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2019 Jaguar I-Pace First Drive Review | A taste of Jag's EV crossover

This is literally our first drive of the 2019 Jaguar I-Pace electric crossover. It lasted about 2 minutes and occurred on a tiny autocross in a frigid parking lot in New Jersey, but if we're to split hairs, it is indeed the first time we've piloted this revolutionary EV SUV-ish vehicle from a company better known for barking exhausts and slinky sport coupes. While the rest of the automotive press was gallivanting about Manhattan prior to the New York Auto Show, a select few were bused out to Jaguar-Land Rover's new corporate headquarters in Mahwah, N.J. It was there we saw the world debut of the new F-Pace SVR, the North American debut of the Range Rover SV Coupe, and got our first real taste of the I-Pace. The chief impression is that it feels much smaller than its exterior dimensions would indicate, maneuvering quickly and effortlessly without a hint of roll. Credit the wheels pushed out to the absolute corners and a low center of gravity, both the result of Jaguar's decision to fully embrace the packaging and engineering possibilities of an electric powertrain. The steering was perhaps not as feelsome as other Jaguars, but again, who really knows? Two minutes, parking lot, etc. In terms of power, it sure is an electric car. Smooth, quick and quiet, but with so little space to work with, there would've been little noticeable difference between the 394-horsepower I-Pace and the 147-hp Nissan Leaf currently sitting in my driveway. Its estimated range of 240 miles on the EPA cycle? Uh, it was good enough for an afternoon of journalists driving in circles. What I can definitively declare, however, is that the 2019 I-Pace boasts far superior interior quality than every Tesla I've driven. It's also, just as important, a considerable leap forward in terms of materials quality and design from the rather dull and disappointing current Jaguar litter of F-Pace, XF and XE. For instance, leather or leatherette always cover the dash (versus the rubbery stuff found in lower F-Pace, XF and XE trim levels), while there was clearly an effort made to visually spruce things up. The dual-screen center console controls first seen on the Range Rover Velar also appear for the first time in a Jaguar, as does a unique push-button shifter ( though I still prefer a properly utilized rotary). This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations could build standalone models

Jaguar Land Rover may be set to turn its Special Vehicle Operations division into something much bigger than a mere in-house tuner. Bloomberg spoke to the head of JLR's high-performance, customization outfit, John Edwards, who hinted that his team may move beyond simply modifying F-Types, Range Rovers and the like. "We're certainly looking at that, and we've got the capability to do that," Edwards told AN. "Is there an opportunity for us to do a completely standalone car? Maybe." Such a move into full-scale, standalone models would be a big step, particularly for a division that's still kind of in its infancy. Bloomberg references the success of Mercedes-AMG, but the German division has had the benefit of decades of growth. AMG spent years and years building high-performance versions of all manner of mainstream Mercedes vehicles, before moving onto cars like the SLS AMG and AMG GT, which have no mainstream analog. In other words, AMG had a long time to develop a reputation building high-performance vehicles that people know and recognize before it moved into building vehicles of its own. We aren't entirely convinced that SpecOps wouldn't benefit from taking a similar approach, delivering additional SVR vehicles, like the rumored XE SVR, before striking out on its own. We'd like to know what you think, though. Is it already time for Special Vehicle Operations to build standalone models, or should it learn to walk before it runs by modifying more of Jaguar Land Rover's existing product. Have your say in Comments. Related Video:

Weekly Recap: Things you might not know about the 2015 Dodge Charger and Challenger Hellcats

If you're an enthusiast, and you don't know that Dodge spawned another Hellcat this week, you really must have been living in cave. The 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is probably the biggest news for enthusiasts since the reveal of, well the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.
But, there are some things you might not know or might have missed about the new Charger and Challenger Hellcats. For starters, reports that the Hellcat production would be limited to a low volume are not true.
"We have not capped the Hellcat on either the Challenger or the Charger," Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis said.