SUV EV Options

[TheDeuce]

raspy said:

Snatch1 said:

I've had my iX 40 for 3 weeks now and I absolutely love it! It's a company lease, not salary sacrafice. Coming from 3 x X5's previously I wanted a large SUV. I borrowed an iX3 and an iX. My budget would allow a fully spec'd iX3 M Sport Pro versus an almost entry spec iX40 (with a few options).

Having spent a few days in each back to back, there was no choice. The iX is on a different level. I get why some people don't like the look of it, but it's grown on me and now I really like it.

It is a big car, feels bigger than my X5. Inside it's cavernous, the rear passenger space is huge. The boot is pretty much the same size in terms of width and depth, but as the iX is a lower car total cpacity is smaller.

It's amazing to drive, it just glides along but handling is sharp and it's very quick.

If you haven't tried one I'd suggest you take one out for a spin

Edited by Snatch1 on Monday 3rd June 15:25

I wouldn't describe an iX40 as "very quick" - I have one, and it often feels a bit gutless, given how much weight it has to drag around. Body roll is noticeable too. It's a good cruiser though.

The iX50/M60 could be described as "quick" but I take it those would be out of the OP's budget.

Regarding the OP's choice, out of the 3 choices, the iPace would be the one to go for if outright performance (and going round twisties without feeling like a boat) was a priority.

Agree, I had an iPace, my business partner has an ix40. Chalk and cheese in terms of performance and driver appeal! Also the nicer car to sit in imo, ignoring the luxury of space and slightly better tech in the IX.

[Discombobulate]

iPace for me too.
Such as good place to sit, well screwed together, and it is fast and handles well. And, to these eyes anyway, one of the better looking EVs.
Mine has been great (now 2 years in) and replaced a B9RS4 (and a C7 RS6 before that). Not the most efficient, or quick to charge, but unless you regularly do more than 200 miles and can charge at home neither will bother you.
Plus depreciation means there are some bargains out there...

[Snatch1]

raspy said:

I wouldn't describe an iX40 as "very quick" - I have one, and it often feels a bit gutless, given how much weight it has to drag around. Body roll is noticeable too. It's a good cruiser though.

I suppose it's all relative. Versus an X5 xDrive30d M Sport an iX40 is quick. And off the line it's clearly quicker than a comprable ICE SUV.

I think it copes with the weight well. Obviously if you plan on throw it round narrow country lanes then there are better tools for the job, but on mostly A roads and Motorway it's more than capable and a very nice place to be. I didn't get a large EV SUV to drive like an ICE sportcar (I've got a TVR in garage for that! )

An IPace was never on my list as it's too small. I've never driven or even sat in one so I can't comment on how they compare. I'll take you word for it

[TheDeuce]

Snatch1 said:

raspy said:

I wouldn't describe an iX40 as "very quick" - I have one, and it often feels a bit gutless, given how much weight it has to drag around. Body roll is noticeable too. It's a good cruiser though.

I suppose it's all relative. Versus an X5 xDrive30d M Sport an iX40 is quick. And off the line it's clearly quicker than a comprable ICE SUV.

I think it copes with the weight well. Obviously if you plan on throw it round narrow country lanes then there are better tools for the job, but on mostly A roads and Motorway it's more than capable and a very nice place to be. I didn't get a large EV SUV to drive like an ICE sportcar (I've got a TVR in garage for that! )

An IPace was never on my list as it's too small. I've never driven or even sat in one so I can't comment on how they compare. I'll take you word for it

The iPace is an SUV that does do the throwing around country roads bit even better than a TVR.. Shame it's too small because thus far no one has made a more dynamic, driver focussed EV SUV - other than perhaps the Lotus Eletre, which I'm guessing is very out of budget and also still too small.

[durbster]

durbster said:

Lexus RZ?

Absolutely zero interest in the Lexus then?

[SWoll]

TheDeuce said:

The iPace is an SUV that does do the throwing around country roads bit even better than a TVR.. Shame it's too small because thus far no one has made a more dynamic, driver focussed EV SUV - other than perhaps the Lotus Eletre, which I'm guessing is very out of budget and also still too small.

The Lotus Eletre too small?

Have you seen one in the flesh? They're huge, pretty much as big as a FF Range Rover.

[Jimjimhim]

Is the Ipace not known for being unreliable? Genuine question.

[TheDeuce]

Jimjimhim said:

Is the Ipace not known for being unreliable? Genuine question.

They're actually pretty reliable, but when something does go wrong, the dealers are known for being very unreliable!

The earlier cars had a couple of known issues. The later cars are fine and no shortage are now 100k+ miles old.

It's a car sadly let down by dealer care and support if you're unlucky enough to need it.

[TheDeuce]

SWoll said:

TheDeuce said:

The iPace is an SUV that does do the throwing around country roads bit even better than a TVR.. Shame it's too small because thus far no one has made a more dynamic, driver focussed EV SUV - other than perhaps the Lotus Eletre, which I'm guessing is very out of budget and also still too small.

