MODELTESTED: Jaguar XE 20t R-sport

PRICE: £34,565 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 197bhp

THE Jaguar XE is the current benchmark for a sporty everyday saloon car, and here we’re testing a 2.0-litre petrol model in R-sport trim. It costs £34,565 as tested, slotting in between its rivals here. The question is, can the sporty Jag steal victory?

Design & engineering

THE XE was the first model from Jaguar to be based on the British brand’s iq [Al] platform, which uses aluminium in its construction to save weight.

There’s double-wishbone suspension at the front and a multi-link axle at the rear, which gives the XE a strong balance of comfort and agility. With Jaguar’s different driving modes as part of its Drive Control system, you can tailor the throttle response, gearshift and steering set-up, but our car didn’t feature the £840 optional Adaptive Dynamics suspension.

You do get a 10-inch infotainment set-up, the option of a powered bootlid and more intelligent safety systems, though.

The 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol unit is part of the firm’s Ingenium family of powertrains, and produces 197bhp. It’s linked to an eight-speed auto box in the XE, and sends drive to the rear wheels, the same as with the Kia and Alfa Romeo.

While early XES felt a little low-rent and suffered some build quality issues, the latest models are more solidly screwed together, plus material quality in this sporty specification is also adequate. Some materials don’t feel quite as plush as some in the Kia, which shows how far the Korean brand has come.

You get a decent level of kit in R-sport trim, too. The infotainment system includes sat-nav, DAB and Bluetooth as standard, and there’s a digital dash among the options for £510. Heated leather seats, cruise control and parking sensors are also included.

Driving

WITH a relatively light 2.0-litre petrol engine mounted in the nose, the XE’S front end is agile and keen to change direction, while the weighty steering is precise and inspires confidence. The speed is good and matches the rate of response from the chassis – the Alfa’s rack may be a touch too quick, for example – and there’s a decent level of grip.

As with the Kia, it rolls a little in corners, but the compliant chassis set-up means that on an average British road, the XE rides smoothly as well.

However, at the track the Jag couldn’t match the performance of its rivals. Although mixed conditions on the day meant the saloon trailed the Kia and Alfa from 0-60mph, its automatic gearbox didn’t react quickly off the line, and the software’s programming shifts up early in first. This meant it was slower, although traction was good enough.

In gear the deficit was reduced, but the XE still couldn’t match its rivals for pace. It was slower than the Alfa and Kia between 50 and 70mph in sixth, seventh and eighth gears.

Once the car is rolling the engine revs sweetly, although with less torque at 320Nm it feels a little more laboured than the Alfa’s slightly torquier unit (330Nm) and the punchier engine in the Kia (353Nm). It’s smooth and refined, though, and the fairly relaxed gearbox suits a less frenetic approach. It means the XE scores as a driver’s car, but also as a cruiser. Its motorway manners are as good as you’d expect from a Jaguar saloon.

Practicality

PACKAGING is one of the XE’S flaws because it still feels a little cramped in the rear, particularly next to the Kia. However, there’s still more than enough space for four adults to sit in comfort, especially because the ride is nice and smooth.

Boot capacity is down on the Alfa’s, at 455 litres, but there’s more space back there than in the Kia, which has just 406 litres available. If you want a powered bootlid it’ll cost you £450, and the new gesture-controlled release for that luggage bay is part of a £1,125 Power Convenience Pack that also adds keyless entry and more USB charging sockets.

The driving position is great and there’s plenty of cabin storage, but the Jag’s interior does feel more claustrophobic than the Giulia or Stinger’s.

Ownership

JAGUAR ranked lower than both its rivals here in our Driver Power 2018 survey, coming 10th in the makers’ chart. This mid-table result was replicated by the brand’s dealers, who took 13th spot in our most recent poll. That’s okay, but the performance could still be better.

There are no qualms when it comes to safety, with the XE getting autonomous braking, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition and six airbags as standard. You can add blind spot monitoring and cross traffic alert (£580), blind spot assist (£810) and lane keep assist with a driver tiredness monitor (£480). The Active Safety Pack brings adaptive cruise, blind spot monitoring and lane keep assist for £2,425.

There’s plenty of provision to upgrade, then, but in standard form the XE scored a full five-star rating when it was tested by Euro NCAP in 2015.

Running costs

ACCORDING to our depreciation experts, the Jaguar isn’t likely to hold on to its value as well as its rivals. It’s predicted to retain 38.3 per cent of its list price, which means the XE will lose £21,316 over a typical three-year ownership period.

The Kia is the priciest car at £35,525 and its residual value of 43.4 per cent means it’ll lose a predicted £20,100; that’s £1,216 less than the Jag. The Giulia fares pretty well here, shedding £18,177 on account of its estimated residual value figure of 42.4 per cent.