Jaguar I-Pace vs Porsche Taycan

What's the difference?

In the 1960s Jaguar used to promote its range as providing “grace, space and pace”. Nowadays, the I-Pace may as well also be known as the I-Grace and I-Space, because all three terms still ring true.

Jaguars were never cheap but the greatest hits felt like exceptional value because they were special. The same applies here. Five years might seem like an eternity, but age has not yet wearied the British luxury EV SUV nearly as much as you might imagine. Especially when optioned up as per our test vehicle.

Bereft of any post-modern brand baggage, the I-Pace remains a modern great. If only more buyers would catch on to that.

Is the GTS a worthy addition to the Taycan range or is it just adding complexity to an already comprehensive line-up? The answer is most definitely the former, with the GTS bringing something suitably different to add a new dimension to the Taycan range. 

It also adds something new to the electric car space - a true ‘driver’s car’ that’s engaging in the corners as it is running 0-100km/h times. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Porsche is the first brand to achieve this feat, and it’s also not meant to be a slight on the very impressive Taycan and other sporty EVs like the Polestar 2, BMW i4 M50 and Tesla Model 3 Performance.

But with the Taycan GTS Porsche provides hope that for driving enthusiasts the switch to electrification is the start of something new, and not the end of the road. 

Five years on, from the bold cab-forward silhouette to the high-riding crossover proportions, the I-Pace is a distinctive and handsome machine, offering progressive, flowing aerodynamics that have as much to do with function as they do with form. This is an out and proud EV.

But there’s the rub. Perhaps the disappointing sales reception is down to it being too removed from what many consumers might expect a Jaguar to look like.

Grille-aside, there isn’t enough connection with stablemates like the woefully-underrated XE or F-Pace, while traditionalists – many of them Americans ­– wanting classic XJ or XK retro schtick are also plum out of luck. Cover the badge and the styling could be from any (forward-thinking) carmaker.  

Or maybe it’s because the I-Pace, whose body is 94 per cent aluminium to help offset the weight of the batteries, looks compact in photos, like a crossover hatchback, when in reality it is surprisingly large, belying its sleek styling by packing in plenty of space inside.

Speaking of which, let’s take a closer look.

Beyond the standard Taycan design elements, the GTS gets a raft of unique styling changes, inside and out, to make it stand out in the range.

The outside features black or dark touches to the front spoiler, the underside of the mirrors, the side window trims, side skirts and rear diffuser.

There’s also 20-inch Taycan Turbo S alloy wheels finished in satin black, as well as a ‘Porsche’ logo integrated (in black) into the rear light strip to complete the look.

Inside, there’s extensive use of Porsche’s 'Race-Tex' synthetic suede, which provides a sportier appearance, especially with the brushed aluminium trim, as well as ‘GTS’ logos on the front and rear seat headrests and a multifunction sports steering wheel trimmed in Race-Tex.

Yes, compared to the vast mega screens invading most new models of today, the I-Pace’s dashboard layout is looking, well, off the pace. On first glance at least, this is definitely a product of the previous decade.

But as far as design elegance and functionality are concerned, Jaguar seems to have created a timeless piece of crafted automotive interior architecture that – consequently – holds up very well.

Or, in other words, the I-Pace provides a welcome sanctuary away from the infuriating folly of today’s faddish, fiddly and infuriatingly distracting touchscreen interiors. Maybe some old-school XJ smarts live on in this EV after all.

Look past the dated dashboard design, and the cabin’s overriding impression is of solidity and quality. No cheap plastics or rough surfaces here, just restrained luxury.

While electronic displays with very-analogue-style dial options amid digital driving data take care of the instrumentation ahead of the driver, a modestly-sized touchscreen is set at a lower plain so as to not dazzle and distract the job of vehicle controlling with data-overload, while under that is smaller display for climate control. More on that later.

Part of the Pivo Pro multimedia system, that central touchscreen is switched on and ready for use before the ignition button is even pressed, for immediate action.

