Compare the2024 Jaguar I-PaceVS 2024 BMW X3

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Jaguar I-Pace have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW X3 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Both the I-Pace and X3 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The I-Pace has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The X3’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the I-Pace. But it costs extra on the X3.

Both the I-Pace and X3 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the I-Pace has Rear Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The X3’s Cross Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the I-Pace and the X3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The I-Pace comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The X3’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Jaguar pays for scheduled maintenance on the I-Pace for 2 years and 24,000 miles longer than BMW pays for maintenance for the X3 (5/60,000 vs. 3/36,000).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jaguar vehicles are better in initial quality than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jaguar above average in initial quality. With 7 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is rated lower.

The I-Pace’s electric motors produces 146 more horsepower (394 vs. 248) and 254 lbs.-ft. more torque (512 vs. 258) than the X3 s/xDrive30i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The I-Pace’s electric motors produces 12 more horsepower (394 vs. 382) and 143 lbs.-ft. more torque (512 vs. 369) than the X3 M40i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Jaguar I-Pace is faster than the X3 s/xDrive30i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

On the EPA test cycle the I-Pace gets better mileage than the X3:

The I-Pace can travel with zero emissions for 217 to 246 miles (dependent on model). The X3 can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Jaguar I-Pace higher (10 out of 10) than the BMW X3 (5 to 7). This means the I-Pace produces up to 19.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the X3 every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the I-Pace’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the X3:

The I-Pace stops much shorter than the X3:

For better traction, the I-Pace’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the X3 (255/40R22 vs. 245/45R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the I-Pace has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the X3. The I-Pace’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the X3.

The front and rear suspension of the I-Pace uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the X3, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The I-Pace has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The I-Pace’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The X3 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the I-Pace’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the X3 (117.7 inches vs. 112.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the I-Pace is 1.2 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the X3.

The I-Pace HSE handles at .90 G’s, while the X3 M40i xDrive pulls only .88 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The I-Pace HSE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.8 seconds quicker than the X3 xDrive30i (24.8 seconds @ .77 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

The design of the Jaguar I-Pace amounts to more than styling. The I-Pace has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .29 Cd. That is lower than the X3 (.32 to .35) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the I-Pace get better fuel mileage.

The I-Pace’s cargo area is larger than the X3’s in almost every dimension:

The I-Pace’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The X3 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the I-Pace to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The X3 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Consumer Reports rated the I-Pace’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the X3’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The I-Pace offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The X3 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The I-Pace has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the X3.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Jaguar I-Pace has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the X3.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its January 2019 issue and they ranked the Jaguar I-Pace HSE higher than the BMW X3 xDrive30i.