Well, we’ve been teased and teased, and finally, Jaguar’s first all-electric car has broken cover.

This, reader, is the production-ready Jaguar I-Pace, a fully electric crossover designed to muscle in on the niche that Tesla carved out for itself with the Model X. With the release of the I-Pace, Jaguar has beaten out rivals from the likes of Mercedes, BMW and Audi to offer a car that takes flight with the changing winds of the automotive industry.

So, if this is a Tesla Model X beater, what do you get? Well, for starters, a slightly more attractive price. When it’s introduced to the Middle East in late-2019, the I-Pace is expected to cost just over AED 300,000. That’s compared to the AED 350,000 that the Tesla starts at.

And if it’s going head-to-head with the cheapest Model X, the Jaguar wins on statistics, too. Its two electric motors produce a combined 394 bhp and 696 Nm of torque, meaning it’ll do the 0-100 km/h dash in 4.8 seconds. That means it’ll worry an F-Type S in a drag race.

It should be decent around the corners, too. The battery pack is integrated into the floor of the car, and the chassis is based on a new, all-aluminium architecture. That means the I-Pace’s centre of gravity sits way lower than the F-Pace’s. Its weight distribution is 50:50, and you can also spec self-levelling air suspension and adaptive dampers. The car might weigh over 2 tonnes, but this stuff should allow the I-Pace to hide its weight extremely well through the bends.

And that (relative) lack of weight should also help in terms of economy. Jaguar claims a 480 km range from the 90 kWh battery. If you use a rapid charger (more are popping up around the UAE), you can go from 0% to 80% in 40 minutes, and get 100 km out of a rapid, 15-minute charge.

That said, if you want to use a standard electrical supply like you have at home, you’ll need 10 hours for a full charge. Your best bet, then, would be to just plug in when you get home, meaning that, whenever you pop out again, you have a full tank of, um, electricity.

Jaguar appears to have addressed some of the worries electric car buyers have with maintenance as well. The I-Pace comes with an eight-year or 160,000 km battery warranty, and the Jaguar will give you a 33,800 km service package with your I-Pace.

Inside, you get Jaguar’s new Touch Pro Duo infotainment set-up. It looks similar to the system on the Range Rover Velar – just more Jaguar-ish. Jaguar Land Rover is on a roll with its tech lately, meaning you shouldn’t have any worries there. And the rest of the interior is suitably svelte, with much leather and glass and aluminium.

So, there you have it. Would you have this, or spend AED 50,000 more for a Tesla Model X?