Comprehensively revised, the latest Jaguar XE delivers an enhanced exterior design, all-new luxurious interior and incorporates advanced technologies, including a segment-first ClearSight rear-view mirror (a wide-angle rear-facing camera). The XE also becomes first-in-class to offer a diesel variant compliant with the stringent RDE2 NOx emissions limit, well ahead of the January 2021 legislative deadline. This aids company car drivers with a 4% Benefit-In-Kind rate cut and also private retail buyers through a reduced first year road tax charge.
Its refreshed interior features the extensive use of soft-touch materials, veneers and all-new door trims that improve tactility and practicality. The influence of Jaguar’s F-type sportscar is also evident in both the SportShift gear selector and JaguarDrive Control switch on the revised centre console. A new steering wheel, shared with the i-PACE, features hidden-until-lit graphics and capacitive switches for intuitive, tactile control of key functions.
The XE is also better value than before. The D180 R-Dynamic S, for example, is priced at £36,145 (£670 cheaper than the XE R-Sport), while adding around £1,100 of extra equipment. Standard now is an automatic transmission, 18.0-inch diameter wheels, electric leather seats, all-LED headlights and tail-lights, front and rear park aids, rear camera and lane keep assist. Customers can select from S, SE and HSE trim levels, with each also available in sporty R-Dynamic guise. A range of option packs provide even greater personalisation:
- Dynamic Handling Pack: Configurable and adaptive dynamics, performance brakes, coloured brake calipers, boot-lid spoiler
- Cold Climate Pack: Heated windscreen, heated steering wheel, headlight washers
- Technology Pack: Head-up display, solar windscreen, Touch Pro Duo, interactive driver display, wireless charging, ClearSight interior rear-view mirror
- Convenience Pack: Gesture boot-lid, keyless entry, electric steering column adjustment, additional power sockets
- Premium Interior Upgrade Pack: Illuminated treadplates, alloy pedals, configurable ambient lighting.
XE appears wider and lower than before, with larger front apertures, bolder graphics and muscular forms, including all-LED headlights with a striking ‘J’-blade daytime running light signature. The rear of the car features a new bumper design and slender all-LED tail-lights. The 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol is available in 247bhp and 296bhp outputs, badged P250 and P300 respectively, while the efficient 177bhp Ingenium diesel, badged D180, delivers 317lbs ft of torque and fuel consumption of up to 57.6mpg.
Jaguar’s latest diesel engines have approximately 25% better fuel economy than petrol engines, produce around 15% less CO2 and emit around the same amount of NOx. Jaguar recognises that, for drivers travelling in excess of 12,000 miles a year, a diesel engine is often the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly choice. Whether the new XE will change fortunes for Jaguar Cars remains to be seen. It is a lovely car but its ‘Euro-box’ anonymity may limit its future success.
