Jaguar XE 2015 Review

As the only British model in its class, the modus operandi of Jaguar's all-new XE is to end the German hegemony of the mid-size luxury sedan segment currently dominated by the accomplished Mercedes-Benz C-Class, BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.

That's no easy task considering how competitive those vehicles are, and how much the German car-makers have invested in their biggest-selling models.

But Jaguar has done an astonishing job with the XE, a car which I'm struggling to find fault with after my first drive. It represents a renaissance of British engineering, such are its engaging dynamics, its lavish interior and its impressive integration of technology.

Completely new from the ground up, the XE is based on an original aluminium-intensive real/all-wheel drive platform, its lightest and most rigid yet. It's got a savvy new suspension set-up, Jaguar's first electric-assisted power steering system and a brand-new turbo-diesel engine.

After a few hours in the saddle, it's abundantly clear that Jaguar's engineers have accomplished an impressive balance between ride comfort and handling dynamics. Where the Mercedes-Benz C-Class – the top-seller in its class – favours luxury and the BMW 3 Series dynamics, the XE achieves both.

How Jaguar's chassis boffins have achieved this impressive feat is not clear – but it has something to do with the black art of suspension damping. The car not only steers with agility and is incredibly engaging to drive enthusiastically, but it also has excellent ride refinement, offering the sort of comfort levels not usually realised without adaptive dampers. And rarely even then.

Settling into the welcoming leather-clad seats with full electric adjustment, it's easy to get comfortable and the driving position is very good. You feel as though you're sitting in the car, not on it.

Through the almost deserted La Rioja province in Spain, the XE immediately feels settled. There's a touch of body roll initially as the medium sedan turns in, but it settles quickly into corners, tracking cleanly and surely through bends of all types.

The front-end is extraordinarily stable and offers masses of grip when turning, and together with the new electric power steering – which sets a new benchmark for precision and feel in this class, in my opinion – the Jaguar inspires incredible confidence.

It usually takes me 20 minutes or so to acclimatise to driving on the other side of the road in Europe, navigating roundabouts, T-intersections and what not, but the XE felt like an extension of my thoughts, its brilliant body control combining with remarkable ride comfort to make me feel instantly relaxed.

In terms of ride and handling, accomplished is an understatement. That the rear-drive prestige sedan's ability to feel so planted and grippy yet quiet, refined and able to glide over rougher roads with effortless ease is remarkable.

First impressions of the cabin are favourable – the dashboard design and air-vent integration are highlights, the instruments look great, the seat cushioning and leather quality are excellent and the new infotainment system, dubbed InControl Touch, has seamless connectivity.

You can tweak the climate-control, toggle the door locks and even start the engine remotely with your smart phone (although this won't be offered locally until 2016). I did just that, and the geek inside me was suitably stoked. There are apps galore, loads of audio playback options, a solid stereo and Jaguar's pop-up gear selector dial gives the car a point of difference too.

The usual tech toys are offered, such as radar cruise control, automated parking, autonomous emergency braking and even a world-first glare-resistant laser head-up display.

Front seat space is ample, the rear seat is comfy for two adults with OK head room and decent leg room, and the 450-litre boot competitive, with a 40:20:40-split folding rear seat freeing up more space.

The only negative for the XE's interior is that the C-Class has set the bar so high not even the brand-new Jag can match it. The controls look good and work well and it's tastefully finished, but it lacks the lavish sophistication and perceived quality of the Benz.

In terms of standard features, it's not yet clear what Australians will be offered, nor how much it will cost – although $60,000 is a likely starting mark, and options probably won't be cheap.

Tim Krieger, Jaguar Australia's PR boss, told us: "We can't get into pricing yet, but our managing director said it will be 'bloody competitive' and I agree with him.

"We're not going into this with unrealistic expectations. Look at what C-Class and 3 Series have in terms of spec and pricing and we're certainly going to be around there," he said.

Unlike European markets, Australia will get four — not five — variants, starting with the entry-level Prestige and running through mid-grade Portfolio and R-Sport models, then topped with the flagship S model.

There are four engines offered in total, all matched exclusively to impressively smooth-but-rapid ZF eight-speed automatic transmissions. The only new engine is the Ingenium 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, which bangs out a competitive 132kW and 430Nm.

Jaguar's all-new diesel engine hauls the car's roughly 1.5-tonne kerb weight with ease, works well with the automatic cog-swapper and is surprisingly refined, with low levels of noise and vibration. It's efficient too, with claimed fuel consumption of just 4.2L/100km.

The entry and mid-grade petrol engines are Ford-sourced 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder units punching out 147kW/280Nm and 177kW/340Nm respectively, with the latter expected to be the most popular model.

We didn’t drive the 147kW four-pot engine and although the 177kW unit is far from new or novel, it works very well in the XE, giving it a surprising turn of speed from standstill and at speed, and emitting a tasty growl at high revs too. It uses fuel at a rate of 7.5L/100km.

But it's the range-topping 3.0-litre supercharged V6 that really makes the XE feel alive, its 250kW and 450Nm propelling the XE to 100km/h in just 5.1 seconds.

Driven in anger, with no speed limits or traffic at the Navarra racetrack in Spain, the lusty blown V6 proves in no uncertain terms just how balanced, controllable and indeed forgiving the new XE is.

I'm no Lewis Hamilton, but after a couple of laps in this controlled environment I was shoving the XE deeper into corners, getting on the throttle earlier and at times power-sliding out of corners with progressive ease.

When set to medium, the stability control affords plenty of give but will also collect things before they go pear-shaped.

At its limit, the XE is compelling. The more you push it, the better it gets – something that few production cars achieve on a racetrack.

Ultimately, despite failing spectacularly with its previous effort in this class, the old-school X-Type, Jaguar appears to have created an unmitigated success in the XE, just as it promised.

The XE is as involving and satisfying to drive as the best metal from Germany and almost as luxurious, representing a big win for buyers of mid-size prestige cars because it brings more competition and something stylistically different to what's on offer right now.

I had anticipated the Jaguar XE would good. I didn't expect it to be this good.

2015 Jaguar XE Prestige 25t pricing and specifications:
On sale: September
Price: $60,000 (estimated)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 177kW/340Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.5L/100km (NEDC Combined)
CO2: 179g/km (NEDC Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star Euro NCAP