The Lotus Eletre too small?

Have you seen one in the flesh? They're huge, pretty much as big as a FF Range Rover.

I haven't , for some reason I had it in my head that they were quite compact!

[SWoll]

TheDeuce said:

I haven't , for some reason I had it in my head that they were quite compact!

Absolutely huge. 5m+ long, 2m+ wide and a 700L boot..

So one the other day and was staggered at the size of the bloody thing.

Edited by SWoll on Tuesday 4th June 12:17

[Jimjimhim]

TheDeuce said:

Jimjimhim said:

Is the Ipace not known for being unreliable? Genuine question.

They're actually pretty reliable, but when something does go wrong, the dealers are known for being very unreliable!

The earlier cars had a couple of known issues. The later cars are fine and no shortage are now 100k+ miles old.

It's a car sadly let down by dealer care and support if you're unlucky enough to need it.

And I'm guessing that your local garage isn't the place to take one? Do you know if the earlier issues were sorted? What age is best to look at?

[TheDeuce]

SWoll said:

TheDeuce said:

I haven't , for some reason I had it in my head that they were quite compact!

Absolutely huge. 5m+ long, 2m+ wide and a 700L boot..

So one the other day and was staggered at the size of the bloody thing.

Edited by SWoll on Tuesday 4th June 12:17

The iPace is 4.7m long and I think 2.2m wide, they're deceptively big lumps too! It sounds like the size converts better into interior space in the Lotus though

It's the width of these SUV's that I find takes most getting used to. I'm happy parking in a tight spot but I was flummoxed on occasion when the parking space was quite simply not as wide as the iPace

[SWoll]

TheDeuce said:

The iPace is 4.7m long and I think 2.2m wide, they're deceptively big lumps too! It sounds like the size converts better into interior space in the Lotus though

I've always felt like the iPace has the look of a car that has been sat on.

[TheDeuce]

Jimjimhim said:

TheDeuce said:

Jimjimhim said:

Is the Ipace not known for being unreliable? Genuine question.

They're actually pretty reliable, but when something does go wrong, the dealers are known for being very unreliable!

The earlier cars had a couple of known issues. The later cars are fine and no shortage are now 100k+ miles old.

It's a car sadly let down by dealer care and support if you're unlucky enough to need it.

And I'm guessing that your local garage isn't the place to take one? Do you know if the earlier issues were sorted? What age is best to look at?

The earlier cars had a de-bonding windscreen issue, I think 2021 onwards all generally OK and it's fairly simple to check too. There was also a battery issue that affected some earlier cars, which was the subject of a recall so again, easy to check if it was addressed or of the car in question was ever affected.

General consensus is that a 21 MY HSE is the sweet spot, it has all the kit and the updated infotainment. The cars after that were cosmetically updated but if anything spec was reduced in a few places to save costs - most notably the surround cameras were removed, which is just not acceptable given the size of the car and thick pillars/small rear window.

Not sure how much an independent garage can do just yet in terms of work on or removal of the battery pack. I also assume the independent work would rule out renewing the JLR warranty extension and require a third party warranty, which ime isn't bad, just got to check the exclusions properly. We're still a good few years away from indie garages really getting to grips with EV repair in terms of kit and training to do a solid job with confidence.

[TheDeuce]

SWoll said:

TheDeuce said:

The iPace is 4.7m long and I think 2.2m wide, they're deceptively big lumps too! It sounds like the size converts better into interior space in the Lotus though

I've always felt like the iPace has the look of a car that has been sat on.

I think it looks more like an over-inflated hot hatch

Although to my eye, I think they look great - very unique but not jarring or designed to look different for the sake of it. The wheel in the extreme of each corner and stubby bonnet really show off that it's a ground up EV platform and design.

[Jimjimhim]

TheDeuce said:

Jimjimhim said:

TheDeuce said:

Jimjimhim said:

Is the Ipace not known for being unreliable? Genuine question.

They're actually pretty reliable, but when something does go wrong, the dealers are known for being very unreliable!

The earlier cars had a couple of known issues. The later cars are fine and no shortage are now 100k+ miles old.

It's a car sadly let down by dealer care and support if you're unlucky enough to need it.

And I'm guessing that your local garage isn't the place to take one? Do you know if the earlier issues were sorted? What age is best to look at?

The earlier cars had a de-bonding windscreen issue, I think 2021 onwards all generally OK and it's fairly simple to check too. There was also a battery issue that affected some earlier cars, which was the subject of a recall so again, easy to check if it was addressed or of the car in question was ever affected.

General consensus is that a 21 MY HSE is the sweet spot, it has all the kit and the updated infotainment. The cars after that were cosmetically updated but if anything spec was reduced in a few places to save costs - most notably the surround cameras were removed, which is just not acceptable given the size of the car and thick pillars/small rear window.

