Driven : Jaguar XE S 3.0 V6 335bhp

The Jaguar XE has already established itself as a front-running challenger in the company car market, taking sales from the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class in a way that the old X-Type never had a hope of doing.

We’ve already driven the 2.0-litre XE and came away impressed with its all-round excellence. But does the considerably more potent supercharged V6 take the fight to its sporting rivals as effectively? We find out…

Jaguar XE (1)

You have to hand it to Jaguar. The X760-generation XE has burst from the starting blocks as an all-new car from the ground up and, aside from a few minor irritations, it’s pretty much perfect for the job in hand. It looks good, handles well and is hugely efficient in diesel form. However, given that a slow, but serious shift away from oil burners is now underway, it’s clear that the petrol versions have a very important role to perform.

On paper, the signs are good. What is currently the fastest XE is powered by the same supercharged V6 that you’ll find in the F-Type, and the industry-wide march towards portliness has been staved off, thanks to its all-new 75 per cent aluminium architecture. So it should be able to make the most of its generous 335bhp and near 50-50 weight distribution.

Although the XE is not much lighter than the German opposition, it’s still a very impressively thought out design, with its high-strength pressings, extrusions and elegant thin-wall castings. Much of the suspension is aluminium, too, which is comprised of double wishbones at the front, an integral link design at the rear. So, a very impressive set of ingredients, which are now also being put to good use in the XF and F-Pace.

Jaguar XE (3)

Inside, it’s the same snug story as any other XE. The interior, which lacks the wood ‘n’ leather that no one really wants anymore in their new cars, features good ergonomic design and a very appealing set of instruments which have been lifted from the F-Type. Yes, it’s lacking in anything out of the ordinary, and most controls – from the cruise to the infotainment system – are easily mastered without any real period of acclimatisation.

Yes, the stalks feel low-rent on first use – but you don’t think about them again. The same with the plastic paddle shifters for the transmission. Besides, if you don’t like them, Jaguar will upsell you a set of aluminium ones. The infotainment system deserves a little more comment because, although Jaguar has stuck with the same system it has used in the rest of the range for years, it’s now much quicker to operate, works seamlessly with iPhone or Android and the sat-nav works flawlessly – largely.

Beyond that, the driving position is excellent (aside from the usual caveat of a bulky A-pillar), the control weights are all first rate and, when you fire it up, the same bark from the V6 greets you and reminds you that you’re no turbodiesel conformist. Luckily, it’s a little more muted than its F-Type cousin, which will frighten pedestrians at 400 paces.

Once underway, it soon becomes clear that the petrol V6 transforms the character of the XE. It might be likeable in turbodiesel form, but this powered, the car is seriously addictive. Let the engine and transmission warm through, wait for the first national speed limit sign to appear and – bam! – acceleration in a refined, but guttural wave, almost linear in feel. 0-60mph comes up in a claimed five seconds, while the maximum speed is limited to 155mph – all highly plausible from the way it feels. The V6, which is set an an agreeable volume level in daily driving, hardens usefully and the ever-so-muted supercharger whine kicks in – if you’re listening for it. In all, it’s hugely enjoyable.

Its eight-speed ZF transmission marries beautifully with the engine – so much so that you really don’t need to worry about paddling for your gears too much. Besides, there are eight ratios to choose from and, for much of the time, you’ll be less capable of changing gear at the right time than the car is. Having said that, changing down manually in preparation for an upcoming bend, when you’re properly on it, is a real joy.

Fuel consumption was also very reasonable for the performance on offer. In our week-long trial, we averaged 28mpg on a brim-fill, which mainly encompasses fast A-road and motorway driving.

Jaguar XE (4)

Dynamically, the XE is exceptional, too. The steering’s EPAS has been set-up with sublime weighting and gearing for most occasions, even if it lacks the high-resolution road feel you get with more traditional hydraulically-assisted systems. However, given that there’s so much grip to play with – this car comes on optional 20in alloys – steering feel becomes less of a concern than it might have done in the old days. Maybe less so when the tyres wear down.

As for handling, it’s neutral with incisive turn-in and, in the dry on public roads, you’ll need to be going some even to get the DSC light to flicker. To have the rear end getting playful, wait for rain, or simply start abusing it on the least well-maintained B-road you can find. Having said that, nothing came close to taxing it on our usual – secret – test route. More impressive than its overall levels of grip and balance is its damping refinement – it’s firm but controlled, and has clearly been honed on, and for, British roads. On motorways, it purrs along at less than 2000rpm at the legal limit, with barely a rustle of wind noise in accompaniment.

