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2019 Jaguar I-Pace Drivers' Notes Review | Cool cat

The 2019 Jaguar I-Pace is one of the latest and most important models to hit the market in the past year. Finally, we're starting to see automakers roll out models that can compete directly with products from Tesla. The I-Pace has a striking design both inside and out and packs all of the charm you expect from a Jaguar product. So far, we've been impressed by the I-Pace, and we're not the only ones. Check out our discussion on the Autoblog podcast. The I-Pace has an EPA-rated 234 miles of range, and power from the battery is sent to all four wheels thanks to a pair of electric motors. This Caesium Blue model is in top-level HSE trim. Its $81,495 base price includes features like a panoramic sunroof, LED lighting, heated and ventilated front seats, dual-zone climate control, a Meridian audio system and air suspension. Our tester is fitted with a number of options, the most expensive of which are the $2,400 performance seats. Other options include a $570 heads-up display, $800 four-zone climate control, $250 for adjustable ambient lighting and $100 for fog lights. All in, this Jaguar will set you back $89,638 before any incentives or tax credits. Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: I'm really impressed with the I-Pace. It represents a new vision for Jaguar's electric strategy, and it's executed well in nearly all areas. The powertrain, pushing out 394 hp and 512 lb-ft of torque, is spectacular, pulling me back in my seat as I darted through lights and passed plodding traffic. Dynamic mode quickens the pulse a bit more. I didn't notice a dramatic change in driving character, other than a slight tweak to the steering, which is light, precise and direct. It's a good feel. The design is striking. It looks better in real life than in pictures. Analyzing Autoblog's galleries of the I-Pace and its preceding concept gave me pause. This thing is awkward, I mused. But in my driveway, on the street — it's cool. It's slightly lifted yet also chopped, creating a wedge-shaped dynamo of a four-door. Only downside: very little rear visibility. Inside, this one has a gorgeous "oyster" suede headliner, aluminum trim and handsome brown leather. The infotainment works pretty well; Jaguar is getting better at these. I wouldn't mind a few more analog buttons, but this is easier to pick up than it appears. It's sharp and futuristic. The I-Pace wasn't all great.

Jaguar C-X75 James Bond movie car is going up for auction

Back in 2010, Jaguar presented a show-stopper of a concept: the C-X75. Besides its curvaceous body, it boasted a wild hybrid powertrain with a gas turbine engine providing electricity. Sadly, it never reached full production, and it only reappeared as a villain car in the James Bond film Spectre. But between the concept and the film, there were a few production prototypes built as part of a planned 250, and a few stunt cars. Auction company RM Sotheby's is offering one of the latter cars. This Jaguar C-X75 stunt car is actually the first stunt car built, according to the auction house. The stunt cars were built by Williams Advanced Engineering, the same company that has been competing in Formula 1 for decades. The stunt car has little in common mechanically with the concept, or the five prototype cars Jaguar built with four-cylinder hybrid powertrains. Under the skin is a custom tubeframe chassis and long-travel rally car suspension. Powering it is a version of the Jaguar F-Type's V8 engine with a dry-sump oiling system. It's coupled to a sequential manual six-speed transmission and a rear transaxle with a mechanical limited-slip differential. Brakes are AP Racing units and are adjustable from the cabin, and they feature a hydraulic handbrake. One consequence of this stunt car's burly underpinnings is that the cockpit is more like that of a race car, with a small Momo steering wheel and toggle switches and controllers all over. But this unsophisticated cabin has played host to some famous folks. The car was used for getting shots with the actors, with a driver's seat mounted to the top. Since this was a villain car, the actor in the driver's seat was Dave Bautista. The car also was featured at the Mexico Grand Prix to promote the movie, and Felipe Massa took it for a test drive. RM Sotheby's hasn't given an estimated price for the car, but expect it to be expensive. If you have the means, it will be crossing the block at the auction company's Abu Dhabi sale on November 30. The car will come with a bill of sale, a movie call sheet and a specification sheet from Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations. We're not sure that this car would be able to be titled in the U.S., but we bet it would be just as fun, if not more so, on a race track, rather than public roads.

Carlex Jaguar XJ Coupe restomod is neither British nor understated

The Jaguar XJ Coupe was already an unconventional Jag. The dramatically long two-door was built on a Series II sedan chassis and kept most of the styling in tact, just losing two doors and gaining a whole lot of subtle elegance. However, the customizers at Carlex Design have created an XJC that takes things to the next level (and maybe a few levels beyond that). Based in Poland, Carlex has a history of cranking out modified vehicles for well-off clientele. Past projects have included a race-inspired Land Rover Defender, a yachting-inspired Mercedes G63, an aggressively styled Hyundai Santa Fe, and a gargoyle-esque Ford Ranger. The Jaguar XJ Coupe is clearly a favorite, though. The newest XJC takes the British classic and gives it racier look. De-bumpered and widened with blister flares, it evokes a touring car racer from back in the day. Actually, it's more accurate to say this is what a modern restomod inspired by a fictional 1970s race car would look like, as the real XJ Coupe race cars didn't quite look like this. That's because the wheels are gigantic, big enough to bathe a medium-sized dog in. No in-period race car would have had saucers that large. And while the side view maintains faithful to the classic, its face betrays its era. Circle to the front end and LED headlights and afterburner-style high beams complete the Jag's four-eyed gaze. The original's elegant grille has been replaced with a toothy maw that would look more at home on a SEMA Jeep. Underhood the Carlex sports a V8 (of unspecified origin) delivering 400 horsepower. The company says its brakes are new, and that suspension and air conditioning are suitable for everyday use. The interior has been upholstered in what Carlex calls hand-aged leather. The deep brown color gives it the feel of a mahogany-walled boardroom. Aside from the fluting everywhere, the interior is fairly clean, and less busy than the original XJC's. If we had to pick we'd go with the unflared body of Carlex's old XJC design, but replace its Kardashian-designed dash with this one. Carlex didn't disclose price or production run, but only that a few examples would be built each year. Or, you can try to find one of Jaguar's original XJ Coupes, which were only produced between 1975 and 1978, with a run of fewer than 10,000 units over the four-year span. Given its obscurity it's kind of a strange car to restomod, but perhaps we in the U.S.