Hi everyone,

I'm seriously considering an XE, either a 35t R-Sport or an S (2017 or 2018 models). I'm in Canada so they'll be AWD.

I've been narrowing my search and I think it's mostly down to this or the Giulia. To me they fill similar positions in the market - left field brands where chassis/handling is their true talent. Both are a bit further behind in infotainment, interior and perceived reliability compared to the Germans or Japanese, but way ahead (imho) on handling, desirability, styling and uniqueness.

My key questions are:

1. Can anyone provide an update on their car's reliability as of Feb 2021? I've scoured the forums and by and large I don't see much that really concerns me. I know Jag (like Alfa) have a perception of poor reliability, and there are clearly some issues, but it seems relatively hit and miss. I'd appreciate some up-to-date owner reports if possible. Is there anything major that seems to be a persistent problem with the XE other than the fragile 20" wheels and rims, and relatively soft paint?
2. Can anyone comment on the state of InControl Touch Pro in 2021? I've seen a lot of older comments saying it was very buggy, but most posts ultimate appear to be resolved after a software update. There seems to be a lot of debate over ICT vs Pro, but I'd only be looking for the Pro system. If I were to buy an XE and then ensure it was updated to the latest software, can I now expect it to be relatively stable?

Also, I'm curious if any of you have cross-shopped the Giulia and the XE, and what your thoughts were. As I can't afford a QV Giulia, I'd be stuck with the 2.0T TI Sport. While by all accounts it's a very healthy 2.0T, moving up from a GTI I really hope to get out of a 4 cylinder. The SC V6 is incredibly appealing in the XE.

Thanks in advance!

 

Gooday!

The XE's are very reliable and the Jag 6 is pretty bulletproof. Jag's reliability reputation is undeserved IMO although the diesels have had their share of issues. The paint I would think was much better than BMW or alfa, my car is 5 years old and looks like new. My mate has two newish BMWs and the paint is like chalk. I has an alfa (only a MiTo) and the paint was so thin you'd think the worker was paying for it himself. What a terrible car that was...

I'm not a great fan of the Incontrol touch pro. We have it (duo) in our 2020 XE. Sounds fantastic with the surround sound but as it isnt my primary car I just find it hard navigating around it, it also needs to be connected by lead to get android auto even though it has wireless charging in ours. But it looks nice enough and works fine, as long as it gets spotify I'm happy.

On Guilia v XE, I personally think the Giulia is as good looking if not better than the XE and the only car I'd buy for myself in white. The XE 6 would be a better car than the Alfa 4 by far. Personally I would take the 2020 XE over the new alfa (i.e. 4 against 4), they remain unreliable and having owned an alfa I can say that the dealer experience was pretty dreadful and they had a very conservative view on what was a warranty repair, which wasnt ideal with the car falling apart at 3 years old. But the Giulia sure looks the part and if UI hadnt had experience with alfa I might have been tempted. To be fair though my experience was with the budget end of alfa, they might be better at the premium end.

 

Thanks for the quick reply and thoughts Bruce!

My budget will be keeping me in the used camp so the new XE is out, but interesting to hear your perspective on it versus the Giulia. Agreed that the Giulia is beautiful and one of the few cars I think looks excellent in white.

Regardless, I would miss the V6 too much to shop the new XE personally, even if I could afford it budget wise.

From all I have read, the newer Alfas are a big step on in quality from the MiTo and older models. Similarly to Jaguar, it sounds like Alfa's history is proving harder to shake than the actual build issues themselves.

I honestly don't think I can go wrong with either car as they share so much in terms of what makes them special compared to the usual suspects. I think the day to day enjoyment from the 6 cyl might be reason enough to go Jag (this time around at least). The practical fact is that I don't live on a mountain road, and sound is quite important to me in my enjoyment of a vehicle.

