Tesla rivals Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron are reportedly struggling to compete - here's how the cars actually compare to the Model X

Brittany Chang

Aug 23, 2019, 20:27 IST

Tesla rivals Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron are reportedly struggling to compete - here's how the cars actually compare to the Model X

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

The Jaguar I-Pace.

The Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron were seen as worthy Tesla challengers when they debuted, but their closest competitor, the Tesla Model X, inches past the two new electric vehicles in several ways.
Here is how the I-Pace, e-tron, and Model X all compare to each other.
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The Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron have both been seen as worthy challengers to Tesla killers but seem to have a hard time living up to that name.

The I-Pace, which won the 2019 World Car Design of the Year, hasn't been selling well. Jaguar sold 1,522 cars since January, according to Inside EVs. The e-tron has been doing marginally better, selling a total of 2,513 since sales began in April.

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The two luxury electric cars still don't match Tesla in terms of sales. On average, Tesla has sold an estimated 1,461 examples of the model that competes most directly with the two newer electric vehicles, the Model X, per month in the US this year. That's good for a total of 10,225 estimated sales since January, according to Inside EVs.

Both Audi and Jaguar defended the sales performance in statements to Business Insider.

"I-Pace currently represents over 10% of our monthly US sales volume, and this figure has grown since the launch of the vehicle in late 2018," the Jaguar representative said, while an Audi spokesperson said, "We anticipate [e-tron] sales will build momentum."

So how come the Tesla Model X is selling so much better than its closest rivals? For starters, the Model X has, for the most part, stronger specs than the newer electric vehicles.

For example, the Model X Long Range has an estimated range of 325 miles on a full charge. To compare, the I-Pace and e-tron have ranges of 234 miles and 204 miles, respectively.

Tesla has also created its own market niche in electric vehicles, according to Brett Smith, the director of propulsion technologies and energy infrastructure at the Center for Automotive Research, a nonprofit research group.

"Tesla's position isn't electric cars - [its] position is technology," said Smith in an interview with Business Insider. "[It] also has a leader, Elon [Musk], that creates almost a cult-like following, and neither Audi nor Jaguar have that part of it ... they're competing against a perceived technology revolution with a revolutionary leader."

Take a look at how the Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron compare to what Smith calls the "Kleenex of electric vehicles," Tesla.

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The Tesla Model X is the most expensive of the three luxury electric vehicles with an MSRP of $84,990. The Audi e-tron sells for $74,800, and the Jaguar I-Pace is the least expensive at $69,500.

The e-tron has the lowest range with an estimated 204 miles on a full charge. The I-Pace follows closely with a range of 234 miles. The Tesla Model X Long Range zooms past its competitors with a range of 325 miles on a full charge, almost 100 miles more than the I-Pace. The Model X Performance comes lower at 305 miles of range.

All three electric cars use a lithium-ion battery. Tesla's is rated at 100 kWh, the e-tron is 95 kWh, and the I-PACE is 90 kWh. Each has an electric motor on each axle, offering all-wheel-drive.

The I-Pace has a torque rating of 512 pound-feet. Meanwhile, the Model X falls at 497 pound-feet, and the e-tron at 414 pound-feet.

The Model X has a top speed of 155 mph, which is much faster than its competitors which can both only reach 124 mph.

The Tesla Model X has a seven-seater option, although the add-on is an extra $3,000. Both the e-tron and I-Pace can only seat five.

The Tesla Model X has the quickest zero-to-60 time at 4.4 seconds for the Long Range version. The I-Pace is only 0.1 seconds slower. The e-tron takes 5.5 seconds to reach 60 mph.

The Tesla Model X Long Range has 417 horsepower, while the I-Pace has 394, and the e-tron has 355 in normal driving.

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