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It has arrived. My first drive was into the Barclays office in McKinney. They gave me a V6 Supercharged engine in this thing, not too unlike a lesser version of what's in the F-Type. This car was thrilling to drive for the 25 miles to the office.
So it's fast, and makes pleasant noises. I am trying to get used to the auto transmission and the flappy paddles.
Seems my car was originally in Mexico, but it has New Jersey dealer plates on the back. Interior is black with suede faces on the seats. It's small, but quite comfortable. Infotainment system seems to be a clone of the one in the F-Type, so everything is familiar and easy to operate. So far I am really digging this XE.
It came with this hashtag plastered to the side, too! (Note: My wife's yellow F-250 in the background)
The drive into McKinney was fun - there was both a BMW 4 series and some Mercedes white thing that were checking me out. I do admit I decided to see what freeway acceleration was like. I will state it was quite impressive. Not F-Type levels of "Holy Crap", but very nice, and faster than I expected from a compact sport luxury sedan.
Later today, I take my colleagues out for a run or two, and tomorrow down to Cars and Coffee. Fun so far!
Orkney, I don't want to steal your thread, but I know we are going to have some very similar experiences. I received mine just in time to get to work. I'll post my findings as well. Pleasantly suprised.
I did have one "oh ****" moment just for a second... Driving down the tollway I got on it a little and when I glanced down at the speedometer it read 160... (yeah it has the KM/Hr on the dash and not the US MPH...)
I was going to ask if one you guys were willing to host a parking lot meet. But if you are going to Cars & Coffee, I'll just head over there in the morning.
Good to see some new posts on the XE, not much was going on the site last month. I read that TXJagR has the V8 in his Ftype, Orkney, what do you have under the hood of yours? Just want to gage the "holy crap" factor from your Ftype to the XE. Hope to catch the test drive in Miami.
Cars and Coffee in Plano was cold and wet, but had a decent crowd anyhow. I met up with TXJagR and his son - great folks. People at this meet we nice, many of them were curious about the XE, and were interested in the road test. I ended up parking on "Lamborghini Row", which was fun, given it's a Jag.
Hopefully the Scottish weather clears out, so I can get some good photos in today.
Very nice to meet you Orkney. Wish the weather wasn't so Scottish this morning, but I had an enjoyable time. Just got in from a spirited romp with the XE. I found that you can chirp the tires from 1 to 2, AND 2 to 3...
I was fortunate enough to be given an extended test drive of the new XE during the Dallas leg of the tour. The transport crew showed up at 11:00 AM, with this glorious red beauty that they stuck in my driveway.
Initial Reaction
My goal was not to gush too much, because when someone shows up, gives you a pre-release version of a compact sports sedan, you tend to think everything is wonderful. Clearly this was an early version of the car, and it was bound to not be quite "dialed in" as the production ones would be. For example, the glove box contained a rather cheerful looking fire extinguisher, the speedometer was in KM/hr, the car was badged as an "S" model (not scheduled to be available in the US), and a few other small things that identified this as a bit different than what buyers would receive when these cars go on sale later this year.
Oh yes, and it came with a giant #hashtag plastered on the side of the doors.
Under the hood was a supercharged V6 that is a de-tuned version of what's in my F-Type, but this one was dialed down to 340hp.
Exterior Appearance
For an early / pre-release car, the assembly seems to have been at "A Game" levels. All of the metal work was well aligned, panel gaps were consistent, proportional and aesthetically pleasing. The front end features a massive ovoid black grill, that reminds me of a predatory fish. Like the car is looking to swallow up lesser vehicles (looking at you BMW 3 Series) as a means of automotive Darwinism.
The mirrors fold into the body when the car locks, and unfold when you unlock it. The back features a good sized "Leaper" and the XE badge.
The first disappointment is that the exhaust finals are very pedestrian, and somewhat remenicent of a Hyundai. Clearly this is an area where Jaguar can spruce things up in the next few years, and bring the visuals more in line with the sound this car can produce.
Also of note, the car seems to share the side vents as the F-Type and F-Pace, and they decided not to add any hood louvers to the bonnet. Another thing they can probably add in coming years or in upscale models.
