2019 Jaguar I-Pace vs 2020

What's the difference?

Words like brutish, brash, raucous and endless World War II victory references have been used to describe Jaguar's most exciting models since, well, the end of the second world war. 

For the past two decades, it's generally been because of a supercharged petrol V8 threatening the rear tyres from pretty much idle. 

Hardly the last word in technology, efficiency and decorum then, and therefore not the most likely to beat the other big luxury brands to market with a dedicated fully-electric offering.

That's exactly what Jaguar has done though, trumping Audi, Mercedes, Porsche and BMW in tackling Tesla head-on. 

Yes, the brilliant BMW i3 arrived here in all-electric guise in 2014, but with the plug-in hybrid version pragmatically alongside it, Jaguar is the only one to date to launch a completely combustion-free model. 

It’s a bespoke design from the ground up, designed to house four adults and their luggage, promises a comfortable range akin to a tank of petrol, is available for around the cost of a mid-spec XF sedan, and is unmistakably a Jaguar. It’s also faster than plenty of those leaping cat-badged supercharged petrol V8s.

Andrew Chesterton came away from the I-Pace’s international launch very impressed, but there’s nothing like a Sydney summer’s day to really put a car to work. Particularly an electric one with so much to prove. We were among the first to drive the new I-Pace at its Australian launch this week.

How many kilometres do you drive in a week?

Really, truly. Not just the distance you think you might travel – I’m talking the real average number. Do you drive to work every day? Do you live far from frequently visited relatives or friends?

If you answered "No" to the latter two questions, an electric car like the Jaguar I-Pace probably won’t give you bouts of the dreaded “range anxiety” you may have heard so much about.

My weekly work commute, for example, comes in at a smidge under 160km when added up, meaning, theoretically, I could get almost three weeks out of a single charge on this Jag’s claimed range.

There is a lot more than just having a competitive range to a car though, so does Jag’s I-Pace keep up in an electrified world where it’s finally getting a bit of competition? I took a base-spec S for a week to find out.