No delaying-tactic welcome fanfare as the system boots up as per almost every other carmaker’s set-up, either. Just instant gratification, ironically. This dash is starting to feel like a resto-mod, with all the latest tech behind that Boris-era façade. 

Plus, besides being fast, it is logically laid out and avoids confusing sub-menus. Nice swipey action, too. Some familiarisation is required at first, but the system makes sense. And if you need volume adjustability, you turn a physical knob. As the ergonomics lords intended. Easy.

Speaking of which, let’s get the sensible stuff out the way. Because it sits at near-SUV height, the I-Pace is easy to get in and out of as long as you’re aware of the swooping roofline out back. And you sit up high, affording excellent forward vision ahead.

Sinking yourself into the front seats, the Jaguar lives up to its old luxo-barge reputation in that they’re sumptuous yet firm in back-location and support, providing hours of comfort if required.

The driving position is superb, with ample adjustment and those thoughtfully-placed switchgear and controls coming into play.

Storage is ample, with deep door pockets, a sizeable centre console bin and even a secret cubby underneath the rear seat.

The Jaguar provides five USB outlets and two 12V sockets. And ventilation is as effective as you need it to be.

Problems? Pleasingly, our Graz-built Jaguar suffered from no breakages or squeaks. It is as well-screwed together as you’d expect from a luxury SUV, so there are no issues there to moan about.

However, rear vision is poor due to the tapering rear windows and shallow tailgate glass. In turn, the back-seat area can seem a bit dark and hemmed-in without the (optional) fixed glass roof.

The glove box is disappointingly shallow. And, though simple in execution, the climate control can be fiddly to figure out at first.

Of greater concern is the counter-intuitive transmission selection, since the ‘DNRP’ buttons are placed in descending order, putting ‘Drive’ up top and ‘Park’ down at the bottom.

On several occasions, ‘D’ was selected instead of ‘P’ or ‘R’, nearly leading to unintended forward acceleration into parked cars or walls directly ahead.

As mentioned earlier, our test HSE features the optional suede dash and pillar covers; along with the beautiful woven grey flannel-like trim on Alcantara-like seats, they add a distinctive classy ambience – and that’s something that translates out back, too.

While you wouldn’t call it a large wagon, it is more than sufficiently spacious for two adults, while middle-seat space is A-OK for smaller folk only as the ceiling tapers a bit too much for taller passengers. Legroom is exceptional, thanks in part to a stretchy near-3.0-metre wheelbase.

The bench seat itself does not slide or recline, but the 40/20/40-split backrest seems sufficiently angled for comfort and support, while the cushion is sprung enough not to lead to achy thighs, even for longer-legged occupants.

Amenities include rear-facing air vents, a centre armrest with two cupholders, two USB and a single 12V port, overhead grab-handles and reading lights, (quite shallow) door pockets, four coat hooks and some under-seat storage.

Further back, the Jaguar’s boot area is set up high, so requires some lifting to get heavier objects in, but the floor is long and flat, and the overall volume is quite practical. Capacity varies from 656 litres to 1453L with the backrests dropped. You can fit a 1797mm by 1244mm object in two-seater only mode.

There’s storage underneath for charging cables, as well as straps and hooks to secure loose items. And, as mentioned earlier, buyers can order a space-saver spare if the tyre-repair kit is undesirable. Note, too, that a sizeable ‘frunk’ front trunk is good for a couple of soft overnight bags.

Overall, then, equipped as our $180K HSE was, the I-Pace’s interior is likely to impress.

The GTS doesn’t offer anything different from the rest of the Taycan range in a practical sense. It’s a mid-size sedan, filling a gap in the brand's line-up beneath the larger Panamera, which means the front seat occupants are well accommodated but the rear seats are a bit tight on space - specifically kneeroom and head clearance.

The boot measures only 366 litres in total capacity and the opening is relatively small, so fitting bulky items in can be challenging.

