New member here. I went to the Tampa Bay International Car Show the end of November hoping to see the new Jaguar XE. I've read countless articles and seen tons of YouTube videos of the European version , and it has really won me over sight unseen. I've been in the market for a new 4 door sports sedan for several years, but just couldn't find one that checked off all the boxes for my wife and me, and stay in the low 50's$ I've owned a 2006 Lexus IS350, and looked at the Audi S3, S4,S6, Infinity M45, BMW 3 series, Cadillac ATS V, CTS V to name a few. At the car show, I sat in many of those cars, then came around a corner, and saw thenew Jaguar XE R sport, and my knees got week from from how beautiful it looks. It just blew away all the other cars I saw at the show. It's not as beautiful as the f-type, but for what I need right now it definitely will do. I tried to add some photos that are screenshots from my camera phone. The original pictures are too large of a file. I'll need to work on my posting ability. I came home and pre ordered online my new XE R sport V6 rwd, black venom wheels in dark sapphire blue. My dealer in St Petersburg stated they still don't have an open order yet, but any day now. Potential delivery date by late March or April. I have never seen a car released so early and take so long to get to the United States. W









Will be a very frustrating wait.

 

Thanks for the picture.

I "built my XE" on the U.S. configurator, and that is exactly the car I "built"--model, color, wheels, drivetrain, etc. The real world picture you posted confirms I made good choices. :-)

 

Thanks for the pictures.

I'm a bit confused though, are we getting the S? Or is the 35t essentially the S?

 

The Jaguarusa web site is a bit confusing since you can build a 20d, 25d, and 25t XE R Sport model as well. 35t has the V6 340 supercharged engine from the base F-type. I'm sure they will eventually put an 8 cylinder in the XE to compete with the BMW M3, Audi SS4, but at a significant up charge. Here is my configured XE R Sport. The IRR was a beautiful color, but I had a very similar IS350. I wanted a Midnight Blue, and the Dark Sapphire Blue fits the bill.

 

I know all road tests of the S have said it has 340hp but it just seemed odd to me that every other 'S' Jaguar has the 380hp variant of the 3.0L.

As for me this is how I would have it.

 

Nice Bellanca. I guess they detuned the 3.0 L for some reason. I'll try anything that doesn't void the warranty to get those horses back under the hood

 

Thanks, I like it in blue too, my last car was blue and I'm still contemplating going back to blue, but I think I'm going with the F-PACE. But I like that with the XE you can get the 10.2" display without the TFT instrument cluster. Decisions decisions!

 

Just got my R-Sport in IRR. Only 45 Klm. Early impression is that it is a very quick car. Superb handling with a wonderful ride. I can see why the reports rave about the drive. Criticism about back seat space is overdone in my opinion. There would be only mm difference between BMW Merc etc.
ZF 8 speed Auto is a gem.Wife can drive in "Normal " mode and I can drive in "Dynamic " mode. This is a real sport sedan.

 

Congrats Fair2. Look forward to hearing more of your impressions as you get to know your new XE. Enjoy!

 

I don't think you can say they "detuned" the engine for the XE, since the same two V6s have been offered in the F-Type since 2013 introduction. Moreover, there is essentially no difference in torque between the 340 and 380HP V6 variants. The HP curves are almost identical as well until you get above 5K rpm, where most people can't visit often on the street. The extra 40HP only makes a difference at speeds above 130 mph. Both engines are identical except for the OEM ECU tune.

In the F-Type world, the consensus is that the main reason to go with the S is not the 380 engine, it's that the S comes with a limited-slip differential, bigger brakes, and a few other std. bits.

Both V6 engines produce more HP/Liter than the 550HP V8R engine. I think the reason they held back offering the 380HP version was purely marketing. They can offer it in the next MY along with a V8 and raise prices accordingly. Most people aren't aware that for a street car, there isn't a noticeable power difference.

 

Very similar to XF Supercharged and XFR. First two gears, no real difference. Third gear and on is when you start to see the extra power in play.

 

I wouldn't know about that, but it's not a question of what gear you're in.

There is only a 7 ft. lb. difference in max torque between the 340 and 380 versions of the V6. Torque equates to acceleration, HP equates to top speed, and you wouldn't really notice the extra HP until well above 100 mph.

 

I wasn't making the gear comment so much to say the actual gear ratio makes a difference, but more so when the speed gets high enough for the difference to be noticed. Carry on.

 

Good point. I failed to mention that the V6S (380 version) does come with a slightly more aggressive gear ratio, and that's the primary reason for the .1-.2 sec better 0-60 and 0-100 acceleration. As I said, the power and torque curves look almost identical until above 5K rpm.

Having said that, I have no clue what gear ratio is being used with the XE version of the V6.

 

Is the XE available with a LSD? I don't remember reading anything about one but I could have missed it.

 

That's a good question, and I don't know. In the F-Type, the base is not, and that's the only real good reason for ordering the V6S in my view. However, for a purely street car, I don't miss it much, if any.

 

That's my take on the F-Type too--and not enough of a reason to justify the price difference IMO. I don't know why Jaguar doesn't just offer it as a stand alone option.

 

Agreed, LSD is standard on most every other car in the $70K price bracket, such as the base F-Type. JLR needs to re-think this, in my view.