Jaguar Xe

Wicksy · June 1, 2015

My son is fancying a Jaguar XE R Sport - went to have a look with him over the weekend and have got to say that I am impressed - it looks so much better in the flesh than in the photos.

He is test driving it tonight and the dealer has already indicated that he will discount the price by 4k - they are obviously quite desperate to make an impression with this car. Whether or not it is a creditable rival to the IS remains to be seen but refinement apart I'd bet it goes close in the real world. Of course every mag in the country will have it absolutely hammering the IS out of sight in their road tests :(

rayaans · June 1, 2015

My son is fancying a Jaguar XE R Sport - went to have a look with him over the weekend and have got to say that I am impressed - it looks so much better in the flesh than in the photos.

He is test driving it tonight and the dealer has already indicated that he will discount the price by 4k - they are obviously quite desperate to make an impression with this car. Whether or not it is a creditable rival to the IS remains to be seen but refinement apart I'd bet it goes close in the real world. Of course every mag in the country will have it absolutely hammering the IS out of sight in their road tests :(

Ive seen one, wasnt too impressed with the looks in all honesty. Seems 3-4 years old when parked next to an IS F-Sport

I think its lacking cohesiveness - the front looks good, the rear is a mess and looks rather awkward.

And of course, as my wife is looking for a car in this class and we have decided on the IS300h F-Sport, it was a shock to find out that Jaguar are still charging for keyless go, electrically folding mirrors, an electric steering column and parking sensors on the front.

I think it suits Jaguar's old folk crowd, it looks like a car an older person would drive and of course, the diesels are nowhere near refined as an IS300h

ganzoom · June 1, 2015

You need to tell your son he needs to stop acting like a old man :P

We waited till Jag released the production images of the XE before ordering the IS300H. The XE in my view doesn't look any more exciting than our 6 year old E90 BMW 3 series.

....infact if anything the E90 has a nice rear/boot proportion compared to the XE.

I finally saw on in the flesh at the local shopping centre, I nearly walked straight past without noticing it, the design already looks out of date...If Jaguar is already doing £4K off the list price, sales cannot be going well, which is shame for Jag, but it's a missed opportunity for Jaguar to come up with something exciting.

rayaans · June 1, 2015

You need to tell your son he needs to stop acting like a old man :P

We waited till Jag released the production images of the XE before ordering the IS300H. The XE in my view doesn't look any more exciting than our 6 year old E90 BMW 3 series.

....infact if anything the E90 has a nice rear/boot proportion compared to the XE.

I finally saw on in the flesh at the local shopping centre, I nearly walked straight past without noticing it, the design already looks out of date...If Jaguar is already doing £4K off the list price, sales cannot be going well, which is shame for Jag, but it's a missed opportunity for Jaguar to come up with something exciting.

Exactly right. If the sales were through the roof there would be no discounts at all. They're targeting the wrong demographic, the older folk. Problem is, older folk tend to have greater spending power so will go for either the XF or XJ.

The one pictured is the top spec too and the proportions are really odd

ganzoom · June 2, 2015

Apparently Jag wanted to target the 3 series buying crowd. The problem is the XE looks even more boring than the 3 series, the rear end is just so dull, especially compared to the IS300H. Based on reputation you would have thought Lexus have designed the XE, not the other way round :)

The XF and XJ are the best looking cars in their segments hence they attracted new buyers but the XE, sorry Jaguar, need to harder....From memory Jag also kept on boasting about 'industry leading use of aluminium' for weight saving, but according to Wiki final kerb weight of the car goes up to 1600kg, that's barely any lighter than the IS300H, which has the weight penalty of the hybrid Battery pack.

But than again, if your looking at £40K+ saloons, these days I only have eyes for one car :)

Anaplian · June 2, 2015

At the risk of thread-jacking there's a good Tesla P85D review here:

http://arstechnica.co.uk/cars/2015/05/review-teslas-new-model-s-p85d-double-your-engines-double-your-fun/

royoftherovers · June 2, 2015

Gang, your GB plate needs to be sited on the near-side rear (not off-side) as they drive on the other side of the road on the Continent !!

Apart from that the Jag seems almost ok.

Regards

John

tinka · June 2, 2015

I actually think it looks ok, I noticed one the other day, and thought it looked really nice, although the IS, is still by far the best looking of the bunch.

LiCkWiD · June 4, 2015

I can see a touch of new Mazda 6 in that front end..

rayaans · June 4, 2015

The side profile doesn't look right, could be mistaken for any other car on the road too! Looks abit odd at the rear.

The IS looks just right from the side IMO.

Ian J. Parsley · July 28, 2015

I passed an XE on the motorway out of Belfast today and initially mistook it for a 3-series.

I actually find the interior quite ordinary too.

It seems to me they've made the standard mistake of trying to compete on the 3-series' own turf. That's never going to work.

I'm disappointed - I like to drive premium brands but not the Big Three Germans, so Jaguar is somewhere I would have considered.

rayaans · July 28, 2015

I test drove an XE recently over a full day!