Not sure how much an independent garage can do just yet in terms of work on or removal of the battery pack. I also assume the independent work would rule out renewing the JLR warranty extension and require a third party warranty, which ime isn't bad, just got to check the exclusions properly. We're still a good few years away from indie garages really getting to grips with EV repair in terms of kit and training to do a solid job with confidence.

I suppose an indie would be ok for normal suspension/brakes or similar repairs? Is a pre 2021 car a safe enough choice if the repairs have been carried out? Are these a bit slow when charging off a 3 pin?

[Up_North]

If you get an iPace make sure it’s had the H441 recall patch applied. This will monitor the battery prevent a battery overheat if there is a faulty cell by restricting charging to 70%. You’ll then need to get it fixed by a Jaguar dealer.

We bought a 15 month old Approved iPace HSE Black, Beautiful car in Firenze Red with Oyster interior and drive superbly. Tech wasn’t great but did have wireless CarPlay and Amazon Alexa. But…after three weeks the power steering failed and it was going to take FOUR WEEKS just to look at it. I’m seeing this sort of delay for many JLR cars. So we rejected the car and got our money back.

We now have a BMW IX3 M Sport Pro. Tech is more advanced than the iPace but it lacks the wow factor - it is just an electrified X3 so has no frunk and still has a hump on floor between rear seats. Drives aswell as the iPace but not as fast.

Both have similar range. The iPace was a bit less efficient than the iX3 but the iPace battery is bigger hence similar range.

Heart says iPace; Head says iX3

[TheDeuce]

Jimjimhim said:

TheDeuce said:

Jimjimhim said:

TheDeuce said:

Jimjimhim said:

Is the Ipace not known for being unreliable? Genuine question.

They're actually pretty reliable, but when something does go wrong, the dealers are known for being very unreliable!

The earlier cars had a couple of known issues. The later cars are fine and no shortage are now 100k+ miles old.

It's a car sadly let down by dealer care and support if you're unlucky enough to need it.

And I'm guessing that your local garage isn't the place to take one? Do you know if the earlier issues were sorted? What age is best to look at?

The earlier cars had a de-bonding windscreen issue, I think 2021 onwards all generally OK and it's fairly simple to check too. There was also a battery issue that affected some earlier cars, which was the subject of a recall so again, easy to check if it was addressed or of the car in question was ever affected.

General consensus is that a 21 MY HSE is the sweet spot, it has all the kit and the updated infotainment. The cars after that were cosmetically updated but if anything spec was reduced in a few places to save costs - most notably the surround cameras were removed, which is just not acceptable given the size of the car and thick pillars/small rear window.

Not sure how much an independent garage can do just yet in terms of work on or removal of the battery pack. I also assume the independent work would rule out renewing the JLR warranty extension and require a third party warranty, which ime isn't bad, just got to check the exclusions properly. We're still a good few years away from indie garages really getting to grips with EV repair in terms of kit and training to do a solid job with confidence.

I suppose an indie would be ok for normal suspension/brakes or similar repairs? Is a pre 2021 car a safe enough choice if the repairs have been carried out? Are these a bit slow when charging off a 3 pin?

For brakes/suspension, indie is fine. It's pretty much only for anything requiring the battery to be worked on or removed for other works that are causing a headache. Or spare part delays and so on.

Although I doubt you'll need to touch the brakes, they're hardly used on these more powerful EV's.

Most drivers won't ever have a significant problem with the car, and most pre 2021 cars have also probably had whatever was likely to go wrong prematurely fixed by now. I had a 2020 car for three years, only problem was some loose trim (needed better glue..) and a failed electric boot strut. The 2021 model year HSE is probably the best choice and best value overall, and less likely to have the known issues.

Any EV will charge as fast as a 3 pin socket can deliver charge, which is only around 2.2kw - fast enough for typical usage easily though. The iPace is capped at around 100kw charging rate, so all 'slow charging means' is you won't see the benefit of a public charger faster than 100kw. The charge curve isn't the best so beyond about 70% the rate of charge also slows - apparently. I can't say I ever noticed or cared. Unless you intend to use public chargers very regularly, you don't need to worry about such dull things.

I can say, it's the best car I've ever owned, a spectacularly good jack of all trades, from fast b-roads to off roading, we absolutely adored it!

Edited by TheDeuce on Tuesday 4th June 17:33

[rudester]

TheDeuce said:

The iPace is an SUV that does do the throwing around country roads bit even better than a TVR.. Shame it's too small because thus far no one has made a more dynamic, driver focussed EV SUV - other than perhaps the Lotus Eletre, which I'm guessing is very out of budget and also still too small.

Looking at the recent Macan EV reviews, Porsche has reset the bar!

[rudester]

Jimjimhim said:

Is the Ipace not known for being unreliable? Genuine question.

I have a read of this thread before putting your money into an iPace, if reliability is a concern: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...