Went to a local shopping centre today and Royles, the dealer in Wilmslow was just round the corner, so I called round to have a look at the new XE. I did not test drive the car, but I have to say it looks very impressive and of even more interest to me now I have seen it.

It is much plainer inside than us traditional Jaguar folk normally expect, but seems to be of very good quality. The only caveat I have is the same as I found with the new XJ, namely the cantrail line swoops down so much it is difficult to get into the back seats without banging ones head on the roof getting in !

Outside there was a diesel-engine version ticking over, and I couldn't hear the engine ! I only realised when I saw the exhaust trims vibrating a bit. The diesel cars have a tank of fluid that is used for DPF regen instead of using diesel fuel. I assume this is to ensure it passes the Euro 6 regulations. I was told this fluid only needs topping up at each service, and is expected to last the service mileage interval.

The Ingenium diesel engine is, of course, all new, but the petrols are a Ford design, with nothing particularly exceptional about them as far as I can determine. Of course here in the UK and Europe the diesels will be the big sellers, especially the UK with its insane emphasis on CO2 emissions for company car tax to the exclusion of anything else that comes out the exhaust pipe !

 

Cheers. With it being plain on the inside, I tend to think that the smaller cars cant have too much inside otherwise they look a bit of a mess (I wont mention x type, I promise), and while some of these look a bit plain, they come to life a bit when you turn the key. My missus v40T5 CC is the same.

 

It's not all that small but really, The X-E fills a niche far better than the XF
which frankly is very bland and should now be removed from the model line up
as all it does is dumb down the XJ.
Ian Callum is letting his porridge get cold ;o]

 

You realise there is a brand new XF as well right? New XF (X260) - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

 

Yes, well aware of that ;o)
I still stay there is too much watering down of the original brilliance...made
even worse by the fact that Jaguar is venturing into cross-over mud pudlding
SUV for the pony set....uuuuugh!!

 

The marketplace is now so huge for SUVs and especially up-market SUVs that any car maker that ignores this is letting go of half his target market. If you're making cars you have to follow the money. Even Bentley are about to bring out an SUV. So far I haven't seen them running around here in Crewe yet. Plenty of "normal" Bentleys though !

 

I saw the XE S today. Red, like the promotional ones on the videos, with piano black inside. It is really impressive, the interior and instrument cluster etc is much nicer than I was expecting (they had the ignition on which lights everything up). There was quite a lot of interest from people walking past (it was in a shopping centre), it looks the business and quite a welcome change from the 3 series and the c class (which I find quite insipid, though I seem to be in the minority). I'm even sold on the back end which looks much better in the metal.

The doors feel really solid when closing them, the seats look pretty good (didnt sit inside), the rear looks a little tight - probably on a par with my missus' V40 Cross Country - though it had the vents etc in the centre console which is a plus.

I have to say I'm massively impressed by this car, it looks awesome and if the reviews are accurate it drives as well as it looks. I reckon there will be one in the garage next to the XKR within the next 12 months, but probably the 2.5T assuming it drives well enough.

 

I have to say with all the positive reviews this is exciting... Jaguar is a car brand non-enthusiasts love to hate. The fact that motortrend said the V6 S is better than the turbo V6 3 series is huge! It had to be majorly impressive to come out and say that....

Now let's rip the back 2 doors off, drop in the V8, and get us a M3/4 killer!!

 

Leave the back 2 doors on there and really make them mad. The V6 has a lot of potential in it and I am sure with a little bit of work, that motor can be made to handle 500 hp. That should be more than enough to really have fun with the M3/4 drivers.

 

It has already been said by the Jaguar development engineers that the V8 will fit in the engine compartment, so I expect one will be along in due course, but for now, Jaguar has to keep the mainstream customers happy and get the cars out to them.

 

I wonder how much life the V6 has left with Jaguar bringing back an I6 engine? I'm guessing this generation XE will be the only to see it. Off topic but I'd like to see Jaguar make more of their cars with hoods with front mounted hinges. Back on topic, they say the interior while looking a little drab in pics isn't truly appreciated until you're sitting inside; lots of little details.

 

Yes, I think that is why the promo car had the ignition on even though it wasnt running. The lighting sets off the interior nicely. I's say it is about as nice inside as the current XF, which from me is high praise because I really like the current XF interior. It is also nicer than the current volvo interior (comparing it to the volvo lux standard) and much nicer than an evoque.

I dont know whether it will have a large digital speedo. I think they are pretty important these days with our strict speed enforcement, so here is hoping.

 

Not a chance. It's already close to it's limit at 380hp.

 

It looks to be the same instrument cluster as in the F-Type, does that show the speed in the center? On my XF I use the digital readout. I know this will be available with HUD too but I've just been so accustomed to looking at the little screen.

 

I believe the I6 will replace the V6 within the next year or 2... There may just be one year with the V6, then they will follow that up with I6 turbo and V8 supercharged??? Least that is my prediction.

 

We'll see, but at the earliest I would imagine that it would happen with a refresh, then again the 3.0L came a year after the XF was refreshed, so who knows.

 

For those knowledgeable in these matters, the interesting feature of the V6 is it is a 90 degree V6, not 60 degree. The reason for this is it is based on the V8, which is, of course 90 degrees between the cylinder banks. My Rover 75 had a 90 degree V6 and what a howling engine that was ! On full chat it sounded like a Yamaha motorcycle engine. With a 90 degree cylinder bank angle, the con-rod journals on the three throws of the crankshaft are likely to be staggered by 15 degrees to get the timing correct as they were on my Rover engine. A V6 based on half a V12 is, of course, 60 degrees.

 

What Jaguar is doing with the XE, XF, and XJ is an exact imitation of the the model brackets utilized by BMW with the 3-4, 5, and 7 and Mercedes with the C, E, and S. The size differences between the 3 JLR models almost exactly imitates what the big dogs do, and those two have been extremely successful with that model positioning.

 

Externally, the V6 and V8 blocks look the same and their dimensions are identical. Of course, internally, the cylinder bores are different (V8s larger), and the V6 has blank space where the other two cylinders would be in the V8.

 

As the V6 is a 90degree V and fits the engine compartment this almost gurantees the V8 won't be forgotten, because it's the same width, and also the same length as the 4 cylinder engines that are already fitted. So good news for Americans where large multi-cylinder engines are still allowed with out the owners being forced to pay small fortunes in excise duty each year.