PURISTS BE DAMNED
It may have only four cylinders, but this sporty family sedan is a beautiful little beast
So, you want a Jaguar XE. Good choice. It’s a great car.
For one, it’s a beautiful little beast. My tester was finished in monochromatic black with equally dark 19-inch Style 5031 wheels, and it looked exactly the right amount of sinister for a sporty family sedan.
Purists will decry the absence of the six-cylinder option. That said, the P300’s 296-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder does much more than yeoman duty. Married to a quick-shifting eight-speed automatic, it fairly flies through the gears, even if the sound it makes while doing so isn’t quite mellifluous. It accelerates from rest to 100 km/h in just under six seconds, and when it comes to just plain transport, it is a silent partner in perfectly smooth and silent comportment.
It’s also mighty sprightly, the R-dynamic version riding on upgraded suspenders and grippy Pirellis (225/40 R19 up front and 255/35 R19 out back). One isn’t chasing Ferraris with this Jag — nor even the company’s own F-type SVRS — but this uprated XE fits nicely into the space where
BMW’S 3 Series used to live. Pace with grace, they used to advertise. I think it’s a mantra Jaguar might want to revisit.
Inside, the XE has been greatly influenced by its German rivals. Indeed there’s an almost Germanic Spartanism to the decor. Those looking for Jaguar’s traditional warmth may be disappointed, but I like the austerity. Besides, the seats are comfortable, the seating position is excellent, and the gearshift paddles convenient. What more could one ask?
Well, an infotainment system that doesn’t hide its submenus like Windows XP, for one thing. When the Jag’s Incontrol infotainment said I’d have to delete a phone from the list of Bluetooth connections before I could pair my own, then failed to provide me an obvious course for such deletion, my frustration index jetted to DEFCON IV. Having to phone a Jaguar dealer to find out how to pair that phone is just not cool. Were I looking for a reason to take the XE off my list, infotainment would be it.
On the other hand, the air-conditioning system switchgear is wonderfully intuitive, with the temperature setting, fan speed, and even the level of seat heating all controlled by a single dial, the setting you want to modulate chosen by either pushing or pulling on the large rotary dial. It’s brilliant and proof that buttons aren’t necessarily bad; they just have to be smarter.
If you want more pistons, maybe you should look at Genesis’ semi-new G70. It’s pretty much everything the XE is not. For one thing, there’s a V6 on offer and it’s turbocharged, so it boasts 365 hp of instant Xe-crushing charge. As well, Genesis’ take on a luxurious interior is more extravagant, there being shiny bobbles and chromed bits all over the place.
Indeed, the G70 is the unheralded surprise of the entry-level luxury segment. It handles a treat, it’s fetching, and doesn’t Genesis just spoil you? Were I looking to not buy the Jag, the G70 is the similarly priced sedan I would buy.
If you’re a brand slave and you know it, having to choose between Mercedes-benz and BMW is difficult these days, both their entry-level sedans mere shadows of their former selves. Mercedes’ C-class still enjoys a proliferation of safety gizmos the envy of all, and there’s a wide selection of engines, right up to the AMG C 63’s twin-turbo 4.0-L V8, but to say that Stuttgart has downgraded its interiors is an understatement.
Ditto for BMW. By the time you get down to the basic 330i xdrive and its turbo-four, you might as well be in a Honda, there being little remaining of the Ultimate Driving Machine.
If you really want a Jaguar, then you’re going to have to shop for one of those infernal SUVS, aren’t you? That means the E-pace — just as sexy with pretty much the same interior, and the same two choices of engines. The E-pace is similar to the XE in that its suspension is on the roadholding side of firm, and its steering is surprisingly direct. Indeed, the main difference between the XE and E-pace is space utilization.
The main benefit of the crossover is some much appreciated cargo space, and that the rear seats can be folded down for some serious haulage. If you really like the XE but need more space, it’s the obvious choice.