Jaguar

• Members of the media go for a passenger ride in the Jaguar Type 00 prototype and share their impressions.
• The Type 00 impressed journalists with its blend of surprising comfort, refinement and performance.
• The production version will have a tri-motor setup with over 1,000 horsepower and two motors on the back powering each wheel individually.

Critics seem to be warming up to the upcoming Jaguar electric vehicle previewed by the controversial Type 00 concept.

Sure, the “copy nothing” marketing campaign and rebranding may not have been a success, but the vehicle itself might just prove to be brilliant. It recently impressed the editor-in-chief of Autocar magazine, who was taken for a prototype ride around Jaguar’s proving grounds in Gaydon.

Steve Cropley called it “the best-riding car ever” after experiencing a prototype over different types of roads and at different speeds. The secret to its remarkable comfort is its extremely stiff chassis combined with an adaptive three-chamber air suspension that individually controls the stiffness and damper rates on each corner.

He also experienced the tri-motor powertrain, which is expected to produce over 1,000 horsepower, of which 900 horsepower will be going to the rear wheels, which, according to Top Gear, make this an unexpectedly good drift machine. It should be pretty easy to keep the car going sideways thanks to the precise torque vectoring that the dual-motor rear axle will allow.

Even under camouflage, this new Jag sedan—yes, sedan, as in two more doors than the concept coupe—still makes a strong impression.

The car looks unusually long and low in person, with a very short front overhang, a greenhouse that’s set way back, and a lot more hanging over the rear wheels. This layout gives it the proportions of a luxury car from as far back as the 1930s, and there certainly won’t be anything quite like it on the road, bar some Rolls-Royce and Bentley models.

Inside the car, the seating position is surprisingly low for an EV. In many electric cars, even low and sporty ones, you still feel like you’re sitting on top of a battery skateboard rather than inside the car. But that won’t be the case with the Type 00, which will combine low-slung seating with remarkable comfort, a dash of sportiness and that design to offer an experience unlike any other car on the market today.

Jaguar Type 00 Concept In French Ultramarine Blue

Photo by: Jaguar

It’s also a very accomplished high-speed cruiser and you can have a perfectly civilized conversation without raising your voice at 150 mph, even with the extra noise caused by the camouflage on the prototype. Experiencing the acceleration, Crpoley says he believes the car has a two-speed transmission like a Porsche Taycan or a Mercedes-Benz CLA, although if that’s true, it would need two of them, one for each of the two rear motors (unless it’s used for the single front motor).

Top Gear editor Jack Rix also got the chance to ride in the prototype and he mirrors much of what Cropley said about the performance, quietness and comfort that it provides. He found out that Jaguar is planning to give the Type 00 an acceleration sound which “won’t sound like a spaceship,” hinting that it could pipe in a realistic engine note like the one I experienced in the Mercedes-AMG C590 prototype, which very believably fakes a V-8 hooked up to a twin-clutch gearbox.

With a predicted battery capacity of around 120 kilowatt-hours, the car should go over 400 miles on one charge, although the big battery will make it pretty heavy, weighing around 5,500 pounds (2.2 tonnes). With that kind of heft, it surely won’t feel like a sports car, but it should still be more engaging to drive than other EVs of its size. Jaguar’s previous bespoke EV, the I-Pace, was among the best-driving electric cars on sale, and the Type 00 could (and should) continue that legacy.

Next year, Jaguar is expected to lift the veil and reveal the production-ready Type 00, which will likely be renamed and carry a starting price of over $130,000.

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