Equipment levels are good and, given its performance and overall desirability, the basic list price of £44,865 is more than competitive. It’ll look good on your drive, and should impress your friends at the gym/cycling club/golf club/motorway services. Fast drivers will be happy to gain torque vectoring, active damping and lowered suspension, while gadget fans will love traffic sign recognition and autonomous braking systems.

Being a press car, this one had been further loaded up. So much so, that it would cost you a cool £55,163. Okay, so the optional Italian Racing Red paint and 20in alloys look good and are probably worth the outlay, but would you really want to pay an additional £1000 for the optional heated/cooled seats or head-up display? Still, it’s nice to have the choice. The big question that remains to be answered is whether you should buy this instead of the more obvious Audi/BMW/Mercedes-Benz?

It might be no better (and certainly no worse), but the XE has heart, soul and charisma. It’s definitely worth buying – just be careful when speccing it up!

Jaguar XE (2)

Keith Adams

68 Comments

  1. Yes it’s me again the Victor Meldrew of West Somerset,I’ve no complaints about the XE it’s streets ahead of the overpriced and under equipped German vehicles doled out to salarymen as part of their “compensation package”. No what really annoys me that this is brand speak in describing this excellent small sports saloon as a compact or junior executive car, I mean what the hell is a junior executive? one step above an office boy or what! I’m rather sick and tired of this spurious catagorization of cars by the demographic status of their potential owners. We should go back to when cars were what they are eg saloon,coupe, luxury or sports cars, not catagories dreamed up by twats in advertising & branding consultants

    • Huh? “Junior Executive” cars have been around for ages. Some say the 3-series defined the category back in the 1980s. Some say the Dolomite Sprint defined the category back in the 1970s. Either way, they’re definitely not a new thing.

      And yes, “Junior Executive” is one step above tea boy. Anyone who’s anyone in the corporate world drives an A6 Bluemotion or a 518d these days 🙂

  2. @ Ian, I think junior executive means a lower grade of executive. To me I’d sooner call the XE a sporting luxury car, which it effectively is with its mixture of luxury fittings and high performance.
    Anyway a fantastic effort from Jaguar who have banished the Ford obsession with retro and also moved on from the wood interiors, which while yes I like them and look very British, most buyers don’t want.

  3. Couldn’t agree more Ian. The one that really gets up my nose is “Young Professionals” – surely anyone who gets paid for doing a job is a “Professional”, whether it is as an “executive” or a dustman.

  4. I agree with Ian’s comments about catagorization of cars like this Jag XE… describing it as a “luxury Sports saloon” would do the trick for me. Lovely powerful car but in this country of course you can’t legally drive at the speeds it and its competitors are capable of. A good ambassador for quality British car manufacturing though!

    Despite no wood, there is still plenty of leather in the XE. I would prefer the dashboard to have a more dark grey/light grey 2 tone mix. Perhaps this is an option?

  5. I’ve no real idea what an executive is , but I’d love to be one , junior or otherwise . I have a long list of people I’d like to execute !!

  6. I don’t think any of the manufacturers use “junior executive” as a description of where any model fits in the range. I’d always assumed it was part of this site’s rather charming pastiche of 1978 What Car? cliches when describing new cars.

    This new range topping, load lugging, junior executive midliner is designed to boost sales and really take the fight to the Germans.

  7. One thing I’ve noticed since year dot in car reviews is this: you’ll read almost the whole thing, about how wonderful it is, how it’s got all the tech, and the last paragraph will be… By the way, the version we actually tested has all the nice gadgets we mentioned… You know the ones on the options list that add 15% to the price…
    I wish reviewers would go back to the old ways, where if they were testing a particular model it would be that model.. And the options would be a tiny little list of prices in the tech specs

    • Er, you complain about something you say has always been going on and then ask why it can’t be like the old days?

    • Keith’s test cars are always loaded, even by press fleet standards. JLR should create a “Keith Adams edition” for the next generation of cars.

