Thanks, that’s high praise! It’s a pretty appealing engine, made only more so as everyone has gone to turbos lately. One of those “we didn’t know how good we had it” engines, I think.

 

Yes, my apologies - although the printed handbook was sold to me by Elanders, the website to buy it is actually www.jaguarlandroverliterature.com. You then click through from this site to a specific page at Elanders which you can't seem to access directly. I'd forgotten this since last September when I got my new XE, but have just had another look at the leaflet that was supplied with the with it

 

No regrets at all. After you purchase your XE6 simply Google "VAP"; a fine Canadian company who are the leaders in modifying Jags

I live close enough to an Alfa dealer to walk past most days, and the Giulia is, IMO, better looking.

 

Well those pics certainly are tempting me even more! Beautiful car. I think I would give the Giulia the slight edge too in that it has a more unique identity, but it's close and they seem quite different in their spirit (at least to my eyes).

VAP is actually quite close to me and has relationships with local shops here in Vancouver. This is an added benefit to going with the Jag in that one of the best tuners is so close at hand. Can't overlook that!

 

I've had a 2018 XE 20d R-Sport since Sept. 2017 and have had no reliability issues. And the infotainment system has worked fine 95% of the time.

 

Great to hear, thank you!

 

VAP had a track day for customers last year, near their home base. Too far for me unfortunately, but would have been fun.

 

Great, something else to look forward to!

 

Hi Wotwombats,
Re: your Jaguar XE questions.
As one of the great cynics of car companies, particularly regards reliability; it was a little leap of faith to buy a new MY17 XF R Sport.
Armed with a engineering background and lots of research, I was optomistic all would be OK.

So far so good I am pleased to say.

The reputation of older Jags seemed mainly due to lack of funds for testing and development prior to production.
TATA's money seemed to sort that out.
My car has the Ford Ecotec 2 litre Turbo. About 185 Kw. 30K kilometres and it just seems to get better. (Plenty of grunt)
The turbo lag is a pain and I might look at additional Super charging at low speeds later on, but all good so far touch wood.
It takes a while to get a feel for the handling capabilities as it doesn't shift around like a normal car.
It steers flat and can handle anything that gets thrown at it.
With an aluminium body and high tensile steel skeleton it would have to be better than anything Alpha might have available.
Plus nothing has really changed at Alpha to indicate they might be producing a better and more reliable product.
I have driven a Ftype in anger at a race track and the 35T V6 super charged engine was the pick.
It made it handle like a dream and has some serious power.
The V8 and V8 4x4 Ftype was heavy and hard to drive.
I was so impressed with the V6, that I have been trying to buy a new V6 35T XF Wagon, but Jaguar don't seem to be able to help me with that currently.
If there was one slight niggle with my XF, I would have to say the suspension travel could be a bit more, as roads around here can be uneven.
(Oh and the GPS is **** to use. Not broken, just bad design).

All things considered, I think you could do a lot worse than to buy a 2017-2018 XE.
The second hand price is good and you get a lot of car for your money.
Good Luck in your search.
Metalart.

 

Gooday Metalart, just on the turbo lag I reckon it is more transmission related. Nearly all Jags that I have driven have laggy autos, they are sharper driven in dynamic and apparently VAP do a transmission tune but I havent tried it.

Our first XE was the 25T ecoboost, and yes it is very slingshotty in the acceleration. I agree with you on the pick of the F Types too, but then I am biased lol.

 

It's "Alfa" by the way. Azienda Lombarda di Fabbrica Automobile.

(my wife is Italian !)

 

Thanks Metalart! You clearly have high standards and I’m glad you haven’t been let down by picking the Jag. Sounds like some further high praise for the overall package, and modern jags in general.

To me the V6 just makes it. Anecdoctally I’ve heard far fewer complaints about the 8speed in that application vs the 4 cyl. Might just be better matched or better tuned? In any case a tune would always be possible.

