Review Jaguar XE diesel 2015
In front of me is the most important new Jaguar in the company’s recent history, the compact XE.
It is still a few months until the local showroom has arrived, but the company lined up a group of prototypes specially crafted in Portugal for an early preview.
This is the first opportunity to make a Jaguar review – ultimately – must provide an affordable and engaging starting point for brand participants.
And a Jaguar can finally take on the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
XE is currently Jaguar’s most important product
There were giant “test car” stickers on the doors of the press cars and the cabins were far from final, but when the test car’s 250kW V6 engine pushed us into the outer hills Portugal’s capital Lisbon, it immediately produced an impressive positivity.
It’s a real rider’s car, from smooth steering response and eight-speed automatic shifts to the way the suspension absorbs bitumen-like Australian pimples.
There are some rough spots in the turbodiesel engine and I wonder if there’s enough legroom for the rear seats, but that’s something to complain about. It will take a long time at home, as will the final price information for a car that needs to start from just under $ 60,000 to fight the Germans, before we actually know XE.
But it is clear that the car is good and has a huge commitment from Jaguar as it expands its compact lineup with the F-Pace SUV and other XE versions, including a coupe and possibly a wagon. brake.
“XE is, right now, Jaguar’s most important product,” said Matt Wiesner, who runs Jaguar Land Rover in Australia.
“This was the first step of Jaguar being the right brand. It became the importance of the luxury car business.”
Wiesner wouldn’t say that, and neither would the engineers in Portugal, but XE ended up burying the demons of the pathetic Jaguar X-Type. It was also a starter vehicle, but since it was more than a fragile camouflaged Ford Mondeo, it was never a prestigious competitor.
“We think the XE is a much more attractive car than the X-Type. This is our car, not inherited from anyone else,” Wiesner said bluntly.
Looking at XE, it’s the beginning of a new lightweight architecture at Jaguar – like the foundation for the latest Range Rover models on the other side of the JLR family – with the western engine installation. north and rear drive. The cabin is roughly the same size as the 3 Series, eventually featuring V8-powered R models, and the design team under Ian Callum purposely created youthfulness inside without losing objects. Jaguar features include a pop-up rotary gear control and sweeping curves underneath the windshield.
The last time a new player seriously attacked the Germans was when Lexus introduced its IS lineup, but it never was big enough, sharp enough, or luxurious enough in its early days. And its chance has passed.
For Jaguar the basics are there, but it is claiming the only difference for XE.
“Let me start by making a promise: XE is a real driver’s car,” XE’s program director, Nick Miller, told CarsGuide in Portugal.
That starts with the body shell that’s 75% aluminum and the panels are thinner but 20% stiffer than the larger XF. The suspension is a double wishbone type at the front with Jaguar’s “inseparable link” design at the rear, comprising a variety of aluminum components for strength without weight.
There are two engine options on test drive, the 250kW / 450Nm V6 and the 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel with 180kW / 430Nm, both with an R-Sport setup.
I am sure this car is a modern Spitfire that will come into battle
But these first cars were prototypes, not show cars, and Jaguar was ready to make excuses.
“There will be improvements before final registration. Don’t expect the car to get to the showroom exactly as you are driving,” Miller said.
“These cars will reach the mill. They will never be sold.”
There were obvious glitches in the cabin, from mismatched plastic parts to inaccurate sealing of the air bag cap, which he asserted. But overall, the two cars I drove had no defects.
The biggest thing I noticed during the first five kilometers was the tranquility. I almost forgot that Jaguar claimed the lowest interior noise levels in the segment while I was busy checking the luggage compartment (luggage compartment), front seat design (assist), braking feel ( impressive) and rear seat comfort (good, but not great).
I can’t ignore the Lexus IS in the morning sprinting with the V6, because the car doesn’t feel like a German, but in the afternoon with the diesel I’m sure this car is a current Spitfire. Great will go to battle.
The real problem with the preview driving was not the car, but Portugal’s weather. It’s very cold and wet, which means there’s no real chance to press hard into corners.
I know the wipers and the air-conditioning work fine, but this is supposed to be a sports sedan and my only dry-road drive to use a diesel. And it lacks top-notch punch that makes the V6 engine the right choice for those who love to drive.
Torque under braking, however, makes the car impressively stable, and the 18 and 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in supple rubber – but potentially noisy on Aussie asphalt – in when the suspension was never plagued by worst bumps and undulating.
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I was very happy and impressed but in the end, not convinced about XE. I love it and I know it well but I won’t know exactly how good it is until I can buy one at home and run it with the Mercedes C-Class that was awarded the title Car of the Year for the year. 2014.
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