Fortunately, there’s an additional 84L of space underneath the bonnet, so the Taycan ends up being quite practical.

The biggest gripe is the lack of a specific storage area for the on-board charging cable. Instead it comes in a large rectangular box which can be secured via clips in the boot, but that means you’ve lost some of what was already a modest luggage space.

Porsche claims most owners won’t travel with a cable, instead they’ll do most charging at home. But it’s still an odd move given the Taycan was designed to be an electric car from scratch, so a cable storage space should have been included from the beginning.

The Taycan GTS doesn’t just slot in between the 4S and Turbo in performance terms, it also neatly intersects the pair on price. The GTS starts at $241,900 (plus on-road costs), which is $40,000 cheaper than the Turbo (from $281,900) and $43,100 more expensive than the 4S (From $198,800).

For that money you get a well-equipped model which comes with keyless entry and ignition, heated front seats, a 14-speaker Bose surround sound system, digital radio, adaptive cruise control and a head-up display.

It also comes equipped with a 150kW on-board DC charger for 400-volt public charging stations, a 22kW mobile charger, a public charging cable and a Porsche charging dock.

Also included in the price is a three-year subscription to the Chargefox network of public infrastructure. This allows for charging on Chargefox’s 350kW ultra-rapid chargers which makes the most of the Taycan’s 800-volt electrical system for the fastest possible charging time at present.

Built around a standalone architecture with no internal combustion engine versions, the I-Pace EV400 is fitted with two permanent magnet synchronous electric motors – one above the front axle and one located on the rear axle. Each produces 150kW of power and 348Nm of torque, for a system output total of 294kW and 696Nm.

Tipping the scales at 2226kg, this means the EV400 has a power-to-weight ratio of a very healthy 132kW/tonne, helping this electric crossover cross the 100km/h marker in 4.8 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 200km/h.

With a single-speed transmission sending torque to a motor on each axle, the I-Pace has permanent all-wheel drive.

The I-Pace’s standard suspension is double wishbones and coils up front and an integral link independent set-up out back.

Nowadays, the standard wheel size in the SE is 245/50R20, though ours was fitted with 255/40R22 – along with air suspension and adaptive dampers. These profoundly alter ride comfort. Towing capacity is 750kg braked or unbraked.

Ground clearance is usually 174mm, but with the air suspension, that increases to a handy 241mm in its maximum height setting. At speeds over 105km/h I-Paces with air suspension drop a further 10mm to aid efficiency. Which brings us to…

The GTS is motivated by the same permanently excited synchronous electric motors as the Taycan Turbo but they have been tweaked for this new model.

I use plural because there are two motors, one on each axle, which means the GTS is all-wheel drive - just like the Turbo and 4S.

In the GTS the motors are tuned to make 380kW of power and 850Nm of torque. However, there’s an 'Overboost' function as part of the launch control system that allows for up to 440kW released for short bursts.

That fits the GTS between the 4S, which makes 390kW/640Nm, and the Turbo, rated for 460kW/850Nm.

In order to extend driving range Porsche is able to effectively disconnect the front motor when in ‘Normal’ or ‘Range’ driving modes to reduce drag on the powertrain and conserve energy.

Like most EVs the Taycan uses a single-speed transmission, at least on the front motor. At the rear Porsche has opted for a two-speed unit, which is the key to the Taycan’s rapid acceleration (0-100km/h takes just 3.7 seconds) and repeatability.

With a 400V architecture, the I-Pace EV400 has the charging capability of most EVs, but not the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and 6, Kia EV5, EV6 and EV9, Genesis GV60 and Porsche Taycan/Audi e-tron GT fraternal twins, which have an 800V capability.

Under the floor is a 90kWh lithium-ion battery, with a useable capacity of 84.7kWh.

For AC charging, it uses a Type2 connector with 11kW capacity, or for DC fast charging, it has a maximum 104kW capacity via a CCS port. Both are located in the left-hand-side mudguard.

