for years the compact executive market has been dominated by the German trio of

the Audi a4 BMW 3-series and Mercedes c-class and while rivals from other

manufacturers like infinity and Lexus have really failed to hit the mark it’s

a Jaguar that’s looking to topple a German race with Vic the XE jag you is

the last compacts executive offering didn’t rid be the self success the

company was hoping for underneath it was based on the old Ford Mondeo and it

didn’t match up the class leader to the driving dynamics or build quality the XE

on the other hand that is a totally different story Jaguar has wiped the slate clean and

started again from scratch it’s rear-wheel drive with a lightweight

aluminium structure to help with driving manners and economy it’s spacious and

comfortable and the cabin materials are exactly what you’d expect from a premium

British car maker to really make a dent in the sales figures of its key rivals

the Jaguar XE has to impress on the road after all the BMW 3-series made a name

for itself the driving dynamics engine wise there’s a good selection starting

with a 161 brake horsepower 2-liter diesel which has a fairly long gearing

which unfortunately means it’s not particularly quick with instead it goes

to the more powerful 177 brake horsepower version it’s a much quicker

and these are Pickers arranged through a couple over 2 litre turbocharged petrol

as well as a performance basement supercharged 3 litre v6 if you prefer

petrol and weird avoid the entry-level version instead the more powerful

2 litre petrol is a better choice thanks to its low res pull and it keeps going

through over 5,000 rpm lexi is well controlled and settled at

motorway speed while still being suppling up around town but we’d be more

inclined to steer clear of the our sport versions which come without lower

stiffer suspension than cheaper cars the good news is that while we’d avoid the

optional adaptive shock absorbers from the MC we’d recommend them on the BMW

3-series so it’s a good way of taking a few quick even in standard form the XE handles beautifully

the steering is Chalfont precise and there’s little body limbs of the bends

it’s also grips impressively well especially the year wheel drive version

the four-wheel drive doesn’t respond as sharply though and while the ask fork is

the best in the range it’s really not worth sacrificing ride concepts so if

you’re spending around 30,000 pounds or more on a compact executive it needs to

have presence in the office car park and there’s no question that it takes the

desirability box in fact it was penned by the same guy responsible for the

Aston Martin db9 Jaguar XK and f-type arguably some of the most beautiful

modern cars on the road but it’s not

just on the outside where the XE draws attention inside the cavern is smart and

well laid out with a good mix of soft touch materials state of the art

technology as has been the case with a

lot of modern Jaguars the start/stop button pulsates like a heartbeat and

when you turn the ignition on the automatic gear knob rises from the base

of the center console look a little closely though and there are a few

examples of penny-pinching like the plastic hinges on the boot lid and some

of the buttons and switches feel a

little lightweight but simply key German rivals have better quality interiors

where you really notice the quality though it’s from right here behind the

steering wheel the seats are comfortable and supportive and a fully adjustable

electric on highest spec model and the steering wheel also adjusts in and out

as well as up and down so getting a

decent driving position it’s an absolute double lumbar support isn’t standard

either if you want it it’s going to end up being an expensive optional extra as

you’ll need to have electric seats by the time you’ve added it all up it could

that being a for thicker some visibility is on a par with many rivals and thin

from pillows mean there’s a good view of the road ahead however the rear view is

hampered by a small window and thick pillars thankfully all models come with

parking sensors as standard what is neat is a Jaguars eight-inch in control

touchscreen infotainment system that comes as standard Birds if you also

upgrade you can alter this 10.2 inch in

control such Pro System it controls everything from your heated seat through

TTAB radio bluetooth and satellite navigation it’s a fairly intuitive

system to use albeit not as good as the

BMW idrive system but the screen is nice and large and the controls are easy to

understand and navigate through so if we want to pair a phone we simply hit Pat

connect to phone and then we’ve already

got it set up for discoverable searching foot on the phone it’s Jaguar XE and

should be yeah and there we go already paired up nice and straightforward

likewise if we want to scan through the main menu we just hit it home button in

the corner set a destination this is a little trickier than in other cars

because you’ve got quite a few different screens that you’ve got to navigate

through so I think if you hit this button here title address

the London remember this is something that you shouldn’t really do while you

want to move then a straight good so and there we get we’ve got a new

destination for its place so it does work quite well so a few of the other features that are in the entertainment

system include the heated seats simply press the seat button on the home

screen and it stops this display hip temperature and the seats will go on or off the final setting on the screen is

the media and radio settings simply press the top left-hand button and then

you can choose what you want to listen to whether it’s a radio and again we’ve

got B AV or you can go through the music using your phone through the USB

connector and then you’ve also got your immediate library as well which is

pre-safe music all in all the systems does work fairly well there are better

systems out there but once you get used to it it’s a fairly intuitive system

space is on a par with the BMW 3-series and thanks for this center console that runs down the middle of the car you

won’t be getting to up close and

personal with whoever sat in the passenger seat in the back the sloping

roofline will limit Headroom threat to all of passengers and while leg room

isn’t stingy it’s not the best in class also in the back it’s set up for three

people but it’s really best suited to as anyone sitting in this at middle seat

will have to put up with a raised cushion which will limit Headroom and

deal with that central transmission tunnel which will restrict legroom to be

fair though it’s the same with many of its rivals the boot is fairly small by

the standards set by the class leaders and it has the same issues imposed by

many saloon namely a narrow shallow low bay so if you want to carry heavy or

large items you may need to make alternative arrangements 40/20/40

folding rear seats are available but it’s a cost option as to is the powered

bootlace on all but the v6s model now on to the important business ever price and

running costs when you line the x3 up against some of its key rivals it

actually works out competitively priced and well quit the lower powered diesel

is extremely cheap to run as a company car thanks to it glow

no emissions just 99 g/km XBMC and

official fuel economy of 75 miles per gallon and even if you go to the more

powerful diesel with the auto box it too is surprisingly tax friendly for those

looking to finance their exam using PCB and will only do low mileage and –

because metals are well worth

considering equipment levels are

generous with even basic models coming with 17-inch alloy wheels sat-nav dual

zone climate controls automatic lights and wipers cruise control and pap radio

which suggest opting to the prestige

trim which adds leather seats and chrome interior highlights our sport increases

things further adding xenon headlamps

sports styling kit 18-inch alloy wheels and sport seat

well portfolio and v6s offers an improved sound systems and electric seat

adjustments this is a premium car and it does come with premium features – like

heated seats and steering wheel and an optional powered suit later if you like

a panoramic sunroof those being warned

this is an expensive option on to trim the Jaguar XE is still relatively new so

information on reliability is still pretty limited to put Jaguar as a brand

scored below average in our ownership satisfaction survey we started by asking

whether the Jaguar XE could really cut it amongst an established trio of German

rivals or whether it could really upset the applecart and actually beat them the

fact is though it’s not the best in class the boots and having space is limited some of the materials aren’t up to the same standard as the class

leaders and the ride on our sport models is a little too firm having said that

there is a lot to like about it is all of the best handling cars in its

class and it makes sense for company.