  8. As for the HUD, you can get one that plugs into the OBD port for not much more than £30, I know, I’ve got one.

  9. I like the gearbox design, which resembles a control on a washing machine. It’s totally unobtrusive and probably easy to use once you get used to it.
    Indeed the XE is an excellent car. It’s moved Jaguar design forwards from this obsession they had with sixties retro under Ford, the interior is completely contemporary( no wood), the engines are fantastic and who would have thought you can buy a Jaguar that can return 60 mpg and still do over 130 mph.

  10. While the D segment shrinks, it is great to see premium D segment contenders continue to be launched.

    I’ve seen a few XEs now, the front grille reminiscent of the XJ, the side profile reminiscent of the mk1 XF (and, dare I say, much nicer than the fussy 3 light arrangement of the mk2 XF…), rear lights reminiscent of the F-Type.

    Only problem is that they don’t seem to be selling as much as their teutonic rivals, for every few dozen 4 ringed or propellered boring box hogging the outside lane, an XE will only be observed.

    As for terminology – “Junior Exec” is, or at least was, the terminology for what might be termed ‘3 series class’, with XF/5er as Executive, and XJ/7er as ‘Large Executive’, or CxO level transportation. Even the Saab 9-3 was at one point described as a Junior Exec, my model is as basic as a mk1 Vectra, while I once looked at an X-type that had windy up back windows!

  11. I think this is my favourite version of the XE – that’s a great colour (an expensive option) and I like the wheels (ditto). Jaguar certainly knows how to ‘upsell’, with silly omissions on the standard issue list on most models like ‘adjustable lumber support’ meaning that the price you’ll pay will be much higher than list. Looks wise, the interior is dull, frankly, and the exterior not ‘special’ enough in my view. The new XF is worse on this level – less appealing to the eye than the last versions of the previous model. On pure looks, I’d say the new Giulia – itself not a spot on the 156 – beats the XE all round, and the interior in certain trim colours looks really nice.

    • Thing is will the Alfa do its usual prob with electronics? Everyone I know who has bought one has had electronic probs and the main dealers can never get to the bottom of them. At least with Jag these days you know they will be reliable, though I do agree that the Jag could do with a nicer looking interior.

      • Hi, I can’t really comment on the electronic dependability of either Alfa or Jaguar, my comments were really just restricted to the relative aesthetics. I really want Jaguar to succeed – I just feel that it is not maximising one of its most significant traits, that being elegance and style at present, having gone a little conservative.

  12. Trouble is, on the whole, the average car consumer Brit would rather have a BMW, AUDI or Mercedes-Benz even if the Jaguar is in reality a better option. No idea if it is and unlikely to ever find that out for myself.

    About a quarter of a century ago, those German manufacturers made a concerted effort to enter the volume car consumer segment worldwide then mainly occupied by GM and Ford. They were hugely successful worldwide as a glance at any supermarket car park and Motorway Traffic hold up will soon confirm.

    They cashed in literally on the then partly but not fully justified widespread perception of superior build quality and reliability of German product.. However, volume sales in a sharply competitive sector meant something had to be “adjusted”. Reliability and build quality did suffer as my friendly MoT tester surprisingly “news to me” revealed over the years on some of the failures on these so called “premium” brands. Plus as my younger “always buys foreign” brother discovered when his superb BMW cabriolet needed £1000+ suspension renewals for the MoT. Car been in the family since new with moderate mileage so not an unknown used car buy quantity. Collecting my MG ZT when MoT tested recently I stepped on a piece of broken suspension spring. The tester said and pointed that it came from that car over there in the workshop. A Mercedes…

    The BMW is now the “Hoover” default car certainly in my neck of the woods. Jaguar actually a rare sight. Quite understandable as we all know, British cars are rubbish as we are often reminded in a multiplicity of less than subtle ways by our “we’re cleverer than you” UK media with Clueless Clarkson at the spearhead. Been on TV and everything John so must be kosher.

    How much did it cost to repair your “superior” German car? That’s more than I paid for my MG ZS new on the road price.