Jaguar says the official combined average consumption is 23kWh/100km. Our car’s trip computer showed we averaged 24.2kWh/100km.

The WLTP range is 408km, or 446km under the more-lenient NEDC regime. Fully charged, our vehicle indicated 407km of range in normal mode and 415km in 'Eco' mode.

After 345km, our distance-to-empty read 14km, meaning we averaged a very reasonable 359km under absolutely normal urban conditions, with some freeway driving thrown in.

Using a 150kW DC fast charger, we added 200km of range in exactly 30 minutes. It cost us around $31.

For the record, AC charging from empty to full using a regular household socket will take nearly 44 hours, or 13.5hr and just 9.25hr if you have access to a 7kW or 11kW Wallbox, respectively.

Meanwhile, a 50kW DC fast charger needs 75 minutes to go from 10-80 per cent full, or 45 minutes with anything above a 105kW charger, as that’s the Jaguar’s maximum capacity.

The GTS is fitted with the 'Performance Battery Plus' as standard, which is a 93.4kWh battery pack that is an upgrade from the 79.2kWh battery that’s standard in the Taycan 4S.

Porsche claims the GTS has a greater driving range than the models around it, befitting its title as the ‘sweet spot’ in the line-up. The company claims the GTS can go up to 485km between charges, compared to 414km for the 4S and 420km for the Turbo.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get an accurate real-world figure on energy consumption because our test drive included a significant amount of track driving. However, the fact the Taycan GTS was able to do both an extended road drive and track running on a single charge suggests the 485km claim is realistic.

In terms of recharging times, Porsche quotes nine hours using an AC 11kW outlet, while a DC 50kW charger can take it from five per cent battery to 80 per cent in 93 minutes.

If you get access to the 350kW ultra-rapid charger it can top up 5-80 per cent in just over 22 minutes.

One of the great EV questions is just how premium brands like Jaguar, BMW and Mercedes-Benz can justify their higher prices, when comparatively inexpensive alternatives from BYD, Hyundai and Kia rely on similar electric motor tech.

Indeed, a Tesla Model Y Performance offers the same acceleration and a higher top speed at nearly $100K under our EV400 HSE as tested.

But then you snuggle into that opulent cabin, buckle up, and realise that – just as the original XJ changed big luxury sedans forever back in ’68 with its sophistication and lush ride – the I-Pace still sets the tone for luxury EV SUVs.

Push the D button and – even in 'Comfort' mode – the Jaguar steps off the line briskly. A long-travel accelerator pedal tune disguises the fact that the EV400 is actually sensationally fast, as it swiftly yet silently streaks towards triple digits in no time at all, accompanied by a dull turbine-like drone.

Select 'Dynamic' mode, and the I-Pace’s performance lives up to both the make and model names, offering instant, pinned-back-in-your-seat thrust as well as ample muscle as it glides along.

Flex your right foot and you're already tailgating Mercedes AMG and BMW M-Sport SUVs in no time. Immediate, addictive speed.

A low centre of gravity; that double wishbone and multi-link suspension layout; near 50/50 weight distribution – we’re expecting something special here, and happily, the I-Pace as optioned up with air suspension, adaptive dampers and 22-inch wheels refuses to disappoint.

The sheer urgency from the twin electric motors is matched by reassuring grip and control, even over the rain-soaked hills we belted along.

Beautifully weighted steering, offering lots of road connection, adds to the sense of confidence and calm, as the Jaguar handles corners with a flat, contained composure.

It’s only when you’re really fanging it through tight and twisty turns that this EV SUV starts to feel its considerable mass.

Keep in mind that our HSE included the optional air suspension and adaptive dampers, because together they provide impressive suppleness and sweet isolation (in Comfort mode, obviously) to go with the I-Pace’s unassuming agility.