 

My experience of the In Control Touch Pro on the 2 XEs that I've owned is that it is a bit troublesome but liveable with and compensated for by all the rest of the car which drives, handles and looks superb.
In control Touch Pro is generally a bit slow to respond to inputs from the touch screen, and also (most times but not all) takes quite a long time to boot up when you turn the car on.
The bug that does irritate me is that, when playing music from a USB drive, the system will not reliably remember the last track playing when the car was switched off and will revert to the first track on the USB stick when it's turned back on. The various updates I have installed (which come automatically over the SIM card connection in the UK) have improved this behaviour a bit but have still not eliminated it.
But as I say, I've learnt to live with this foible!

 

Yeah well the other thing is that the Jag can be safely and cheaply modded to 450hp which turns an already exciting car into a mind blowing one, I've had that mod to my f type for 18 months and others on the forum for some years, it certainly re-enlivens your love for the car if you ever get tired of it. Personally I'd go the Jag, but that alfa does look good. It reminds me of a romulan warbird, if you are a Next Gen era star trek person.

The other thing is not to discount the pre-incontrol touch units if you find a good car. I think they are easier to use, they just dont look as polished. But you'd want the bigger system, I think it is 825w.

 

This is very helpful, thanks Chris! Sounds a bit irritating, but very livable. My infotainment needs are pretty basic. My current 2010 mk6 GTI does the same thing with USB, so it's not a huge deal to me - I usually default to bluetooth streaming for running about anyhow.

I'm hopeful that shopping 2017-2018 XE's I will find one that can be updated to Carplay, but even that isn't essential to me.

 

Great points Bruce. I have not heard anyone liken the Giulia to a warbird, but that's spot on.

But as you say, there's nothing like easy moddability to freshen your love of a car.

I've heard that the base touch units are pretty bulletproof, but I want the better stereo, so I think I'll take my chances on ICTP.

 

If you're buying an XE with the V6 engine you should be OK. The main issue on the forums is timing chain wear on the Ingenium engine eventually causing loss of valve timing and the engine wrecking itself as a result. Jaguar now fit upgraded chains and tensioners.
As for InControl, for me it is a fairly useful thing, but not a show stopper to buying the car.
I have owned my XE since Jan 2019, and it has been superb so far. The only downside is the rear seats are a bit cramped, and the boot is rather small and low. Things to have in a cold climate are the heated seats and steering wheel, and folding rear seats to make more space if you need it.
The cars don't normally come with a spare wheel (space saver type), mine didn't, but I bought one on the internet, plus the jack in its plastic box. If you have to fit a spare wheel, you'll need the boot floor for it as the one for the blow-up kit is lower and slightly narrower so doesn't fit well with the spare wheel. Our local main agent got me a new boot floor without a problem. Only downside is the boot will be slightly smaller with the floor now being about 1" higher.

I went round the Jaguar factory in Castle Bromwich last February before the Covid19 lockdown (Xmas present from my daughter and husband), and saw the F-type assembly, and also the press shop. It was very very impressive, you just couldn't believe how the robots worked so well. There were men there too, but not many of them, I have to say.
Are you aware the XE is mostly constructed from aluminium, riveted and bonded together ? The doors are steel and one or two other panels. My previous car, a 2007 XJ6 was all aluminium.

 

Thanks Fraser! Great to hear on general robustness of the V6 models. That would have been very impressive to see the factory.

Yes, I'm quite excited about the high aluminum construction as well as the double wishbone front and Integral Link rear. I'm not too fussed on rear seat room or trunk space. I'm pre-kids for now and it isn't destined to be the family hauler anyhow.

Fortunately in Canada our specs are a bit simpler and with the V6 models in R-Sport trim (broadly similar to the "S" you had for 2017) we get AWD, heated wheel and seats and folding seats as standard. I believe the Canadian market cars all came with the space saver spare as well, which is a bonus. It's nice to not have to hunt through the used market for all the little things like that. I think the only challenging thing to determine from online listings is whether configurable and adaptive dynamics are on a given model as most dealerships don't seem to be sure or list them. I also can't seem to find a reliable way of decoding options from VIN for Jaguar (one perk to the Alfas is there's an excellent window sticker lookup for FCA/Stellantis models).