It was the 163hp 2.0tdi r sport. Fine for normal driving but puffs a bit when asking for high revs. 17" wheels standard on that particular version gives good ride but looks absolutely wrong, especially with the sportier bumpers

I also find the interior pretty ordinary, the main problem however is the A pillar. It's bloody MASSIVE!! it also slopes quite heavily making the whole cabin feel claustrophobic with the black headliner. I don't usually feel hemmed in with a black headliner but this was pretty awful.

Oh and the armrests are rock hard. Maybe they forgot to use foam padding?

Rear seats aren't very accommodating for big feet too. Size 10s just about fit but the opening under the seat is so narrow that you have to sit with your legs closed. I can imagine you'd get severe blue-ball syndrome after 3 hours on the motorway in the back seat!!

royoftherovers · July 28, 2015

I test drove an XE recently over a full day!

It was the 163hp 2.0tdi r sport. Fine for normal driving but puffs a bit when asking for high revs. 17" wheels standard on that particular version gives good ride but looks absolutely wrong, especially with the sportier bumpers

I also find the interior pretty ordinary, the main problem however is the A pillar. It's bloody MASSIVE!! it also slopes quite heavily making the whole cabin feel claustrophobic with the black headliner. I don't usually feel hemmed in with a black headliner but this was pretty awful.

Oh and the armrests are rock hard. Maybe they forgot to use foam padding?

Rear seats aren't very accommodating for big feet too. Size 10s just about fit but the opening under the seat is so narrow that you have to sit with your legs closed. I can imagine you'd get severe blue-ball syndrome after 3 hours on the motorway in the back seat!!

Sounds like another low volume Jaguar seller then?

My pal has just bought a BMW Series 3 GT which has as much legroom inside as my E Class!

Regards

John

rayaans · July 29, 2015

I test drove an XE recently over a full day!

It was the 163hp 2.0tdi r sport. Fine for normal driving but puffs a bit when asking for high revs. 17" wheels standard on that particular version gives good ride but looks absolutely wrong, especially with the sportier bumpers

I also find the interior pretty ordinary, the main problem however is the A pillar. It's bloody MASSIVE!! it also slopes quite heavily making the whole cabin feel claustrophobic with the black headliner. I don't usually feel hemmed in with a black headliner but this was pretty awful.

Oh and the armrests are rock hard. Maybe they forgot to use foam padding?

Rear seats aren't very accommodating for big feet too. Size 10s just about fit but the opening under the seat is so narrow that you have to sit with your legs closed. I can imagine you'd get severe blue-ball syndrome after 3 hours on the motorway in the back seat!!

Sounds like another low volume Jaguar seller then?
My pal has just bought a BMW Series 3 GT which has as much legroom inside as my E Class!

Regards

John

Appears so, only 90 licensed in the UK in 2015 quarter 1

For reference, there are 96 RCFs licensed in the UK for quarter 1.

ganzoom · July 30, 2015

I think the XE has only become available in large numbers last few months. So it'll be Q2-Q3 when they start appearing on the roads.

All the reviews do suggest the XE drives a class above everything else in the sector - Which isn't a suprise given the complex suspension setup and Jaguars experience at car setup. But as the Toyota GT86 has shown chasing after buyers instrested in good handling etc just doesnt work.

I hope the XE works out well for Jag, it's a great brand with a great motoring history that's recovered well in recent years. We nearly went for one without a test drive, but at the time you could only pre-order and dealers were not giving a single £1 off the list price..

Macscrooge · July 30, 2015

Firstly let me say that I really hope the XE does well for Jaguar. The XF didn't really do anything for me and is starting to look a bit bland.

I've seen a couple of XEs. I think it's a nice looking car but is much less striking than the IS or for that matter, the Mazda 6. I considered hanging on for an XE but have no regrets about going for my IS.

rayaans · July 30, 2015

I think the XE has only become available in large numbers last few months. So it'll be Q2-Q3 when they start appearing on the roads.

All the reviews do suggest the XE drives a class above everything else in the sector - Which isn't a suprise given the complex suspension setup and Jaguars experience at car setup. But as the Toyota GT86 has shown chasing after buyers instrested in good handling etc just doesnt work.

I hope the XE works out well for Jag, it's a great brand with a great motoring history that's recovered well in recent years. We nearly went for one without a test drive, but at the time you could only pre-order and dealers were not giving a single £1 off the list price..

But now they're giving £3-4k off a new one which may show it's not doing as well as they'd hoped.

After driving one ill be totally honest, it doesnt drive a cut above everything else in the segment. Actually, I don't think it handles any better than the 3 series or IS does! Personally, I think it's just journalists trying to big up the Jaguar, akin to the English Cricket team which are, in all hi nest, absolutely rubbish. They've definitely fixed the current ashes test. Australia are almost letting them win!

Too many issues with the XE for me to like it. Journalists don't tell you about the poor padding and rough ride on anything above 17" wheels as well as the lack of proper sound deadening. Can't say the interior is revolutionary either

Wicksy · July 30, 2015

Well, my son picks his XE R Sport up tomorrow and I was at the Jag dealership today for a quick preview and have to say that I'm impressed. He has gone for the Ammonite Grey with Black Venom alloys and the spec really suits it.

