Jaguar announced the release of the I-Pace Black – including an HSE Black version.
The standard I-Pace has already won a whole shelf-worth of awards, including an “unprecedented triple” at the 2019 World Car Awards, winning:
- World Car of the Year
- World Car Design of the Year
- and World Green Car.
They were awarded these at the New York International Auto Show. The Director of Design for Jaguar at the time, Ian Callum, had the following to say.
Designing Jaguar cars is probably the best job in the world, and I can honestly say that no other project I’ve worked on has been as rewarding as I-PACE. Electric vehicles offer designers unprecedented freedom to rethink the proportions, the profile and the packaging, and it’s an opportunity that my team has exploited in full. Winning the 2019 World Car Design of the Year award, as well as World Car of the Year and World Green Car, is true recognition for their achievements.
In the fifteen-year history of the World Car Awards, no other vehicle has won three awards.
What Is The Jaguar Black Edition?
The Black Edition series of Jaguar is pretty much what it sounds like, featuring a whole host of “Black” extras. You will find black paint, grilles and vents, along with performance packages and other upgrades.
As Jaguar themselves say, the Black Edition’s motto is
Show Your Darker Side.
This motto casts my mind back to the first “It’s Good To Be Bad” advert, initially released in 2014. Although it met with backlash from some areas of the automotive world, I feel it’s one of the best commercials I’ve ever seen. It intricately mixes the myths and realities of British culture.
Check it out here.
How Does The Jaguar I-Pace Black Compare To The Standard I-Pace?
The core I-Pace range starts from £65,245, so it’s not exactly cheap in the first place. In contrast, the I-Pace Black prices start at £72,445, and the HSE Black will set you back a minimum of £76,695. If you’ve got the money to afford the standard I-Pace, it’s not too much of an extra stretch to the Black Edition range – perhaps that’s something to consider.
On top of the standard I-Pace, you’ll also get:
- The Enhanced Black Pack – finishes applied to small parts of the trim in, you guessed it, gloss black.
- It comes with the I-Pace’s panoramic roof, also including privacy glass, Ebony leather sports seats and 20″ wheels.
The following features aren’t unique to the I-Pace Black – you’ll get them on the standard edition, too.
- The car utilizes two motors per axle and a 90 kWh battery to produce 400 PS (395 bhp) and 696 Nm of torque in terms of power. Of course, because it’s battery-powered, that torque is instantaneous. These combine to propel the car from standing to 60 mph in only 4.5 seconds.
- Jaguar’s official figures show an ever-so-minor decline in range figures as you move higher up the specification list. According to Jaguar, the I-Pace S will get 286.2 “EV miles”, compared to the Black’s 279.9. However, going by the WLTP reading, the S model has a maximum range of 292 miles of range.
For consistency when quoting electric car ranges, car companies use WLTP – Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure. Follow this link to Mobility House to read more about the process and how it gives a fair reading for the real world.
Is The Jaguar I-Pace Black Worth It?
Like many things these days, a car is somewhat of a status symbol. If all you needed was something basic to get from A to B, you likely wouldn’t even be considering something of these kinds of costs.
The Jaguar I-Pace represents one of the pinnacles of a global vision for the future – one that retains the luxuries we have today but without the ozone-eating carbon deposits.
Electric cars aren’t – yet – the complete answer, but they’re something that’s well on the way. The I-Pace is a luxury model within the electric car range, a market that’s still being explored and developed.
The I-Pace Black is a further step yet.
It’s mainly simply a trim and equipment upgrade, that’s true. But cars are about so much more than just driving nowadays. What do they mean to you?
