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.