    Whatever happened to space, grace and pace… words proudly and accurately part of bygone era Jaguar advertisements on the billboards around the UK … not seen any like that for ages…

    • Re German reliability.
      The Americans pretty much all buy Japanese. at least with their own money.
      VW is niche.The Cam-Cord topping the sales list.
      In the luxury car sector it’s Lexus.. not very big in Europe and infiniti.
      And to round it off you have US domestics doing the Pick-up / SUV segment.
      In short the Germans don’t get a look in.And are not viewed as reliable cars at all.
      Rather their cars are for badge snobs to keep until the warranty runs out.
      My view would be similar.. however with all the gadgets and the way that automakers force their suppliers to meet strict budget targets. I reckon there are next to no “good cars ” been built at all. Cars are now disposable items. becoming far too expensive to fix.
      The golden age is probably the 1990’s and rust has killed those cars off by now.
      So, I suppose most cars could do 100,000 miles and then after that it’s pot luck.
      Until something like rust or an expensive beyond economic repair crops up.

      • My 2000 Mitsubishi is going strong on 168k, my X type is getting tired at 220k. My 1990 Rover 216 was struggling at 205k – a car’s lifespan depends very much on careful maintenance and dogged determination.

        • Vaguely remember reading BMW build stuff in the states. Muricans do indeed buy Murican…Home of the brave and all that.

          It’s not a bad habit. One other Nations should learn from and give more attention to instead of moaning fewer worthwhile jobs let alone careers for their offspring.

          • Problem is that he American business – Ford Chrysler and GM are moving their production out of the good old USA with Mexico being a favourite location due t the cheaper wages and tariff free trade agreements. This is why the Wig is getting his chance to run for the Presidency, as he is promising protectionism of the US economy, immigration and jobs. Sound familiar? If Trump doe get in where does the Brexiters extra trade with the US come in?

  13. At last a high performance XE with a more competitive price tag.

    A rather glaring omission from the report is any mention of the fuel consumption on test

  14. @ MG John, I reckon the Jaguar will more than match BMW for quality and the days when Jaguars were notorious for breaking down are long gone. Maybe if better off car buyers could see past this blinkered Gerrman good, British bad attitude that is a hangover from 30 years ago and buy an XE or XF instead of a BMW or Audi, then they’d be surprised. Also with a starting price of £ 28,000, and being better equipped, the XE is highly competitive with BMW.

    • What’s the compelling reason for buyers to abandon their A4 or 3-series which they know and love? Keith’s review here (along with others I have read elsewhere) is blandly complimentary, but doesn’t mention any area where the XE really stands head and shoulders above the competition. This version of the XE appears to be competitive with the BMW 340i, but the base price of a 340i M Sport is “only” £38,800. You’d have to be a massive Jag fan to choose the XE over the 3-series.

      I’m keen to support the British motor industry wherever possible, and am happy with my new-ish CRV and old-ish XK8. But the pricing of the XE makes me think that Jag is happy to sell to die-hard Jag fans only, and leave the really big sales volumes to BMW and Audi.

  15. Yes, Glenn … that’s how I have seen the poisoned UK car consumer market for far too long. Media brainwashing right up until April 2005 ….

    Gave my “always drives German” neighbour a lift in my MG ZT 1.8t recently. He was visibly impressed with what is after all a thirteen year old car. Never had a look at one before. He like so many other Brits, because of the incessant media negativity, would never have a visit to a Rover or MG showroom on his list when preparing to buy their next new car. His, their and our loss often resulting in a massive impact on his own finances following buying “superior” foreign product to their collective, but rarely admitted chagrin…… It’s what we do… or, just maybe, post June 23rd, It’s what we did.

    Go back to December 1982 when I arranged purchase of our second car family runabout in the showroom, a new MG 1300## I took delivery of on 1.1.1983. Whilst completing the paperwork, some well dressed vociferous woman was politely asked to leave… shouting on about those lazy so and sos up at Longbridge do not deserve a job. The type that almost certainly has never done a days hard work in her privileged life.

    I think it will take at least one more generation for that negative mindset to be bred out of the British Car Consumers mindset.

    ## Mind you, as predicted that MG Metro 1300 started to fall apart … Thirteen years and north of 100,000 hard miles later. Never serviced professionally after that first free 1,000 mile service. Always by me.

    • Well said, John. You should be commended for your positive contribution to both our national balance of payments and to the sustainability of local businesses in your area. A new car every 13 years, whether you need it or not, do you always deal with the same salesperson? Still at least they get revenue from your service business. Oh no, hang on….

