LONDON: The new Jaguar XE compact luxury sedan wants to hit the market, by challenging the three-headed monster of luxury car dominance that is Mercedes, BMW, and Audi.
Adding some perspective of sorts, there was a time when Audi wasn’t the force it was in the luxury space. BMW and Mercedes were slugging it out in a battle of two German Automakers, but soon enough, Audi got competitive, making it three Teutonic companies outselling the rest of the premium pack. In the United States, that has meant uncharacteristic slumps for iconic Cadillac, and in the United Kingdom, that has resulted in Jaguar losing some of its luster. But the Jaguar XE hopes to change all that.
In the U.K. market, the XE will cost £27,000, which is a lot by any measure, but still more affordable from other premium British cars in its class like the Ford Mondeo or Vauxhall Insignia. Jaguar itself claims the XE marries “saloon car practicality” with “sports car character,” while offering a great driving feel, including the car’s handling. It is a “breakthrough” product in the premium/luxury class, and tests from the likes of Auto Express have proven the XE’s worth in its class.
Does that mean Jaguar could pull an Audi and come out of practically nowhere to give Mercedes and BMW (and now Audi) a run for their collective money? Auto Express believes that’s possible and the XE might be the car to help Jaguar do just that. The XE was first seen in public at the Paris Motor Show in late 2014, and is offered with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed manual, and a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine, with this latter “S” variant costing £44,870 for U.K. customers.