Color for this one is Italian Racing Red, and it's a gorgeous color that does in fact change greatly it's shade and intensity depending on the light. The effect is more pleasing with this red than it is with my F-Type's British Racing Green. With the red, you can tell the car is red when it's in the shade. British Racing Green looks black in the shade.
Interior Appearance
The interior is simple, yet nicely appointed. The front seats are power adjustable, and have quite a range of adjustment. They fit my 6'3" / 240 pound frame easily. Back seats are small, and you would probably not have an adult back there for any trip longer than 45 minutes. It's perfect for the children, however. Seats were black leather with suede facing, and there was excellent grip during some of the more energetic driving moments.
Steering wheel seems to be a direct cousin / sibling of my F-Type's tiler, and the controls were so familiar that I had to keep my mind on the fact that I did not have a clutch and a gear shift lever to operate. Controls for the infotainment system and the cruise control on the wheel are within easy reach, and the flappy paddles are mounted to the steering wheel, and turn with your hands as you drive through a corner.
Infotainment system seems to also be a cousin of the one in the F-Type, with the colors on the background images on screen seeming a bit more saturated. Mode selection for the 8 speed automatic are via a big knurled knob that rises from the center console as the car starts up.
Instrument cluster again appears to be the same as or a cousin of the F-Type, so apart from the metric markings, everything was quite familiar.
Music from the audio systems was fantastic. As in bloody amazing. As in I did drive that car around at times just so I could crank up some tunes and really enjoy them at volume. I would say that the overall sound quality is (sorry to say) superior to the sound system in my F-Type, which I thought was not too shabby. This is the best stock car audio system I have ever heard.
Navigation was definitely pre-release, as the poor thing would crash frequently, causing the whole infotainment system to reboot. I am certain this is the kind of thing that gets fixed before the start shipping them.
Street Driving
The ride and suspension in normal street driving through town is comfortable, but you always feel you are firmly planted and in control. The car is surprisingly nimble for a sedan and steering for mine was precise and responsive. The car accelerates well, and has a tendency to urge you to drive "quick". This of course changes when you touch the magic button.
In Dynamic mode (magic button), the car sheds it's polite British accent and becomes a snarling beast. The engine gets louder and more throaty. It's not at F-Type levels of growl, but it makes its' presence known. The shift pattern changes and the engine revs higher before shifting. The net result is that the car transitions from a peppy daily driver into a bit of a rocket sled. More than once I goosed this thing at a light and quickly dusted everyone behind me. Sometimes to the chagrin of other drivers, including pour souls in: Amped up Dodge Chargers, a confused BWM 325 driver, a Porsche Boxter, half a dozen Camaroes, a platoon of Mustangs and at least one surprised Audi R8.
This car in this configuration if fast. No, really - it's fast. Not quite "holy crap" mode of the F-Type, but more than enough to blast anything and everything on your normal drive. It's fast enough to put a smile on your face and a song in your heart. This becomes a problem when you are driving a red pre-production Jaguar with a giant white #hashtag plastered on the side. Every law enforcement officer takes notice.
Also of note, on at least a few occasions I was able to throttle blip in just the correct way to coax a tiny version of the F-Type's pop and crackle out of it. I was well pleased.
Highway Driving
This car is comfortable enough moving through city streets, but it's on the open road where this car really truly shines. The ride is comfortable in normal mode. In Dynamic mode it becomes more focused, but is not jarring. Steering at speed is precise and confident, and the car itself is fairly short and light. Coupled with the enormous thrust coming out of that supercharged V6, you have a car that I liken to an F-18: fast, agile and precise. The worst part about driving it is parking it an turning it off. If you want a peppy road trip car that will take you coast to coast and leave you wanting to do it again, this is your car. Between the interior, the ample speed and the ergonomics, this is perfect for anyone with a long commute. My own drive to the office is a 45 minute, 30 mile affair that is a mix of street and highway driving through North Dallas. This car seems to be tailor made to make such drives as comfortable and pleasant as possible, while delivering style and amusement along the way.
Problems and Concerns
Yes, I really liked this car. In fact I have stated that I am very glad this car was not for sale last year, or I might not have purchased my F-Type, as this thing is about half the price, and for me it would have been more practical and would have satisfied my Scottish DNA's desire to not spend. But in almost every case behind the wheel, this car delivers un-apologetic motoring as it should be.