      I wouldn’t put so much store behind a media conspiracy either. New car sales have been consistently around the 2.5 million per year mark for the last few years yet the circulation of the most popular motoring magazines is only around 50000. A sizeable proportion of that 50000 will be regular subscribers interested in product and industry news rather than looking for advice about a prospective purchase. Similarly it seems only to be enthusiasts that I hear able to recall what “Jeremy Clarkson says …..” about any particular make, good or bad.

      The success or failure of any particular product is down to customers voting with their wallets. See it, try it, like it, buy it. If the product lives up to the promise then people will buy another.

      Good news though. If your ZT has lived up to its promise, it looks like you will soon be able to buy a new one again:
      http://sniffpetrol.com/2016/06/23/leave-campaign-makes-car-based-promise/#.V3q87qLl_v1

      • @ Andy…Where did I write or you read I only buy one new car every thirteen years? You assume too much to align with your own misguided poisonous negativity. . Total fail on your part. Good for you!

        I have been known to buy two new cars in one week!… and own several at one time. The least I have ever kept a new car is seven years.

        For the above reasons, I did not bother reading the rest of your post.

        Right Top Gear repeat just starting on BBC 2 … 🙂

  16. @ MG John, that’s actually very good for an MG Metro and good for any car from that era, considering the dreaded tinworm was still a problem on early eighties cars. However, you’d probably get some pub bore commenting on the demise of your 13 year old Metro by saying his Volkswagen Polo of this era was a far superior car and would still be running at 20 years old.
    However, the excessive adulation given to German cars in magazines like What Car these days is tiresome in the same way a sport like football seems to be beyond criticism. Like football, a lot of German cars are very expensive and totally overrated, although I do like Mercedes.

  17. @Glenn Aylett,

    :-)… and I would overbore that VW pub bore with a counter that I gave my older son a 1982 MG Metro back around 1999 when he was still a schoolboy to learn to drive on our property. Move on seventeen years later and he still has that car and it passed its MoT recently. It’s thirty four years old now, three years older than he is. He loves that car. Considering he has more cars than most folks can shake a stick at, including a nice S2 Elise ( Complete with they all do that 1.8 K-Series ) and a tatty Porsche and several other Metros says a lot for that little Metro. Those all topped by his P-Reg Rover 620ti now showing north of 216,000 miles daily work horse he’s had for over ten years which passed its umpteenth MoT a few weeks ago. It also completed a lap of the Nurburgring couple years back loaded with four mates and all their Holiday Clobber.. mind your/his mates language ” I cannot believe how fast some of these cars are travelling”…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEQ07qg7zcs

    Poor car indeed.

    We do lift the bonnet occasionally to check stuff as recommended by all manufacturers. Reliability and longevity is, contrary to popular belief, not Rocket Science.

  18. No prejudice here, my all time favourite car “of all time” is the Mercedes-Benz 300sl “Gull Wing”. Me aged about twelve, when visiting the Earls Court Motor show in mid-1950s was very disappointed not to see one on show. However, saw a silver one outside London’s Dorchester Hotel after the show. Started saving all my pocket money meaning to buy one someday. Still saving. Nice examples go for over a million quid now … 🙂

  19. Umm. Jaguar’s sales figures are up, so there are a good number of people buying this car, or it least the cheaper versions.

  20. @ MG John, I still see several Rover 600s from the nineties, plus the odd 200 and 400, and all seem to be in very good condition. Interestingly enough, I never see any Golfs, Passats or Ventos from this era and nineties Polos seem very rare now. Perhaps the cost of maintaining this generation of VWs and the fact the Vento looked like hell and wasn’t very reliable could explain this. Give me a nice Rover 600 any day.

    • You need to travel areas like the South West or Norfolk and you will see loads of old VW’s. It use to be Sierras and Escorts but they seem to have moved on.

  21. @Glenn Aylett,

    We currently run four Rover 620ti in the family. 80,000; 90,000, 100,000 and 216,000 miles. In my opinion the best product of the Rover-Honda partnership era.

    Been touring local breaker yards since my schoolboy days. In the past year or so, there’s a trend I’ve spotted. There now appear to be a steady stream of BMWs, AUDIS, VWs and particularly Mercedes cars in local yards around or even less than ten years old. Not accident damaged cars, but cars taken in part exchange by the local “Arthur Daley” used car dealers who no longer see them as “nice little earners”.