I also think that I prefer the interior over my F Sport, apart from the sliding speedo instruments I've been very disappointed with the quality in the Lex to be honest and the Sat Nav looks ancient in comparison to the Jags set up.

I was thinking about an NX as my next car but I will now see how the new Jaguar Ingenium engine performs in the XE before putting the new F Pace into the mix. I do think it would be tough to leave the Hybrid set up however which gives fantastic refinement which no doubt the Jag can only dream about. One things for sure though, the Jag is much more of a competitor than some of the threads on here would have you believe!

ganzoom · July 30, 2015

I have to say if Jaguar was able to move on price or even hint at possibly of movements on price we might have waited for the XE to hit production before ordering the IS300H....

But than I would have never discovered the amazingness (I think I've made that word up:)) of the EV drivetrain.

My biggest disappointment with Jag at the moment is the lack of news on future EV cars...But that's a disappointment I also have Lexus, Infinit and to a less extent BMW. God forbid in a few years time I'll be forced to buy some of Audi e-tron :D

rayaans · July 30, 2015

Well, my son picks his XE R Sport up tomorrow and I was at the Jag dealership today for a quick preview and have to say that I'm impressed. He has gone for the Ammonite Grey with Black Venom alloys and the spec really suits it.

I also think that I prefer the interior over my F Sport, apart from the sliding speedo instruments I've been very disappointed with the quality in the Lex to be honest and the Sat Nav looks ancient in comparison to the Jags set up.

I was thinking about an NX as my next car but I will now see how the new Jaguar Ingenium engine performs in the XE before putting the new F Pace into the mix. I do think it would be tough to leave the Hybrid set up however which gives fantastic refinement which no doubt the Jag can only dream about. One things for sure though, the Jag is much more of a competitor than some of the threads on here would have you believe!

I'd say the quality if the XE is worse. Like I said, no padding in armrests makes the car feel cheap and seats aren't as comfortable as the IS. Huge A pillar is pretty bad and rear seat foot space is rather narrow.

Considering the IS is over 2 years old now and only 1 year off till it gets some significant updates, it's hardly drastic

One thing I can't get over is the cheap leather. Feels almost like vinyl! If theres one thing Lexus do well, it's seats and leather and the Jag XE falls short in these departments

It does have some pretty cheap interior materials inside, I think some parts are definitely CT quality

Wicksy · July 30, 2015

I only wish my F Sport had the leather that you mention - I'm sure it is synthetic, the name of which escapes me.

The interior marks very easily too and I look after my car as well as anyone - but having said that I do love the way the exterior looks and the refinement is second to none

ganzoom · July 30, 2015

I only wish my F Sport had the leather that you mention - I'm sure it is synthetic, the name of which escapes me.

The interior marks very easily too and I look after my car as well as anyone - but having said that I do love the way the exterior looks and the refinement is second to none

I think the reifnment offered by any EV/hybrid drivetrain is now a deal breaker for me. I simply cannot understand why anyone wants to put up with rattle put out by even the best diesels when there are simply better solutions around.

What's the point of having a really nice interior if when stationary the engine sounds like it's going to shake it self apart....Walk past a brand new F30 330D BMW today, sounded just as awful at idle as our old Honda Civic diesel.

If your loving the reifnment of the Lexus hybrid I urge you to try a full Battery EV. It takes things to a whole different level. For the price of a Paceman your be able to pick a Tesla Model X (when it eventually starts production some time in the next few months). I can guarantee it'll be quicker, and more reined than anything Jaguar or Lexus can come out with.

rayaans · July 30, 2015

I only wish my F Sport had the leather that you mention - I'm sure it is synthetic, the name of which escapes me.

The interior marks very easily too and I look after my car as well as anyone - but having said that I do love the way the exterior looks and the refinement is second to none

Nuluxe? That's on the standard f sport which is vinyl but it's still decent. The real leather is very very good.

The older IS came with black shiny plastic which marks easily but the new plastic is more durable and looks better too. Have you checked that out?

Isn't the XE more expensive than the IS? Even though Lexus has to pay import duties and with a hybrid drivetrain? That's quite impressive really.

The IS200T is going to be awesome! It's a good engine in the NX. With 400 pounds less weight and more power and with the g sensoring 8 speed transmission from the IS350, it'll hit 60 in 6.2-6.5s. The 7s time Lexus have given is hugely conservative. The NX has been timed at 6.8s by Autoexpress!

ColinBarber · July 31, 2015

The 7s time Lexus have given is hugely conservative. The NX has been timed at 6.8s by Autoexpress!

Lexus typically provide a 0-62 mph figure, because they test 0 to 100 km/h. The extra 2 mph equates to 0.3 to 0.4 seconds difference when at 60 mph.

rayaans · July 31, 2015

The 7s time Lexus have given is hugely conservative. The NX has been timed at 6.8s by Autoexpress!

Lexus typically provide a 0-62 mph figure, because they test 0 to 100 km/h. The extra 2 mph equates to 0.3 to 0.4 seconds difference when at 60 mph.

Im sure Autoexpress did 0-100km/h on the NX and it was 6.8 so 0-100km/h on the IS should be faster.