Last chance saloon? Jaguar roars... No!
Jaguar XE From €43,165
Jaguar made its name and reputation over decades creating sports saloon cars full of ‘grace, space, and pace’ costing less than customers thought they might.
Consider the classic Mark II Jaguar, as driven by TV’s Inspector Morse and many other onscreen cops (and robbers). But today, as families switch to flexible higherriding sports utility vehicles, many are asking if the traditional fourdoor family saloon has had its day. Is this perhaps the ‘last chance’ saloon?
Well, Jaguar doesn’t think so, and I’ve been driving the revamped Jaguar XE saloon to find out why.
The XE’s entry-level specification has been ‘enhanced’ and more than a grand’s worth of extra kit added as standard. As part of its refresher, the grille is wider and slimmer, and although 18-inch wheels are standard, you can have 20-inch. It has a more contemporary
interior and a steering wheel shared with the all-electric IPACE.
And it drives well and looks great. The XE features automatic transmission as standard and is available in rear and all-wheeldrive variants. It’s powered by one of three engines – two frugal 2.0litre, four-cylinder Ingenium petrol versions at 250 PS and 300 PS – and a 2.0-litre 180PS diesel. All have eight-speed automatic gearboxes, with a manual paddle-shift option.
The range starts at €43,165 for the P250 rear-wheel-drive S, up to €64,280 for the P300 all-wheeldrive auto R-Dynamic HSE.
I first got behind the wheel of the mid-range XE 250PS R-Dynamic S
QUESTION IS, HAS THE FOUR-DOOR FAMILY SALOON HAD ITS DAY?
which felt well balanced and sporty.
It accelerates from rest to 100kph in 6.5 seconds, up to a top speed of 250kph, while managing up to 40.4 mpg. The 300PS version covers 0100kph in 5.7 seconds, does 38.7mpg and has CO2 emissions of 167g/km.
Jaguar’s design director Ian Callum, who insisted on using dials and switches in place of touch screens, said: ‘The XE is a genuine sports saloon. Jaguars have to look sporty. It’s a wonderful chance to make a great car even better.’