can powerbrake it (two pedal driving), and it has a primitive track computer that measures G-forces, pedal position history, and lap times. Not a replacement for a real track computer, but better than nothing, which is what EVs normally have.
I brought to an AutoX and stunned a lot of folk. When we left at lunch, we were still the 2nd fastest car out of about 40 entries, but in full disclosure, the track was very wet, and I'm an amateur racer. Only a well-prepped track Miata beat me. I lapped quicker than a Corvette Stingray, a few Mustangs and Camaros, an Audi R8 (paper plate, the driver was probably green), all the BMWs stock or otherwise, a few FRS/BRZ's, other Miatas. It was certainly the heaviest car there. It did better than the WRX's too.

Now... It understeers a good amount, which is a common AWD trait, especially in heavy cars. With TC/SC off, you can make it oversteer too. It will go faster with TC/SC off by a good amount.

Not a track car, but certainly a fun car. Not numb like the Model S Tesla.

 

[sciencegeek]

you can powerbrake it (two pedal driving)

Ohhhh I didn't know that, that's awesome

 

[phila]

Both my wife and I love this car, it is our only car and is being used as a family car. Very comfortable ride, love the height of the car and pretty much everything about it. Its also the first time ever that I actually feel safe sitting in the passenger seat with my wife driving as she drives much more relaxed now too as it really is simple to drive and makes her feel so much more comfortable as well. The only improvement I would like to see is an upgraded infotainment system as it is a little laggy but it does all that we need and really is fine. An amazing car and highly recommend it.

 

[McRat]

Ohhhh I didn't know that, that's awesome

Turn off TC/SC (TRACdsc mode).>

Disclaimer:
Powerbraking any car can cause driveline damage.
Driving with TC/SC off can cause loss of control in any car.

Bright side: The I-Pace understeers when you make a mistake and is easy to recover. It's not going to jump up and bite you.

 

[Mister Dave]

New to forum to track owner experience.

+1

TBH, the Taycan looks even more enticing. If budget is no concern..... but otherwise and for right now I-Pace is the one. I don't see any competition at all.

 

[jsimon7777]

I'll wait for the Taycan reviews. I also prefer a crossover. Easier in and out. Better for driving over urban decay.

 

[McRat]

I predict the Taycan will enter the market at over $180k.

i8 starts at $150k,

Model S Ludicrous trimmed is $145k.

The 918 was $850k.

A 2019 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Executive starts at $198k.

There is zero reason to sell the Taycan for less than a Tesla.

 

[jsimon7777]

They keep saying it'll start in the 80-90k range. I'm not gonna cry if it's super expensive, though. I just won't get one. As for the Turbo S with all the bells and whistles, that's a lot of engine that's more expensive than a motor and battery pack. PLUS a motor and battery pack.

 

[McRat]

They keep saying it'll start in the 80-90k range. I'm not gonna cry if it's super expensive, though. I just won't get one. As for the Turbo S with all the bells and whistles, that's a lot of engine that's more expensive than a motor and battery pack. PLUS a motor and battery pack.

And the Tesla Model 3 would be $35,000. >

The cheapo model of the Panamera AWD is $92k stripped. I can't see the Taycan roller being more stripped than the Panamera. They will offer a First Edition to try and recoup their R&D costs.

 

[ted99]

Thanks, all for the endorsements. Before I got too old, I was a track rat (Nissan GTR, Porsche 991.1C2S) so I really appreciated the "feel" of the i-Pace when I drove it. For my timing next year, I see the competition as the Audi e-Tron and the M-B EQC. Haven't driven the e-Tron, but sat in one at a Dealer preview. The M-B EQC is probably going to be numb, compared to the i-Pace. Watching the Audi video on the development process, it looks like it's a very well-sorted vehicle and my prejudice is that it had about 10X the development engineering as the i-Pace. The Audi and the i-Pace are priced at an equivalent level for the spec I would want. The Porsche, whose name I won't even repeat, is probably going to be priced like all Porsche's--A completely unrealistic "base" price, but an extra 25% after one adds the options, like brakes and seats, etc (lol). I proved this, again, for myself when I "built" a Cayenne PHEV against the BMW X5 PHEV and came up with a 25% price premium for the car I would buy. I got to drive an E-type when they were first released and it's one of the all-time best looking cars, ever. I think the i-Pace is a similar leader and a standout in a sea of lookalikes. Really looking forward to all the owner experience as the first year> owners become the "development testers".

 

[McRat]

Thanks, all for the endorsements. Before I got too old, I was a track rat (Nissan GTR, Porsche 991.1C2S) so I really appreciated the "feel" of the i-Pace when I drove it. For my timing next year, I see the competition as the Audi e-Tron and the M-B EQC. Haven't driven the e-Tron, but sat in one at a Dealer preview. The M-B EQC is probably going to be numb, compared to the i-Pace. Watching the Audi video on the development process, it looks like it's a very well-sorted vehicle and my prejudice is that it had about 10X the development engineering as the i-Pace. The Audi and the i-Pace are priced at an equivalent level for the spec I would want. The Porsche, whose name I won't even repeat, is probably going to be priced like all Porsche's--A completely unrealistic "base" price, but an extra 25% after one adds the options, like brakes and seats, etc (lol). I proved this, again, for myself when I "built" a Cayenne PHEV against the BMW X5 PHEV and came up with a 25% price premium for the car I would buy. I got to drive an E-type when they were first released and it's one of the all-time best looking cars, ever. I think the i-Pace is a similar leader and a standout in a sea of lookalikes. Really looking forward to all the owner experience as the first year> owners become the "development testers".

I'm going to predict the average driver will go faster around an autocross course in an I-Pace than a GTR. And an Audi eTron will be the proverbial duck out of water. It looks like they started with an ICE chassis and adapted it.
Does the Audi have a track mode, track computer (weak, but there), and a race seat option? Can you turn off it's SC/TC?

The I-Pace 'feels' a lot like the CTS-V wagon.

It's very telling that Audi's eTron commercial for the Superbowl showed a sport coupe that won't be out until 2025, not the eTron that will be sold this summer. I venture a guess that a Chevy Bolt will outrun the eTron on a tight mountain road or an AutoX. The eTron is boat.

 

[ted99]

I autocrossed my GTR several times. It was faster than all comers, except for a highly modded 3-series and two Lotus 7's. The weight of the GTR is only a little less than the iPace and it was similarly handicapped by AWD for tight autocross courses. But, it's immense torque pretty much made mincemeat of other cars--and that's what the iPace will bring to the table. As I said, I loved the iPace's driving characteristics. I had a 2014 i3 for 3 years and I used to say that nothing was faster to 40 MPH, except a Tesla. The iPace just keeps on giving well beyond 40 MPH. But, I want to see a year's worth of owner experience before I commit to it. I can just see the door handles not coming out, or as with the Houston auto show i-Pace demo car: "Battery Fault" --when I come out in the morning. I've had too much experience with English cars to take the first bite.