Jaguar I-Pace Faces Off Against Tesla Model X In Drag Race. Who Wins?

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Taking a page out of the Tesla play book, Jaguar has pitted its brand new I-Pace electric SUV against two versions of the Model X in a drag race. Why? Because such media hype gets a lot of attention and sells a lot of cars. As part of the Formula E race weekend at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez outside Mexico City, Jaguar brought two racing drivers to the track’s drag strip.

Jaguar I-Pace logo

Mitch Evans, who drives for the Panasonic Jaguar Formula E team, drove a Jaguar I-Pace. Tony Kanaan, who won the Indianapolis 500 race in 2013, piloted a pair of Model Xs, one a 75D and the other a 100D. The objective was to accelerate from a dead stop to 60 miles per hour and then bring the car to a complete stop. Which ever car covered the shortest distance would be declared the winner.

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In the first race, the red I-Pace handily beat a white Model X equipped with the standard 75 kWh battery to 60. After that, stopping sooner that the Model X was easy, as the Jaguar was already a full car length ahead when the brakes were applied. But was that a fair comparison? After all, the Jaguar has a larger, 90 kWh battery.

To even things up a bit, Kanaan next moved to a gray Model X 100D with the optional 100 kWh battery. The contest was closer but the result was no different. This time, the Jaguar was a half car length ahead when it was time to throw out the anchor and still managed to cover a significantly shorter distance in the 0 – 60 – 0 contest.

Was the contest rigged? Were there other runs taken in which the Tesla won? If so, did the footage of those other runs wind up on the cutting room floor while this slickly produced video was being edited? No one knows. Or cares, more than likely. The point is that the I-Pace is listed as being about half a second quicker to 60 miles per hour than the base Model X. The results at the track seem to bear that out.

We know what you’re thinking. What about the mighty Model X P100D? Wouldn’t that blow the Jag into the weeds? Yes, in all likelihood, it would. And someday, when Jaguar gets around to building a dedicated, high performance version of the I-Pace, the two cars will go head to head on a track somewhere and one will win the official “quickest electric SUV in the known universe” title.

Until then, prospective I-Pace buyers can rest comfortably at night knowing that if they ever get matched up against a Model X at a stop light grand prix on the way to the office, they will be able to accelerate to 60 mph 0.4 second faster than the guy in the other lane. For some, that fact will be the difference between buying one car or the other. At least, Jaguar hopes so.


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Steve Hanley

Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Florida or anywhere else The Force may lead him. He is proud to be "woke" and doesn't really give a damn why the glass broke. He believes passionately in what Socrates said 3000 years ago: "The secret to change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new." You can follow him on Substack and LinkedIn but not on Fakebook or any social media platforms controlled by narcissistic yahoos.

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