Our car, disguised in irregularly patterned black and white camouflage, was parked behind the JLR design studios. Up close, it was very long indeed (at 5.4m) but remarkably low, with a very short front overhang and a medium-long one at the rear. Its dominant feature was the long nose, already embraced as a contemporary Jaguar aesthetic cue by the car’s designers. In official terms, the car has a prodigious dash-to-axle distance, which means there’s a lot of space between the front wheel arch and the door opening. The wheelbase is long, which is one reason why this car needs rear-wheel steering to tighten its turning circle. That also helps to enhance high-speed stability.
The car will be built largely in aluminium at a new factory on JLR’s substantial Solihull estate. The body sits on a very rigid skateboard chassis that houses a long, large but thin underbody battery with a capacity believed to be around 120kWh, giving a practical range of more than 400 miles.
There are three motors one up front and one on each rear wheel – with torque vectoring built in. Power totals about 1000bhp. The front-to-rear torque split is variable, but it is understood to settle around 30% front and 70% rear.
There’s independent air suspension all round. A three-chamber set-up for each wheel allows controlling processors to decide its spring and damper rates, though the driver can change its mood for comfort or performance – from the cockpit. Ultra-powerful disc brakes fit inside the car’s standard 23in wheels, though much of the normal retardation is by regeneration.
Clambering into the car, the low roof and dash-to-axle distance take some getting used to. So does the low hip point when I settle in the seat: clever battery packaging means there’s absolutely no impression that you’re sitting on a plank, a common EV problem. Head room is fine, despite the low roof. There isn’t much to see of what lies beneath the black fabric trim covers, but I get glimpses of quality trim in a light-coloured interior and a steering wheel with column levers very reminiscent of the concept.
With the faintest hum, the car eases away across the concrete apron, around the end of the studio buildings towards the test track. The first thing I notice is this car’s quietness and lack of floor-level vibration on a rough-cast surface. The isolation is eerie.