They allow for those oversized alloys to swell out the arches without resulting in a ruinous ride – something you’d get a taste of if you switch to Dynamic mode, where everything stiffens up noticeably.

Thus specified, we’d imagine the softness would be well off the scale on the standard 20-inch rubber.  

As tested, our HSE is one of the most enjoyable luxury SUVs to drive and travel in at speed, regardless of what sort of fuel you’re using.

Downsides? Around town, the limited side and rear vision mixed with the Jaguar’s two-metre width makes manoeuvring a little daunting at times.

The turning circle is on the larger side. And the traffic sign recognition tech is far from reliable and doesn’t work in concert with the adaptive cruise control so can’t automatically alter speed to what’s signposted.

Yet our biggest gripe is the lack of greater single-pedal braking when lifting off the throttle.

A set of paddles to alter the regeneration braking force as per Hyundai’s set-up would be appreciated.

This is one of the single biggest giveaways to the Jaguar’s advancing years.

Still, as a hushed, refined, comfortable and forcefully quick luxury EV SUV experience, the I-Pace, with the choice options as fitted, remains a fierce opponent against newer alternatives. Especially from behind the wheel.

This is where the true test of the GTS lies because of its positioning as the ‘driver’s car’ in the Taycan line-up. We already know electric cars are quick in a straight line thanks to the instant torque offered by the motors, but there hasn’t been one that has matched conventional sports sedans in the corners yet.

The GTS comes as close as any EV to providing the same driving experience as its petrol-powered equivalent, which are the highly-rated BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63 S.

Porsche allowed us to experience the Taycan GTS on the roads of south-east Queensland, as well as the Norwell Motorplex circuit near the Gold Coast.

In either environment the sheer size of the Taycan is hard to disguise, with the GTS tipping the scales at a hefty 2295kg, more than 200kg heavier than its petrol rivals.

To compensate for the extra weight the Taycan feels more stiffly sprung, which helps to control the chassis better, but does make for a less forgiving ride. 

Even though the GTS uses a uniquely tuned version of Porsche’s three-chamber adaptive air suspension it can still feel too sharply sprung on sharp edged bumps and across patchy road surfaces.

However, the GTS is also equipped with Porsche’s adaptive dampers - officially known as the Porsche Active Suspension Management or PASM - which helps the car really come alive when you push the handling to its limits.

In typical Porsche fashion the steering is well sorted, providing direct feedback and ideal weighting, and the chassis responds quickly to your inputs.

On the track, when pushed to its limits, the GTS car occasionally feels a bit slow to react because of its weight, but it never feels dull or lazy. This might be the best handling electric car yet.

Like all Porsches, the Taycan hasn’t been crash tested by ANCAP, most likely due to the high costs associated with the multiple vehicles that are needed to finalise a rating.

Despite this, there’s strong evidence to suggest the Taycan is a very safe car, both in a passive and active safety sense.

The Taycan GTS comes equipped with active cruise control, active lane keeping assist and 'Traffic Jam Assist' (which is a mild form of autonomous driving).

There’s also autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring as well as surround-view cameras and front and rear parking sensors.

There are also eight airbags fitted, including side airbags for the rear passengers.

The Taycan features three top tether points for child seats or baby capsules across the rear row, with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions.

The I-Pace is covered by an industry-average five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, along with five years of roadside assistance.

Additionally, owners will enjoy five years/130,000km of free scheduled servicing. These are at 12 months or 26,000km.

Jaguar says the EV traction battery is covered by an eight-year/160,000km warranty, with a minimum of 70 per cent state of health.

Thanks to the more simplistic nature of electric cars, or at least less oily bits that need maintenance, servicing intervals for the Taycan GTS are a lengthy two-years or 30,000km, whichever comes first.

Porsche doesn’t list pricing for the servicing because labour charges vary in each state.

The Taycan GTS is covered by Porsche’s regular three-year/unlimited warranty for the majority of the car, but the battery pack gets an extended eight-year/160,000km of coverage.