The problems I encountered are all things I can assign to this being a demo car, and a bit pre-production. These include:
Some squirrelyness in the transmission. There were times in Sport / Dynamic mode where the transmission would "hunt" between gears during acceleration and deceleration. Hopefully the mechanical crew look at this soon. My salesman at Jaguar Plano told me these were the same cars the sales team demo'd a few months ago, and people have been driving them hard
Navigation System. It crashed a lot. Every time I used it, and it would attempt to recover by rebooting. I gave up and just used Google on my phone.
Apple CarPlay. No, it does not have it. But it should. Jaguar is a partner of Apple's, and a member of the CarPlay initiative, with everyone else rolling this out, it should be a part of this offering. It would make what is a great offering into a fantastic offering.
Tire Wear. With the car's ability to chirp the rubber in every gear up to 3rd, even at lower freeway speeds, this thing would need tires frequently. The damn thing just begs you to perform such feats of motoring mayhem.
The Bottom Line
This is really an excellent car. I think Jaguar has a true winner on it's hands, and they are going to sell a ton of these things. I predict their manufacturing and delivery logistics are going to be strained to breaking with the demand on this car, and I truly hope it won't impact their other models. Given what I think demand is on this, I can understand why they set aside such attention grabbing projects such as the CX-75. This car (and possibly the F-Pace) are going to take Jaguar from a niche player to a global brand. They must be focused on this transition, or every aspect of the product is going to suffer.
I wish them well, and I think all of us fans are pulling for them to be able to deliver this vehicle at this quality at industrial scale.
This is a great car, it may in fact be historic for Jaguar, and I suspect this car will re-make the brand.
Great review, details, pictures and all. Sign me up! Wait, I'm already signed up. This car has everything I've been searching for: looks, sounds inside and out, 4 doors, ability to challenge and take over as leader in it's class, price, and the magic button. I'll probably be replacing tires yearly.
Thanks for the great writeup. Counting down the days to my Thursday slot for Art of Performance tour.
I understand there is no spare tire. Does the XE have run-flat tires like BMW or ...?
Also seems curious about the Infotainment system issues. This is the system in other Jag models right, not some completely new system is it? There is an upgrade available with faster CPU and 10" screen. I presume that would be the one to get of you value that kind of thing ($2600 upgrade).
BTW, From what I understand, Jag is pushing InControl Apps and the JustDrive App instead of CarPlay / Android Auto right now.
Intersting factoid about the Dallas drive. They only had 2 of the cars out for Dallas, TXJagR and I were the only non JLRNA folks driving XE's the past few days, but they have 20 of them sitting in the warehouse for the Art of Performance event in Dallas this week. Half of them are red and half are white.
This from the kindly person who came to pick mine up this evening. I was sad to see the little toaster go.
You commented on the "detuned" version of the V6 in the XE, and others in the XE section have noted the same. Both 340 and 380 V6 engines are identical except for the OEM tune. The same 340 comes in the base F-Type, while your V6S has the 380HP version. An interesting factoid is that peak torque as well as the torque curves are essentially the same in both engines, as is HP until about 5K rpm.
Torque is what provides the sense of acceleration, while the extra HP really only provides a higher top-end speed. The bottom line is that you won't really notice much, if any, difference between the 340 and 380 versions in street driving, where hopefully people aren't exceeding 120 mph.
Forgot to mention it in my write up, but the reason these vehicles have the strange equipment is they are Mexico spec cars. Was informed of that when I picked mine up.
Wow, valuable information Foosh - that explains why this car feels like such a rocket sled.
Orkney
Originally Posted by Foosh
Great write-up Orkney. Thanks.
You commented on the "detuned" version of the V6 in the XE, and others in the XE section have noted the same. Both 340 and 380 V6 engines are identical except for the OEM tune. The same 340 comes in the base F-Type, while your V6S has the 380HP version. An interesting factoid is that peak torque as well as the torque curves are essentially the same in both engines, as is HP until about 5K rpm.
Torque is what provides the sense of acceleration, while the extra HP really only provides a higher top-end speed. The bottom line is that you won't really notice much, if any, difference between the 340 and 380 versions in street driving, where hopefully people aren't exceeding 120 mph.
Orkney's Dallas XE Road Fest 2016
