They lack leather, a split-folding rear seat, and leather, but a 5-year, 60,000-mile warranty and service plan is included, and that's just great. All cars come with power features power front seats a sunroof and keyless ignition. Since neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS has crash-tested the Jaguar XE, we're holding off on assigning it a safety score-but we'll point out base models don't offer a rearview camera, and only the most expensive R-Sports get the very latest safety advances, such as forward-collision warnings and automatic braking.īase prices start from $35,895 on a base gas-powered XE, to $37,395 for the diesel sedan, to $42,695 for the XE 35t to a gulpworthy $52,695 for XE 35t R-Sport with all-wheel drive. It's the back seat that draws complaints: like all the cars in its class save the new A4 and 3-Series, the XE has tightly trimmed head and knee room in back, and the doors make it difficult to clamber inside. The front seats are grippy where it counts, forgiving where they need to be, covered in leather in most cases. The XE has sporty dimensions, and that won't make back-seat passengers happy. The XE tracks exceptionally well on freeways, and gracefully pushes its limits on back roads, with an elevated sense of composure that puts it at the front of this price and size class.īy the numbers, the XE measures in at 183.9 inches long, riding on a 111.6-inch wheelbase. The XE's double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension couple with electric power steering for wonderfully responsive handling. The big reason to choose an XE over its rivals? Ride and handling. All are teamed with a sweet-shifting, paddle-controlled 8-speed automatic.
At the top of the range, the XE 35t sports a 340-hp supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 it's a bit gruff but earns its stripes with 5.0-second acceleration times. The XE has a turbodiesel with 180 hp, some lag but excellent mid-range power, and acceleration times of 7.4 seconds. Rear-wheel drive is the only configuration. All three versions offer good acceleration and sublime road manners.īase 25t models get a 240-hp 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, good for 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. You can't accuse Jaguar of burying the performance lead with the XE. The rotary transmission control rises from a sea of black gloss plastic, while center stage is given over to a big new LCD screen, the showplace for Jaguar's brightly re-rendered infotainment interface. It's a functional look dressed with lots of black gloss trim on the console. The XE's cabin steers clear of the glitz baked into the XJ. The jewelry's kept in moderation, though top models get a mesh grille, chrome fender vents, and big front air intakes, while R-Sport models get their own body kit and wheels. The XE reworks a BMW-like silhouette into one with better balance, though it's well underplayed. Jaguar's XE clearly has those German influences in mind.
When your target is the BMW 3-Series, the Bimmer's shape is a convenient place to start the styling process. We rate it at 7.4 out of 10, giving it ups for great ride and handling.