 

HI Fraser,
Thanks for the heads up.
Its no good me being generally pedantic if I can't spell proper!

Sounds similar to the FIAT name with a word behind each letter.
I was once told Ford stood for Fix Or Repair Daily, but I am not sure old Henry Ford would be impressed to hear that!

Regards, M/A.

 

Hi Bruce,
Nice to hear someone at last say something about the Turbo Lag on the 25T R/ Sport.
I have had a transmission upgrade from Jag with out any real change.
The VAP tune sounds interesting, but I assume you're are in the USA?
It would be good to hear from anyone in Australia with an equivalent tune specialist.

I will try driving it in sport mode around town.
It's roundabouts that are the biggest challenge, as it "slingshots" (good word by you) the Jag into dangerously close encounters if I am in a hurry.
One thing I have noticed is if the car is driven gently consistently, the computer seems to alter to suit the driver and doesn't "Slingshot" so often.

Regards, M/A.

 

I hope I didn't upset you. I only found out about the Alfa Romeo name when I married my Italian wife 40 years ago next April.
In the same droll manner, did you know that Lotus stood for Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious.

 

Hi Fraser,
Not at all.
Similarly I was trying to show I was having fun with my reply.
The great difficulty with the typed word is "Tone" and cultural background.
Neither is easy to make clear on a Internet Forum.

I am in the early Ford V8 club in the US also, and have seen arguments break out when both people have been quite respectful, due to misinterpretation of Tone and culture.
My wife is part Italian also. I love the culture, the people and the shapes of the cars!

 

Gooday, actually I am on the Gold Coast up in sunny Queensland. I used Eurotune to do mine, but VAP have recommended providers in a number of places in Oz. I initially contacted Scuderia Autoart who then put me on to Eurotune www.scuderia-autoart.com

 

Is there a TSB for this coupling or do you know what part of the topic manual this can be found in? I hear a clunk from under the bonnet about every other time I turn off the car, especially after short trips. Seem like this coupling is failing and will likely need to be replaced in the near future. Is the coupling that you are referring to the spring isolator in the attachment? If not, now I know what to look for in the event that it does eventually fail.

 

We've had a 2017 XE 35t R-Sport for over 4 years now. No major issues. I did have a cooling pipe leak, caught it right away, so no problem there. The cooling system seems to have been designed by Pa Kettle.

The Jaguar app is almost useless, the remote start is a joke.

It does drive great, to be sure. If driven year-round, you will need a set of dedicated winter wheels and tires.

 

Went with the XE. Honestly would rather the Quadrafiglio, but could not bring myself to that level of monetary punishment. The maintenance is exceptionally high with the Ferrari engine. Instead I purchased the 2017 Jaguar XE first edition. The supercharged V6 just crushed my feelings for the Alfa 4 cylinder.

Thankfully no mechanical issues apart from new tires for Boston roads. Bridgestone Potenza AS have been remarkable in extreme weather conditions. Never run flats though, ever.

2 Electrical issues in last 5 years.

1. Car did not start or unlock one particularly rainy day. Turns out the boot catches water. I punctured the rubber grommet on the boot floor to allow water to escape. Cleaned and wd40 the hitch outlet attached to the battery to prevent corrosion. Problem solved. No money involved. Took about 15 minutes due to removing the spare.

2. Years later ABS light came on during another rainy day and then a series of lights lit up. No change in drive except ABS was disengaged. After a lot of diagnostics I changed the speed sensors on front wheel hubs. This took about an hour and a half. Just simple tools, the torque wrench, a couple screwdrivers and a hex driver. Found some good walk thrus online. Total for new sensors was $250 with shipping.

Regular maintenance except a couple extra oil changes here and there. I did a coolant flush at the 4 year mark. Did the rear differential fluid at 30,000. Transmission fluid at 50k. Everything else on the regular maintenance schedule. The XE has been absolutely perfect and I exercise the Jag to it's fullest capabilities. I find it to be a fine example of comfort, speed and style. Welcome to the family. 🍾