New Jaguar GT ride review: is the controversial luxury EV a proper Jaaaaag?

Verdict

Jaguar isn’t trying to make a sports car, but a comfortable, long-distance, high-performance GT. It’s still early days, but from our experience over several miles of challenging test track, there are definite reasons to be positive. 

Jaguar’s future starts here. Which is why Auto Express was invited into the inner sanctum of its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, for a passenger ride in one of next year’s most important new cars, the £120,000, 1,000bhp four-door GT. 

On a grey December day, we were asked to climb in alongside JLR’s vehicle engineering director Matt Becker for our first taste of one of the most pivotal cars in Jaguar’s history. 

Becker joined JLR nearly four years ago after more than 26 years of honing lightweight models for Lotus. An electric Jaguar with a target weight of 2,750kg is a rather different proposition. 

The black and white zebra pattern does little to hide the sheer scale of the four-door GT, with that almost comically long bonnet stretching out into the distance, and the low-slung look carrying over from the Type 00 concept. But opening the frameless doors and dropping into the cabin, it doesn’t feel as low and sporty as it looks; you sit in a much more regular and commanding position. 

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This ride has been designed to demonstrate two main elements of the GT’s character, kicking off with its high-speed capabilities. At over 100mph, wind noise increases, but not to the point where relaxed conversation needs to increase in volume. 

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Round the sweeping bend at the far end of the test track, Becker talked about the concept of “power in reserve”, where the car avoids the normal EV characteristic of an instant surge of acceleration that tails off when you’re up to motorway speeds. 

Admittedly, this is easier to achieve when you’ve got about 1,000bhp on tap, but Becker illustrated the point by showing how quickly it surges upwards from 120mph, effortlessly hitting 148mph before the end of the straight. The long sweeping bend revealed significant body roll, but the car was in ‘Comfort’ mode, rather than ‘Dynamic’. “It’s designed to be very comfortable over long distances,” Becker explained. “But it will still go silly – believe me, it will drift!”

However, Jaguar isn’t building a sports car, despite the fundamentally ridiculous four-figure power. “We have engineered in the ‘Jaguarness’,” he said. “It’s not trying to be a Porsche Taycan; it’s a GT, so we want comfortable, isolated, effortless performance.”

At the moment there aren’t any artificial noises that accompany the drive, as we have seen with BMW, Hyundai and various others, but they are coming, and are currently being worked on by a team of musicians. However, Becker promised they will be both subtle and mutable.

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Part two of our ride tackled a more demanding and twisting handling track, where the biggest surprise is how well the Jaguar landed from a high-speed crest, dropping on its four-corner air suspension in a calm and controlled way. “Like a Jaguar should,” was Becker’s verdict; the brand is desperate to make the case for this being a ‘proper’ Jaguar, and he said it's a car he’s happy to have his name attached to. 

Of course, we won’t know anything for sure until we drive it, which is likely to be late in 2026, but the early signs are promising. 

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