Jaguar XE: Unloved car will leave you with a big smile

The big German luxury brands get all the attention from buyers but there are options out there that will make you smile for less money.

Things are getting very ugly in the car business. Sales have been on the slide for 22 months straight now, so the damage is deep.

Holden’s recent decision to can the Commodore is the most extreme example of how badly most brands are hurting.

Rich-listers are also doing it tough. At the beginning of 2019, Jaguar sold 15 different variants of its BMW 3 Series rival, the XE sedan. Today, that’s down to two.

The XE is one of many pretty decent cars on the market for which, at the moment, there ain’t much love or money.

The Jaguar XE is often overlooked for more established German rivals.

Value

The XE’s model cull coincided with a 2019 update, the car’s first since its 2015 launch.

Now priced from $65,670 plus on-road costs for the R-Dynamic SE we’re testing today, the XE easily eclipses its comparably priced German rivals in bang for your bucks. Its 221kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo drives the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic.

In BMW’s 320i and the Mercedes C200T, mid-$60K money buys the same cylinder count and capacity but a mere 135kW. In Audi’s A4 40 TFSi, it’s 140kW.

Infotainment includes a 10-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and digital radio.

The user-friendliness, accuracy and speed of Jaguar’s infotainment has been off the pace for a while. I could do little to test the claimed improvements to our test car’s optional ($600) Touch Pro Duo set-up because it uses a dedicated data SIM card for connectivity, traffic updates and navigation. Jaguar doesn’t put a SIM in its press cars.

HSE specification, at $71,940, adds 19-inch alloys, Touch Pro Duo and Meridian audio.

The XE packs a powerful punch.

Comfort

You’re positioned deep in the Jaguar, in a surprisingly unsupportive “sports” seat, facing digital instruments and a high, bulky dash.

Criticised at launch for dull design and downmarket materials, Jaguar has given the cabin a richer feel, with nice touches such as leather upholstery and aluminium mesh trim. It’s still old-fashioned, though, compared with the sleek, edgy, ultra-modern cabins of its German rivals.

The interior can feel a little outdated.

In our test car, a camera projected the view from behind on to the central rear view mirror, effectively compensating for any restricted vision. This Clear Sight tech is packaged with Touch Pro Duo, UV glass and wireless phone charging for $2160.

The head-up display housing creates distracting windscreen reflections on sunny days. Rear access and legroom are tight.

Ride comfort is fine for a sports sedan, though you get jostled a little on uneven surfaces. Tyre noise is an issue on coarse bitumen.

Safety

Blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise and full autonomous emergency braking — standard on a Toyota Corolla — are available only as a $1340 packaged option on SE. They are standard on HSE.

When using the speed limiter — an essential licence-saving tool — it would for no reason sometimes decide we were going way too fast and suddenly cut engine power. This was not only annoying but also potentially hazardous.

The dynamic driving mode will make you forgive the car’s shortcomings.

Driving

You’ll forgive most of the XE’s sins and shortcomings when you select Dynamic mode and pop the question. It responds as Jags always have — with muscular, don’t argue performance, culminating in extra top-end fizz and a deep, mean moggy growl that sounds more like a V8 than a four.

Zero to 100km/h feels faster than Jaguar’s claimed 5.9 seconds. The Germans are all in the seven seconds range, with the Mercedes mild hybrid C200T the slowest at 7.7 seconds, so it’s no contest, really.

The eight-speeder is generally smooth and unobtrusive but can dither and shuffle when you want a quick downshift, so the paddle-shifters are useful. They also let you hold a low gear at high revs.

Seventy-five per cent of the XE’s body structure is aluminium, so it’s light and extremely solid. Our test car’s optional 19-inch alloys were shod with Pirelli PZero tyres (225 front/255 rear), so grip wasn’t a problem. The car is also well balanced — though it feels quite big and bulky in tight corners — and the steering intuitive, meaty and sharp.

On rough roads at speed, suspension control is a tad looser than the class-leading BMW, so the front end can feel slightly flustered at times.

Heart says

The Germans are all the same. Jaguars are different. OK, bad different as well as good different but that doesn’t worry me.

Head says

Performance is my No. 1 priority and at the price the XE slaughters the Audi, BMW and Mercedes.

Verdict 3.5/5

The XE feels a bit dated and underwhelming when you first climb in but five minutes up the road you’ll be smiling, and your mates with German rivals will wonder where you went.

Alternatives

Alfa Romeo Giulia from $65,900

Courage is still required to go Alfa but if you’re looking at the Jag this is also worth a test drive. 147kW 2.0-litre turbo, 0-100km/h in 6.6 seconds and, well, it’s Italian. Weak resale.

BMW 320i from $64,900

Available in Luxury or M Sport specification, the new 3 Series is a return to form. Runs a 135kW 2.0-litre. If you can afford it, go for the 190kW 330i at $73,900, the standout drive in this class.

Jaguar XE SE vitals

Price: From $65,670

Warranty/servicing: 3 year w’ty, $1750 for 5 years/130,000km

Engine: 2.0-litre turbo, 221kW/400Nm

Safety: 5 stars, 6 airbags, AEB (up to 80km/h), lane-keep assist, speed limiter

Thirst: 6.9L/100km

Spare: Space saver

Boot: 455L

Originally published as Jaguar XE: Unloved car will leave you with a big smile