I wouldn’t dare to call this a proper Jaguar XE review. This is just the memoir of a day when I got behind the wheel of the all-new XE, in a frantic effort to answer the question you saw in the title!
The Jaguar XE has been one of the best selling models for the British marque in India. The car had managed to rival the ruler of the segment- the mighty enthu-car- the BMW 3 series, a fair bit ever since its India debut. In fact, one could even say that the XE is the only fair rival the German could get all the while in terms of agility and dynamics. Jaguar has now given the XE a significant makeover and has brought in the all-new 2020 Jaguar XE facelift. I had been invited to the launch event where I managed to somehow get my hands on the car and took it on a quick run.
This, as mentioned before, is not gonna be a ‘Jaguar XE review’ in the strict sense. Rather a quick note on the agility and dynamics of the Jaguar XE 2020, this piece was prepared based on my experience with the car on a set of slalom and speed-run courses. A detailed road test review will follow soon. For now, let us get into this quick drive note.
What Have Changed?
The overall design has changed quite a bit. There are now gorgeous looking LED headlamps that boast of super-impressive ‘J-Blade’ daytime running lamps, new front and rear bumpers and a new set of wheels as well.
More important to talk about are the changes on the inside. The key attraction here is the new 10 inches (25.4cm) touch screen infotainment system that gets all modern-day connectivity measures like Apple car play and Android Auto. There are even a set of connected car features, more on which could be found in the link below.
ALSO READ: 2020 Jaguar XE Launch Happens, Price Revealed!
The next thing you would notice after the infotainment screen would be the ‘gear lever’. Yes, this new Jaguar car has a rather conventional gear lever, that has replaced the rotary dial of the previous models. Well, I personally find this way more convenient and interesting. Missing now is just the fancy ‘pop-up with engine start’ game of the rotary knob. The gear selector seems to be very user-friendly and neatly designed with a dedicated, handy park mode button. The park-brake, however, has had a location shift from the central console to the right-hand side of the steering wheel and on the dash.
The steering wheel itself gets a more elegant design. It offers good grip and seems to have been inspired quite a bit by the one found on the Jaguar F Type sports car. It gets a set of dedicated steering mounted controls as well. The central arena also has controls of the two-zone climate control and a bunch of other dials including the ones for traction control, and drive mode selection.
The rear row is not too spacious. There is just enough room for two (or utmost three) to fit in comfortably. The seat is, however, pretty supportive and comfy to be in. The headroom and knee room are just adequate for a fairly tall guy.
ALSO READ: 2020 Jaguar XE Launch Happens, Price Starts From INR 44.98 Lakhs
What Is It Like To Drive?
Now let us get into what you have been waiting for. What is it like to drive the 2020 Jaguar XE? Is it as sharp a scalpel around corners as its predecessor? Does it still have the same amount of grunt on the straights? Well, let us find out…
I got behind the wheel of the petrol-powered Jaguar XE to get my taste of the same. It is the familiar 2.0L Ingenium turbo petrol mill doing its job under the hood. This powerhouse lets out a whopping 250hp onto the wheels. There is also a 180 hp diesel on offer, but we chose to go with the petrol just for the fun of it.
The new Jaguar XE, like its predecessor, is rear-wheel driven. This gives it the agility and manoeuvrability that it deserves. You can push it into corners and come out with a grin on your face. Maybe, you could even switch off the traction control and have some RWD fun right away! I smashed the slalom track with utmost ease and comfort. The car does dance to the whims and fancies of the driver without any hesitation. There is very minimal body roll.
Performance on the straights is equally adorable. Put it into the RACE mode and the XE’s heart unleashes the beast inside. The steering does put up decent weight with speed and guaranteed is an exhilarating drive experience. The brakes do a remarkable job in always keeping things in control. They offer very good bite and stopping power. I had my taste of this on the track.
Summing Things Up…
“Agility is still the face of the Jaguar XE”
This is what we can tell you about the first impressions on the new Jaguar XE facelift. The petrol-powered Jaguar XE SE goes on sale at INR 46.32 lakh. We will soon bring a detailed road test review of this car here. What more do you want to know about the Jaguar XE? Please drop your queries as comments and we will answer them in the detailed road test review…
Don’t forget to check out the Jaguar India Official website for bookings.
2020 Jaguar XE Images
Check out our exclusive image gallery of the new XE…