    Most of those Rovers from that 1990s Honda partnership were well put together particularly the anti-corrosion properties. That based on the numerous cars in my family and the circle of friends we have covering all ages. Quite a few of my young sons friends have them too, not just those like me of a mature stature… OK then old… 🙂

    • Hi John

      Not really surprising that there are 10 year old German cars in scrap yards. If the car has got to the stage, either through high mileage or lack of maintenance, where it’s generally worn out then the cost of keeping it on the road can be unviable and the money would be better spent on a new or newer model.

      What may surprise you is that a leggy 10 year old 3 series / A4 / A3 that might change hands at £2-3000 in good condition can still achieve a significant sum when sold as scrap.

      For fun, put your neighbour’s registration number and post code into http://www.cartakeback.com/instant-scrap-car-quotation . It’s ok it’s anonymous – no salesman will call!

      To save you the bother, an 11 year old A3 with 150000 miles, every panel dented, 4 bald tyres, slippy clutch, EML airbag and ABS warning lights on will still fetch you around £1000 if it runs & drives. And they collect and pay cash! And then they safely, cleanly and profitably dismantle the car, recycling the scrap and reselling the parts that can be re-used.

      I know it’s not fair but an equivalent Rover would have to be mint and advertised on Autotrader for weeks to achieve that kind of money.

      And please don’t think that thats an indication that one car is better than the other, or that my dad is bigger than your dad, nor indeed is he a policeman who will come around and put you in prison.

      It’s simply that the number of Rover owners is now tiny and the number of them prepared to spend significant money on maintaining them is even more so.

      On the other hand there are lots of people running BMW / Audi / Mercedes cars and doing their own maintenance, either for pleasure or out of financial necessity. For these people a reliable source of affordable spare parts is a lifeline made possible by the existence of what used to be called scrap cars but are now called End of Life Vehicles.

      They may talk a different language, that of E90s, B4s and W202s rather than ADO-this and SD-that but under the skin we are all the same.

  22. Several of my friends are of the German is best mindset.

    A lot of 57 plate (just reaching their 10th birthday) are suffering serious problems now (a 10 year old 3 series petrol had the dreaded milky mayonnaise oil recently).

    Yet, they don’t tire of telling me how only idiots buy British cars. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy for the entire generation.

    The only bonus for them is part exchanging these motors on the basis that German cars are best is a feasible way of relieving yourself of the ownership proposition (sales speak for get rid! :0)

    • Its the same as the iphone generation. Loads of friends who would only have an iphone are no realising they are terribly built and not as reliable as other brands. Screens that regularly crack (one friend of the family has had three of the current model so far with the same fault) and battery life quickly fades away without much usage.

      People are too easily lead these days. Ten years ago there was hardily a tattoo parlour in towns, and people didn’t like them. How many of those same people now have tattoos?

      • I don’t know what your freinds do to their iPhones but my all original 4S has outlasted the S3 galaxy and Experia that were meant to repalce it. It has survived falls from the horse to concrete, been trodden on by said horse (16.3 hands high BTW)while I prefer andriod the 4S seems indestucctable and just works which none of the andriod attempts have managed, the S3 had 2 screens and was prone to dropping calls, the experia had a cracked screen within days.. The 4S is now 6 years old all original and uncased. However as for german cars are besst, thats rubbish but you can’t tell them I ran very nice british cars for years with little or no trouble. BMWs I have owned have been nothing but trouble. VWs were OK. I’m currently in a Merc which was a repalcement for a Rover 75 and thats doing well

  23. I was at the paper shop yesterday morning and was talking to an owner of an extremely tidy red N reg 214. He had bought it from a its elderly owner and it looked much younger than its 21 years!

    My own 75 is coming up 16 years old at 115000 miles and is still my daily driver.

    British does mean long lasting in some cases!

  24. Easy to knock the Germans but there competitive leasing costs/service plans and tax friendly (though maybe not true!) emissions means they have become a default choice for many business users – when did you last see a 5 series that wasn’t a 520d? Either that or a M5.

    Have to say Jaguar are really getting after this approach but feel they really need the XE S and hopefully soon a SVO model as a halo – the XE S just looks a lot more interesting to me as like the German designs looks a little bland in basic spec.

    Just need Jaguar to produce an estate version for my needs and would happily replace my 330D with one of these as a private buyer. Hopefully they will also keep the upgrades coming as the new version of the touch screen is so much better, but rest of interior is fairly average.

