17 XE R-sport 35t AWD in Glacier white with jet leather interior
19" black venoms

I got the jaguar to replace my 08 Lexus LS460 standard wheelbase
I got the lex as certified pre owned from a good dealership and the 3 year/100k warranty was running low so it was time for a new car
Before I decided on the XE I was going to get a certified pre owned 2011 BMW 335is or 335i convertible if I could find the right when I was ready to buy
Then I found out about the new 340i and decided I wanted it until I saw the XE
3 series are one of the most common car where I live
A whole bunch of my friends have BMW's and a good portion of them have a 335i
Bexause of their popularity I have had many experiences driving my friends BMW's
The first one I drove was a 2011 335i RWD fully loaded with M package
I was extremely impressed with it and didn't need to do more than drive it on the highway to understand why they were so popular
From there I have driven many others in many configurations including with sport package not M sport, base, M sport with x drive and without
None of them were as good as the RWD M sport I first drove
The only problem with the 3 is that they are everywhere
I'm pretty much sick of looking at them and if I had one I feel like I'd also get sick of looking at my own car
So the XE and all its favorable reviews won me over and I ordered it in March and it came June 20
So far I have put about 600 miles on it and I can say with meaning that I love it
It goes like a champ and the handling is unreal
The best thing about this car hands down is the suspension. The way it glides over bumps without ever losing its composure is truly impressive
I really like the motor but I have to admit that the BMW might have a better exhaust note
However, I have noticed that the exhaust note on the xe has improved significantly since I got it. It's either that or my ear has come to enjoy it more. I'm not sure if the engine being broken in has anything to do with the exhaust note improving
I am happy I went with this over the BMW for a few reasons, one because as of now I am the only single person in this area that has this car. I don't know that as a fact but I can say it confidently because I have not seen a single one on the road besides from one XE 2.0T with no R-sport and stock halogens
Another reason because it looks so much fresher than the BMW. The 3 is so played out around here
The BMW has a bit of a nicer interior and a much better infotainment system but those two things don't compensate for everything else the jaguar is better at

 

Congratulations and thanks for the comparison with the 340i. Thanks also for the many pictures. Very nice color combination. That is the one I would probably get if I decided on the XE.

I 100% agree with your assessment that the RWD M-sport is the best. Neither the sport nor the regular models compare in terms of handling.

I also agree that the BMW interior is better designed than the Jaguar. I can't comment on the quality of the materials because I haven't been in a Jaguar long enough. However, I think the leather is of better quality and I also notice the side & rear windows have a slightly darker tint in the Jaguar, even when compared to the windshield (can you confirm this latter statement?).

Finally, I also agree with your assessment that the Jaguar is much more composed over imperfections in the pavement (cracks and other irregularities). When I test drove the XE S (similar, but not same as R sport), I was expecting it to get unsettled as I accelerated in a rough patch (just like it happens with the BMW 328i M sport that I have), but it surprisingly did not. It remained planted.

I found the steering slightly more communicative in the XE as well.

I read somewhere that BMW pipes the sound to the speakers, so perhaps that is what made it sound better. Jaguar also does something artificial to make it sound better, but that is with the exhaust itself, not like piping it to the speakers. But take this last one with a grain of salt (do your own research to validate it) because I may be misremembering.

Can you say anything about the brakes as compared to the 340i?

 

First, I want to apologize to everyone about the crap pictures
I took them at my friends house as I was joining the forum on my mobile
I didn't realize how bad they were until I saw them on a computer screen
I will be taking better pictures at my house when I get a chance

Anoop, I never test drove the 340i so I can't say anything about the brakes but I can't imagine them being much better or worse than a 335i M Sport, and I wouldn't be surprised if the 340i has higher spec brakes than the XE because after all it is a more expensive car. I haven't done enough research on it to say for sure

Speaking of brakes, my XE came with exposed calipers
I was expecting them to at least come with a cover on them which I could then get painted red
I'm pretty disappointed with the way they look from the factory (I will take up close pictures of them)
As far as brake performance, they are pretty damn good. Haven't fully fully tested them out yet but definitely no complaints.

When I bought the XE, I was under the impression that the XE R-Sport in America was equivalent to the XE S that you get in Europe
I literally thought they were the same car with different badges but now I'm starting to realize I'm wrong
When I tried to research a comparison between the American XE R-Sport v European XE S, I couldn't find any information so I continued to assume there was little, if any difference
In the motortrend video comparison between the M sport 335i v the Jaguar XE S I notice that the Jaguar in that video has painted brake calipers
This wasn't an option that I was aware of on my car and I'm annoyed as to why it was never mentioned or brought to my attention

There's a few other things about the car that also annoy me, but they would be better explained with photos, so I will explain when I have a chance to take them.

 

Please don't do that again, or we won't hang out with you anymore.

(Just kidding. )

Same here. I thought the XE R sport and XE S are the same car, but later, after someone pointed it out to me, I found out they are not. Some differences that I was able to notice:
- Front bumper side air dams are different.
- Rear bumper black insert is glossy on the XE S.
- Brakes have red calipers and are probably upgraded on the XE S.
- Seats are alcantara.
Not sure if there are any other differences.

Yes, please share. That is my reason for spending time here before pulling the trigger.

A few negatives vs 3 series I have noticed so far:
- The controls are not as easily reachable as with the 3 series.
- The rear seat room is tight and trunk is smaller.
- The visibility is not as good.