Fortunately it doesn't sound like either adaptive/configurable dynamics are essential on a car as well set up as the XE. Still, would be nice to have.

 

If you look at an X760 fitted with the AJ126 engine, pay attention to the coolant level and evidence of any leakage from the outlet pipe at the front of the engine under the supercharger snout and the heater pipe, which is connected to the back of the two cylinder heads. Both are plastic and prone to failure as they can only withstand a finite number of cold to hot to cold cycles prior to failing. The AJ126 and AJ133 engines become very cross if overheated with warped cylinder heads or block resulting in failed head gasket(s).

 

Great advice and duly noted! Am I right to understand that if serviced properly and kept with proper fluids, shouldn't be too much cause for concern, but can be an issue where neglected or in particularly hot climates?

 

Due to the design of the AJ126 block, the cooling jackets are quite shallow with volume circulation being used to keep the block within normal operating temperatures. If there is any loss of coolant, the cause(s) must be immediately investigated and corrected to avoid catastrophic engine failure due to overheating.

Given the age of the vehicles fitted with the AJ126, it is best to have a service history available to see if the water outlet and heater pipe have been replaced. If not, have a pre-purchase inspection performed by a Jaguar main dealer or specialist shop that includes pressure testing the cooling system to determine if there are any leaks present.

If there is a clunking or knocking sound whilst starting or stopping the engine, the supercharger coupling has failed and must be replaced. This is also a common fault, but not as serious as coolant leaks.

 

By the way, we didnt have adaptive/configurable dynamics in our first XE but we do in our second. TBH, the ride barely changes between normal and dynamic mode, and as for the configurable dynamics, they are pretty pointless as you cant "dial up" things, instead things are just on or they are off. I played with it once and then me and my disappointment moved on to something else.

Personally I thought the ride in the 2015 XE without adaptive dynamics was sharper and more connected than the ride in the 2020 with adaptive dynamics, though my wife prefers the softer ride in the new one. Same wheels, 19 inch Venoms.

 

This is excellent info. Thanks!

 

Thanks Bruce, sounds like the features are mostly just there to check the boxes with the competition then and by no means essential. I would consider the ability to back off the adaptive dampers very important in a car where you have to choose between soft and too firm for the road, but the XE appears to be that happy medium. There's a lot to be said for a well judged passive setup that takes some of the mental brainpower out of deciding which mode you "should" be in on a given bit of road.

 

Frequent oil changes best friend to keep the timing chain goblins away. A couple of dealers feel that spreading oil changes out, even to recommended mileages, lends to dirty oil passages which can lead to premature timing chain failures. I live by the 3 - 5,000 change rule and sleep well at night. Some might feel that is excessive but a sound engine is priceless.

 

Thanks, great tip. I've always been on the proactive oil change side, and I drive pretty low mileages, so this sort of schedule should be doable.

 

Yes, I too have always changed engine oil on all my cars every 3000 miles or so and have run previous ones to well over 100,000 miles with no engine issues at all - and no oil burning either. In fact my Vauxhall Cavalier 2 litre 4 cylinder ran to 230,000 miles with the engine still performing like new.
I hear a lot about how such oil changes are excessive and you only need to do it every 10,000 miles or yearly but I think that, for the relatively small cost of frequent oil changes (if you do them yourself as I do), it's worth it to preserve the engine.
I've rented some cars which have 15,000 to 20,000 miles on then with no oil change (following the extended service schedule now favoured by manufactures to satisfy fleet sales), and the dipstick shows the oil to be like black treacle.

 

Yeah, rentals certainly have a hard life and I don't really credit the increasingly enormous oil change intervals on modern cars.

 

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