Jaguar has unveiled the XE, a compact sports saloon that slots below the current XF in the model range and “cat-apults” the British marque straight into BMW 3 Series territory.
According to Jaguar, the XE is the lightest, stiffest, most aerodynamic (drag coefficient of 0.26) and most eco-friendly four-door it has ever made. The car’s aluminium-intensive monocoque construction is also said to be a first in the segment. Other features include an intuitive infotainment system called InControl, state-of-the-art safety technologies and, a first for Jaguar, electric power steering. The cabin is claimed to offer excellent comfort and space, coupled with exquisite materials and traditional craftsmanship.
The slinky rear-drive saloon also introduces Jaguar’s Ingenium family of turbocharged 4-cylinder engines, fuelled by either petrol or diesel, and married with an 8-speed automatic transmission. The top cat in the range is the performance-oriented XE S, whose supercharged 340bhp/450Nm 3-litre V6 (shared with the XF and F-Type) powers it from a standstill to 100km/h in a scorching 4.9 seconds.
Jaguar will let the XE loose in Singapore sometime in the fourth quarter of next year.
