Electric cars are the future they said, electric cars are boring they said. Well, definitely Electric cars are the future but those who say electric cars are boring probably isn’t aware of some mighty contenders in the luxury and sports segment. Cars like Jaguar i-pace and Audi E-Tron have been making headlines internationally for quite some time. India hasn’t witnessed the action of flagship electric cars yet, but 2021 changed everything. crazy high-end electric cars from brands like Jaguar, Mercedes and Audi, but that has changed recently. In March 2021 Jaguar launched their electric sports SUV named I-pace and Audi is launched the EtronSportback to compete directly against the jaguar just 4 months later in July. If you fancy buying a luxury car with the environment in mind and don’t mind spending a fortune to get the best one out there, this article is for you. Lets us see what separates two of the most talked-about electric cars worldwide. Shall we!!!
Exterior
Visually both the ultra-expensive, high-end electric cars look as stunning as their price tag suggests. The jaguar although calls the i-pace an SUV but it barely fits into any category in terms of looks. The extreme cab-forward design along with the ultra low slung position looks absolutely out of this world. Near-horizontal front and rear windshields take the design to a whole new level. The car looks like a mixture of an SUV, hatchback and a sports car altogether.
The Audi although is a pretty quirky looking car too, but definitely looks more SUV like as compared to the I pace. The sloping roof is definitely bound to catch your attention with the way it comes down at the rear and ends in a spoiler. Except for the roofline, the front and rear of the E Tron are unmistakably an Audi with conservative design clues. The jaguar on the other hand is way more aggressive with those slim yet angry-looking headlamps along with nice-looking J shaped drls. The Jaguar tops the visual chart in terms of appeal and attractive design. It looks more catchy than the Audi even after being the older car of the duo.
How is it like to be inside these ultra-expensive electric vehicles?
Although the Jaguar ipace and the EtronSportback are marketed as SUVs, none of them has enough room inside to do justice to their SUV name. Nonetheless, both electric cars have a good amount of space for 5 adults to sit in comfort. The Audi has more room inside, thanks to the scooped out headliners and boasts better legroom at the rear than the I pace. The jaguar must be 2nd to the Audi but it is not a cramped car either.
Richness and premium interior quality is a must-have for luxury cars that cost over INR 1 crore. The Jaguar as always falls short of the fit and finish of the interior, starting from the material and the way it is supposed to ooze out luxury. The Germans are always miles ahead in this area. The Audi Etrons interior feels more premium and has outright better quality than the I pace. The Jaguar however makes up with some impressive bits like the design, cabin layout and the way the drivers feel when they sit in the front seats. The interior is quite quirky with the huge floating dashboard under the extremely raked windshield making you feel like driving a proper low slung sports car. So the Audi is better in quality and the Jag has a better design.
Features inside
It’s not possible to list down all the features of the cars that cost over a crore rupees. Being high-end luxury cars, both the Jaguar I pace and the Audi Etron hasn’t left any features out. The Audi cramps in more features in the standard trim whereas the Jaguar gets all the features only in the upper trim, like Air suspension, adaptive dampers, a powered tailgate and 4 zone climate control. Features like a panoramic sunroof, wireless phone charging, 8/6 airbags and every modern feature that can be thought of have been provided by both cars.
Let’s talk about some specs
Both the cars are similar in their motor and battery layout and differ in terms of battery capacity, power output and range. Both the cars have high capacity batteries lying plush under the floor which not only saves a hell lot of space but also keeps the centre of gravity low. Power comes from two electric motors, one at each axle. This setup allows both the cars to get all-wheel drive without heavy mechanicals.
The motors of the Jaguar I pace puts out a total of 400hp which is almost identical to the 408hp output of the Audi E Tron’s motor. The torque output is also similar with 664nm and 696nm for the Audi and the jag respectively. The power and torque figures of these SUVs are definitely far more than the petrol and diesel counterparts. They are more into the performance cars category, knocking at the doors of some sports cars out there.
These powerful motors need to be fed well and thus they are equipped with humongous batteries as well. The Audi E Tron sportback packs in a 95kwh battery and a 90kwh battery is found in the Jag. Regardless of the bigger battery of the Audi, it gets less range per charge as compared to that of the Jaguar. 375km for the Audi e Tron in the real world and the jag squeezes over 447kms from the smaller battery, although the claimed mileage of the Audi e Tron is more than the claimed range of the Jaguar. The difference in range regardless of the similar battery capacity is down to the fact that the jaguar I pace is almost 400kgs lighter than the Audi. Weight plays a big role when efficiency and range is concerned.
Performance and drivability
Talking about the outright performance the Jaguar I pace is an absolute animal and regardless of having similar power and torque figures of the Audi, It destroys the E Tron in every respect.
The I Pace clocks 100kmph from a standstill of around 4.9 seconds which is almost a second quicker than the Audi E Tron. Even in roll-on acceleration, the Jag annihilated the Audi into dust, thanks to a lighter aluminium construction of the Jaguar.
The Audi E Tron has driveability which is more tuned towards the ease of driving. The power delivery of the Audi is more linear and even in dynamic mode with heavy throttle inputs, the car does give u the sudden kick. The jaguar in contrast has much more dialled in throttle settings and motor characteristics. It’s an extremely friendly, easygoing and chilled out experience at lower throttle inputs. But as soon you get a bit aggressive on the pedal, the motor pulls in relentlessly.
Ride and handling are well taken care of in these two electric luxury cars. The Audi E Tron has a better and softer ride quality whereas the Jaguar has the better handling of the duo. The Audi gets adaptive air suspension on all four corners whereas the jaguar offers air suspension as an option. The standard model gets steel springs. The Audi glides through road imperfections whereas the Jag is a bit firmer.
The slightly firm suspension setup of the jag helps it to get the desirable handling that the car was made for. Super stable at cornering at high speeds with a responsive steering wheel that offers a wholesome feel and feedback makes the jag a proper electric sports car as well. The Audi even though not too shabby in terms of handling, but doesn’t even come closer to the Jaguar with its heavier and less feelsome steering.
Which one gets the top spot
Although both cars are competitors, it will be unfair to pick a winner out of the two. Both of them are built for slightly different consumers with different characters and usage. While The Audi E Tron Sportback is an all-around luxury electric SUV that is built to cocoon you with luxury and convenience with exciting performance, the Jaguar is built to do all of that with an eye on sporty driving and outright performance at the cost of high finesse. The Audi costs about 1.18 crores in Ex-showroom whereas the Jag costs about 1.12 crores for the top-end model. A difference of 6 lakh would make and break a deal for most car buyers but when it comes to uber-expensive posh cars and bureaucrats and businessmen these aren’t a factor to judge. So if you happen to be in the creamy layer of society and are in a market to try on a top of the line electric car,, getting either of these cars would make perfect sense.
