I've always wanted to get a Jaguar, and I'm about to do it. Turns out an XE can be had new for cheaper than I was aware and my finances are in better shape than I thought.

I don't know what optional extras to get and which to avoid, other than the black pack because I like how it changes the look of the car.

So I thought I'd ask if you got one and regretted it, or if you loved what you got or if there's one you didn't get and wish you had?

 

I got mine as a dealer build coz I couldnt wait for my own. It came with the DAB radio (never used) infared windscreen and HUD (I think you need the screen for the HUD) - the HUD is fine but the colour is a bit weak, the screen is fine though I have read people have problems with toll things working through it.

I got the R sport which I really prefer in looks to the portfolio but oddly enough it looks as though most buyers in the US go for the portfolio. The R sport has suspension better suited to our driving, too, though the interior in the portfolio looks nicer.

Powered bootlid is good - my wife loves it though personally I wouldnt have optioned it in. Panoramic suinroof is nice but only as a moonroof - you never open it up fully, really. Black headliner is nice.

Ours is optioned with 19" venoms which are nice looking wheels, and we get a good ride on them. It also had sports performance seats which are nice, in taurus leather (windsor leather felt a bit better actually).

The cost of the options does build up - on our car there would have been about $13K worth including the price of the paint (IRR). That's why I tend to go for a dealer build and live with it.

 

When I for the 25t 250Ps R-Sport the options I chose were as follows:

Incontrol touch Pro with 380w meridian stereo digital instrument display and WiFi hotspot
Parking pack
Metal pedals
Extra sockets
14 way electric seats
Climate pack
Power fold mirrors
Keyless entry
350mm brake upgrade

All of them are worth it, I’ve had loan cars with the standard brakes and you can definately tell the difference. Effectively they are unpainted S brakes. I chose the 14 way seats as I wanted lumbar support and that was the only way to get it but it is a pricey option. Parking pack and climate pack are worth it too as it adds front parking sensors, reverse camera and front heated windscreen, heated washer jets and heated steering wheel. May not apply if you live somewhere hot though.

I’ve also added aluminium paddles, XE-S valance and illuminated tread plates.

Great car and I’m happy with the extras I chose.

 

Thanks for the tips folks. Just driven home tonight in my FWD Volvo and skidded all over the place. In the UK we currently have a bit of snow (although if you read the papers it's the "Beast from the East" apocalypse) so I'm thinking maybe not a RWD since the AWD isn't massively much more.

Really i'm looking to find out if there's any extras that are surprisingly good or surprisingly bad. Nice to hear from you that it seems there's no real surprises.

Over the next few weeks I'll see what's what with dealer builds vs factory order. I'll be wanting the parking upgrade, the sound upgrade, the black pack, the powered boot, keyless entry. Possibly the climate pack because Scotland is cold. The rest I think it'll depend on price.

 

I have all the options and really like the HUD (first one I have owned), lane assist and safety feature are great. The dynamic mode or at least the one you can turn on or off stuff is a waste of money. Everything else I would get. I'd also go for the additional wood or carbon trim. I don't have that one, but a loaner I had, had it and I thought looks great. My local dealer is ordering them with the trim now.

 

I had some must haves for me when finding my car. Those were:

Heads Up Display - Sadly the XE's Heads up is not good at all compared to other cars. Not nearly as crisp and it doesn't show information like song/artist as many others do.

XM radio - Many wouldn't care at all about this, but after 10 years of being an XM subscriber, it has grown on me.

Heated wheel and seats - This is a must have for me with any car living up in the northern U.S. Certainly not needed by many though.

LED lights - No way I would settle for halogens on this car.

19" wheels in black - Personal preference of course.

Black pack was a must for me too except with everything else I wanted it was almost impossible to find a car in August that met my needs in black or blue color so mine did not come with the black pack, but I promptly added the black side vents, grill, and then had the window trim wrapped. In all it was roughly $500 USD.

Remote Start was another "must have" for any car for me as well. Unfortunately with the XE, having to use your phone only for remote start is far more cumbersome and less reliable than a key fob. There are no aftermarket solutions for the XE for a remote start.

Mine has the rear power sunblind, but that is completely useless to me.

 

You can’t get led headlights on the XE, the top spec headlight is Bi-Xenon with j-blade DRL’s and high beam assist. They are good and not much extra for the HBA option.

Jaguar do sell a remote start fob but it’s over £1k. The app is much cheaper aka free!

 

I meant the headlights with the LED Jblade strip. Kind of 2 statements there in one sentence. I like the LED JBlade look and also I wouldn't settle for halogens.
Can you provide a link to purchasing the FOB? I have never seen it or come across somewhere that I can buy it. The app is terrible and far more cumbersome that simply pressing a button on a fob for a couple seconds.

 

It’s called pre heat cabin via remote, it also means an auxiliary heater is installed to the car and can be set to heat or cool the cabin up to 7 days on a timer.

 

ah thanks.. yeah I don't need to go through all that. That's pretty significant. A simple start button on the fob would have been nice though. App is nice when when you aren't in range of the car, but the fob is so much better for day to day use especially with the often times wonkiness or cumbersome nature of the app.
Do you happen to know if there are regulations against starting via a fob in the UK or is it just something that JLR decided they didn't want to do. I can't imagine it would be much effort.

 

The best option you could get is SC V6 that comes on S trim.

 

AWD by itself is not going to change how the car handles in the snow, that is AWD does nothing to help you stop or turn. It is all about tires. If it snows too rarely, then good all-season tires would be helpful.

 

I had an XE loaner with Halogens and they weren't bad. Lit up the road just fine.

 

Now I'm fairly settled... there's a couple of things I'm not sure on.

The 40/20/40 seat thing. Does that mean that without it I cannot fold down the back seats for more space, and with it I'd be able to fold them down? Or does it just mean I can fold down part of the back seats?

The sat nav pro pack. Without it will I still have satnav and this is just for better satnav?

 

The seats are fixed without the 40/20/40 option.

The Pro has so many more extras above the standard version. Comes with the 380w 11 speaker meridian stereo, 4G WiFi hotspot, 12.3” digital instrument panel, 10.2” centre screen and is so much faster and more responsive too. With the latest update it’s great. You also get 3 years of free map updates thrown in. Don’t get that with the 8” standard version.

 

Thanks Ian!

So the 40/20/40 is something I'll need to do then - ta.

The 380w meridian I was going to get anyway, so that sort of reduces the cost of the pro down. The 4G Wifi hotspot I have no use for.

The 12.3 inch panel? Does this mean I'd get an upgrade to the speedometer area?

What also I think would swing it is the HUD - will there be any difference to the HUD with the pro version... although to be honest it looks like the Pro version is yet another must have upgrade... I'm going to be skint!

 

Yeah the whole speedo area is a digital display on the Pro. This allows a full screen map to be shown there too and so freeing up the centre screen which is cool.

This is on my car.
http://i.cubeupload.com/QYvuQE.jpeg

 

Yeah I'll have that..... I'm really struggling to find options I don't want. So far the motorway driving features I'm skipping, the alloy wheels I prefer the standard 18 inch ones, and the electric seats, and the top end meridian. Most other things I want....

 

Use drive the deal or carwow to get the price down too and take that to your dealer, most try and match it.

 

Yeah, I'm doing the carwow route at the moment. Huge discounts, which is the only reason I'm able to do this. Spending way more than I intended but I don't see the point in getting half of what I want and regretting it... all or nothing.