  25. The XE (and Mk2 XF) to me lack a bit of the wow factor, they suffer from over familiarity in the styling and a slight lack of road presence.

    By contrast, the F-Pace (which I saw the other day in the flesh for the first time) has masses of presence, it’s a definite head turner

  26. My usually buys German younger brother is thinking of disposing of his nice 3-Series cabriolet because it needs £1000+ suspension work for MoT plus any other work they may find. Car been in the family since new and moderate mileage. Mention this because his taste in cars has changed. He’s thinking of buying a new Kia.

    Covered about five hundred miles in my favourite 620ti last week or so. Bought and collecting two MG ZT 1.8Ts, a 55-Reg ZT-T and an 03-Reg ZT accounted for most of those. Both cars collected today. Glutton for punishment me… 🙂

    With this thread in mind, made an effort to spot newish Jaguars…. not easy in the sea of sameness of styles an monocolorous shades of greys out there. There are more Jaguars about than I expected. Good to see.

  27. I have a MB C300. I would have considered an XE if were available 18 months and in estate format. Also the MB is available with a non-leather interior. Interesting how many of the posts go on about the retro wood interiors of old but are happy with then retro leather interior foisted upon us on most ‘executive’ cars. Personally I do not want to a Flintstone in an otherwise high tech machine. How about some alternatives?

  28. I wouldn’t touch this heap of sh!t with a bargepole.

    “Yes, the stalks feel low-rent on first use – but you don’t think about them again.”

    The stalks on my 1.2S Aveo feel top notch and well up to putting the wiper on and turning left and right. The stalks get touched more than any other bit of the car, and MUST feel good!

  29. Not impressed with anything Jaguar puts out. I think some are imagining the grand old Union Flag waving behind the latest Jags- but remember- they’re all Ford. Put that star spangled banner behind it and you’d notice the similarities to the US Ford line-up.
    Jaguar are flabby and soft, brakes are sub-par. Just does not compete with the German cars on anything but price and appearance. But- that’s quite true to the Jaguar marque- flashy poorly built car with antique mechanicals that rather underperforms. The XKE was only for the moneyed types- and Porsche was the better option there.

    • After 16 months and an average of 54,000 kms on our fleet the three XE models we have are proving to be not just the equal of our 3-series, C-Class and A4 but in terms of running costs and reliability, superior. Our drivers report the XE is superior to drive if a little less refined at lower speeds and they are unhappy with rear legroom. Not one reliability issue and while they think Jaguar should have tried harder with some minor trim details including lighting/wiper stalks and interior door handles, not one squeek or rattle has appeared. I cant say the same for the 3 series and C-Class we have although they could all learn from Audi. Audi is wooden to drive. BMW please go back to your late 90s quality and Mercedes, really beautiful cars to drive and look at but some interior and suspension components not up to the job.

      Love reading everybodies oppinions

    • I’ve no idea what evidence there is for these opinions, but Jaguar’s connection with Ford ended ( apart from one 4 cylinder Diesel engine ) many years ago , and none of the current products have any connection with Ford at all. The rest of the post seems to be drivel, and the writer plainly has never had a Porsche !

    • LOL try following an XKE though the bends in a similar vintage porsche, you will soon be either left for dust or heading off backwards into the scenery, the 356 and 911 of the time were utter rubbish

    • Ford sold Jaguar to Tata some years ago. The XE is a brand new platform that was designed after that time. The second XF and the F-Pace are based on this new Jaguar platform. Jaguar’s are no longer based on Ford platforms. Audi, on the other hand ….. Volkswagen, Seat, Skoda.

  30. I see the interior is still rubbish with unpainted (possibly fake) metal showing. Would be so much nicer with burr walnut, which I can get on a merc although that is equally a dog dinner inside

    • Have you sat in the latest C class? Interior is widely agreed to be the nicest out of the current small exec saloons.

  31. Why did I choose an manual, 200 BHP, 1.6 Petrol Turbo, Astra K SRI NAV Sports Tourer?

    I became aware of GM’s newly developed SIDI (Spark Ignition Direct Injection ) Petrol Turbo engines – having already owned a car with one of the first generation engines of this type – a Mazda 256 BHP, 2.3 litre DISI (same as SIDI but reversed) Petrol Turbo engine, specifically designed to out accelerate conventional 3 to 4 litre petrol engined cars (in a Mazda CX7, 0-60 mph in 6.8 secs – second only to the Porsche Cayenne when the CX 7 was released in 2007 – it was the most popular SUV in Russia and Australia and won ten awards for low pollution in Japan). My CX 7 had been totally reliable for me with low servicing costs. This engine’s block is the one used in the latest 2016 Ford Focus RS.