The pluses I've noticed so far.
- Much better handling, most noticeable on bad pavement.
- Linear engine response, unlike the turbo in the 3.

 

Congratulations on your car. Looks great in white with black Venoms. I have the US spec AWD R Sport and love it. For the money the XE R is a great car. I am coming from a 2014 S4 and find the R compares very favorable. A bit more of a luxury car and a little less of a raw sport car. I have not seen another XE or certainly a R Sport on the road here in Los Angeles. Enjoy your car!

 

Sweet ride you have. Now tell the neighbor [in your pic] across the street to get his roof redone.

 

Slim_bobby, can you share the negatives you mentioned a while back?

Thanks.

 

Excuse me for the hold up..it's been a crazy week..I have a bunch of things to share, just need til tomorrow or Sunday to take some good pictures because I can't explain the issues as well without clear pictures to go along with it. All I need now is the weekend weather to cooperate and I should have a nice summary of everything by Sunday.

 

Hah, I had a feeling someone would make a comment about the Bayville, NY scenery in the background. I do not live in Bayville thankfully (not that it isn't a nice town) but it's mainly known either for its upscale waterfront estates, or it's mini shanty towns with their inbred residents and dirt roads (literal dirt roads that are covered with giant craters--no exaggeration). Its not known for anything in between. One of my friends has a property there (in the shanty town part) and I just happen to be there with my car the day I took those pictures.

If that was my neighbor's roof, well I'll just stop there because I would never live in Bayville and that would never be my neighbor .

 

Slim_bobby

Does your car have the adaptive suspension?

 

No. I overlooked the adaptive suspension when building the car but for the $1000 I probably should have gotten it. The dealership didn't mention it or try to sell it to me either so it really did just skipped over.

As far as the issues I have with the car, and there are a few, I've been limited on time so here's the first one:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xe-x760-85/quality-control-passenger-door-not-properly-aligned-166247/

 

How is the standard suspension? You wrote positively about it in the first post in this thread, but do you ever find it too stiff? Perhaps what I'm asking is why do you think you would have gotten the dynamic suspension -- would you prefer to make things hard, soft, or just be able to select?

Thanks for the pointing out the issue. Are the other issues all quality related or is there something that is a design issue?

 

On smooth asphalt roads the standard suspension is flawless. Most of the roads in my area are perfect and get paved regularly. It's when I go to through the boroughs that I wish I could soften things up a bit. I hit a pothole in the Bronx the other day that made me jump out of my seat and I could have sworn I bent a rim but I checked after for a bend or a bubble in the tire and everything looked fine. As soon as I hit the hole, the guy's voice from the dealership who tried to sell me rim & tire insurance for like $2k (or an additional $20/mo) resonated in my head. I'm pretty good at maneuvering around potholes but when you're not familiar with a road it makes it hard to know how bad one is until it's too late. With hindsight I definitely would have paid the extra $1k for adaptive dynamics. It's summer time now so the roads are as good as they're gonna be, come winter time the roads can get pretty bad around here depending on how bad the weather is. I can see myself regretting not having suspension settings and rim/tire insurance.

My main issue with the design so far is the piano black that covers the center console. It is impossible to keep clean. I bought a 200 pack of Zeiss lens cleaning wipes and it looks like I'm already almost half way through it. There are hairline scratches all over my center console already and that's with me wiping it down extremely carefully and gently. I want to put a clear ceramic coating on the pieces of the center console (around the cup holders, around the shift knob) but when I asked the service manager if the pieces come out (so I can spray them with the ceramic coating) he had no idea because "it's a new design, I've never removed them before so I don't think anyone has tried to take them out yet. "
Although he seemed cool at first, the head technician at Great Neck, John, is turning out to be pretty useless. If it turns out they can't be removed and put back, I'll have to resort to putting a clear wrap over the piano black, which will be much more tedious and potentially damaging because it will required a squeegee job to get the excess liquid out from underneath and that could potentially hurt the electronics that are behind the shift knob. It says in the manual to never get those buttons wet. Jaguar could at least give you the option to get something other than piano black.
It's the little things that get to me with this car or any car. All the small details add up.

 

Thanks for the insights.

If I get down to ordering the 35t R-sport, the only two options I plan to add are adaptive dynamics and carbon fiber trim, the latter because of the reason you mention.

The roads where I live a very bad. I plan to stick with the 19" wheels (if 18" were an option that is what I would get).

 

Our roads are dreadful, but the ride in the XE (standard suspension on 19"s) is flawless. I have the f type with adaptive suspension, the ride in that is very good as well, though the seats are so hard you still feel the bumps.

 

Wow didn't think you guys would have bad roads down under. But it's good to know that the standard suspension does OK with the 19s even on bad roads.

 

Try Pledge or the like on glossy surfaces. Has a nice smell along with the protection. You can also apply car wax, but if you do, mask around leather/vinyl areas before applying.

 

I keep a microfibre cloth on the door pocket and wipe any of the piano black/steering wheel/instruments/dashboard/screen whenever I am at traffic lights. Once in a while (or twice in 11 months) I have cleaned the piano black with Autoglym Glass cleaner. Not a scratch on it, and it positively beams.

 

Pledge will repel dust, dirt, and leave a glossy barrier with nice smell. It's designed just for this material purpose.