THE BABY’S ARRIVED!
Jaguar XE R-Sport Two-litre Ingenium diesel 180 bhp, from £30,275 to £35,725
GOOD
FORGET the royal baby for a minute — the long-awaited ‘baby’ Jaguar XE is here at last. This lithe new cat is set to pounce on the British market next month. And I had the chance to drive the executive and small family saloon in Northern Spain ahead of its UK release.
NOT only is the XE the first Jaguar to be built in a new high-tech ‘factory within a factory’ at Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull plant in the West Midlands, it also has cutting-edge, high-efficiency Ingenium engines built at Jaguar’s new engine factory in Wolverhampton.
IT’S an all-British car, but you’re looking at investment of at least £2 billion from Jaguar’s Indian parent company TATA.
THE smooth two-litre Ingenium diesel 180 hp model I drove is set to be the big seller for milemunching executives.
LINKED to an equally smooth eight-speed automatic gear-box, it promises a bill- slashing 67.3 mpg while going from rest to 60 mph in just 7.4 seconds. And for added engagement, switch to the manual F1-style paddles.
VERY low CO2 emissions of 109 g/km, meaning no road tax in year one and £20 in year two. The lightweight aluminium structure — which Jaguar now specialises in — helps keep fuel costs low.
THE whole petrol and diesel XE range runs from £ 29,775 for the 163 hp 2.0-litre diesel, to £44,865 for the supercharged 3.0i V6 S with a hefty 340 hp.
I ALSO took to the road in the 2.0-litre petrol version with 240 hp which, while less frugal, was even more fun.
AND under expert tuition I took the supercharged 3.0i V6 for a proper burnup around an F1 track. It’s the same engine used in the sporty F-Type put in a small executive and family saloon. Suffice to say that the speed and performance on the track — particularly on the brakes — was outstanding. When I saw the professional driver put it through its paces, I doffed my hat.
THIS really is the make-orbreak car for Jaguar with which to take on the might of German rival BMW’s all-conquering 3-series.
SILKY smooth performance and sure- footed handling on twisty roads.
SUPPORTIVE seats in a comfortable, user-friendly cockpit with a sweeping dashboard that takes its cue from a Riviera speed boat.
FIVE trim levels to choose from: SE, Prestige, Portfolio, R-Sport and S — anything but ordinary.
A SUPER-DOOPER ‘infotainment’ system, called InControl Touch, which dominates the dashboard and has everything from a satnav to apps, music centre playlists and so on. There are even wi-fi hotspots.
IT’S built with military precision. Jaguar has recruited 100 ex-services staff from the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force to boost the firm’s engineering prowess.
YOU can see one in Jaguar showrooms now, ahead of first deliveries next month.
BAD
WHILE the economy figures for the diesel are fantastic, it’s not the hottest Jaguar in the team.
MAYBE it was down to the change- ups of the eight- speed automatic gearbox, but the acceleration in the early stages was a bit of an effort, while the ‘ Sport’ mode was largely superfluous.
NO SUCH concerns with the two-litre petrol version with 240hp, which was noticeably more sprightly — with acceleration to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds and a top speed electronically limited to 155 mph.
But for that extra oomph, you also sacrifice fuel economy, with the car managing just 37.2 mpg and higher CO2 emissions of 179g/km.
FOR the full-fat, politically incorrect and wonderfully powerful XE — the 3.0i V6 S with 340 hp — you are looking at acceleration from rest to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds.
But the big compromise is on running costs and tax. This baby beast manages only 34.9 mpg with 194g/km CO2 emissions.
BOOT space is adequate but not huge. And the high body line at the rear may be a bit claustrophobic for rear passengers over a long distance.