2022 Jaguar I-PACE

A legion of new electric cars has been launched over the past couple years, so it’s easy to forget about one of the earliest entries in the electric revolution: the Jaguar I-Pace. In fact, the I-Pace is so old now that it’s getting a mid-cycle refresh of sorts for the 2022 model year. Autoblog had its “First Drive” of this futuristic-looking crossover-hatchback nearly four years ago, so it’s time to see where the electric Jag stands now that it has more competition. To really get a sense of where the I-Pace fits today, I decided to take it on a road trip from Detroit, Michigan, to Buffalo, New York, and back. This would test the car’s real-world highway range, its charging ability and luxury prowess as a premium crossover. It also ended up being a test of the Rust Belt’s charging infrastructure and ability to facilitate EV road tripping. The trip starts with a 100% charge in Michigan, 50-degree weather and a 381-mile drive ahead of me. According to the sticker for this 2022 Jaguar I-Pace EV400 HSE, it has a 222-mile range on a full charge — that’s down from the 234 miles it was rated for in 2021. I set out, and it’s all good vibes at the start. This I-Pace has the standard 20-inch wheels (not the optional, giant 22s), which pair perfectly with the air suspension to provide a truly comfy ride. The adaptive cruise control makes dealing with rush-hour traffic through Detroit easy, and the I-Pace’s dual-motor powertrain, good for 394 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, is a delight to unleash when the road opens up. Even at 60 mph-plus, the I-Pace has plenty of go to pin you back like other quick EVs do today. As I make my way into Ohio and navigate through Toledo, some gripes pop up. The lane-centering system is finicky and downright scary at times. Poor lane markings cause it to abruptly yank the car left or right, and you need to be quick at the wheel to keep it from driving onto the shoulder or worse — other cars with similar lane-following tech perform significantly better on the same roads. It’s even more frustrating when I learn how good it is on a highway with clear and proper lane markings, tracking beautifully … until the road no longer cooperates. Its inability to cope when lane markings suddenly deteriorate makes this system hardly worth using. Watching out for its bad behavior is more mentally taxing than just turning the system off and driving without. Another gripe: Before setting out, I tried to use Jaguar’s new charge stop planner in the new-for-2022 Pivi Pro infotainment system. It’s scads better than the old Jaguar setup the I-Pace originally had, but its ability to plan a road trip automatically for you around charging needs is not ready for primetime. After plugging in my destination, it took a good 30 seconds to identify charging stops, then spit out a 9-hour drive time. …
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