    Having had a great Sports SUV, I wanted the space and pace of an 4.7 metre Sports SUV, but without the £7 to £12k markup being asked by most manufacturers of SUVs.

    I did not want many of the features being offered by many brands – things like: key-less car entry (security issues here), push button starting, boot with fixed rear seats, 18 to 20 inch tyres – done that, electronic handbrake (various roll away and other issues here), run flat tyres, self parking, cold leather seats – done that, engines that remember how you drive, ridiculous double pull door opening on BMWs, dowdy colours like VW and Audi’s, high servicing costs of Premium brands – done that, non opening panoramic sun roof, fiddly screen controlled secondary services – A/C etc., handbooks only available online like Volvo’s, screens instead of proper instruments, excessive safety aids, cars that have looked the same for ages, excessively downsized engines, a long bonnet, tricky to get into rear seats like a Jaguar XE, cars that bash your head as you get into the driver’s seat, cramped cars like a small or medium Lexus, engines that shut down cylinders or do other things when they feel like it.

    I did want a car with a petrol turbo SIDI engine (fewer pollutants), hatchback, manual so I was in control – not the car, a zippy engine with loads of torque – which doesn’t make a fuss on acceleration – and just delivers, an opening sunroof, a built in SatNav, an actual spare wheel, a manual pull up handbrake, heated seats and steering wheel, fog lights, mud flaps, a decent colour selection, tinted rear windows, a fresh design, all round parking sensors, a Tax band around £140 (which even sub 100 g/km cars will pay next year), a low insurance group – not Group 33 like a lot of modest performance SUVs and I also fancied a local dealer so I could walk home from leaving it for servicing rather than servicing being a whole day event.

    I toyed with the idea of getting a SAIC built MG GS – manual, four wheel drive, with a 217 HP two litre DISI turbo petrol engine and all the bells and whistles – mainly to see what Chinese built cars were like. It looked good on paper – but MG did not bring that model over. Anyway, SAIC brought out, in Summer 2016, a far better looking and “Internet Connected” Roewe RX5 – again with manual or Double Clutch Gearbox, four wheel drive, the 217 HP two litre DISI turbo petrol engine and all the bells and whistles for ~£20k – just before the MG GS was launched in the UK. I would have had one of these Roewe RX5s, if they had been available in the UK.

    I looked for alternatives, viewing the Ssangyong Tivoli (nice, but with a modest petrol engine and no petrol engine available for the Tivoli XLV) and the Renault Kadjar (similar styling to CX7 – same designer – but overpriced and with a rather small petrol turbo engine).

    Late in the day I came to my local Vauxhall Dealer and picked up and studied the blurb on the new Astra K, which I had read about in Autocar and knew was European Car Of The Year. I organised for a test drive of the 1.4 petrol manual and auto and a 1.6 Sports Tourer, if possible (the dealer had only seen one 1.6 at this time).

    On test drive day I drove the first 1.4 Turbo Petrol, Auto, Elite Sports Tourer that the dealer had had. I was smitten by the sharp looks, good access, good forward sight lines, space to match my CX7 and the way it drove. I quickly ordered the manual, 200 BHP, 1.6 Petrol Turbo, Astra K SRI NAV Sports Tourer – to give me 0-60 in 7.2 sec pace, 35 to 40 mpg, 146 g/km, £145 annual car tax – and which, with my options, gave me all of what I was looking for less than the price I had paid for my CX 7 nine years earlier. The bargain of the century, with well presented and selectable driving aids – resulting in a group 19 Insurance for a 146 mph car and 50 mpg at 63-75 mph on the motorway – it even includes an on board WiFi router and OnStar remote diagnostics and instant Personal support! Better still Vauxhall were fourth in the latest UK car reliability survey by J D Power behind Skoda, Kia and Suzuki and the Astra Sports Tourer is built in the UK at Ellesmere Port. Surprisingly my Astra K Sports Tourer, seats down. carrying capacity is more than 100 litres larger than that of the £37k, Volvo V90 estate which is 200 mm longer!

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