Anything new on the actual "on sale" date for the XE? I'd love to go down to the dealership and be able to see one. I really like the low, wide, aggressive stance and the promise of excellent performance. I hope the interior is very luxurious also and gives it some edge in that area over the spartan BMW's. With the amount of snow we've been getting lately, an AWD might be a nice complement to my XK. I really miss my old X-Type's agility on snow and dry pavement. With both kids off to college, I don't need to have as much interior space as I used to. I'm really looking forward to test driving one.

 

I don't think the USA will be getting the car until 2016. It is coming on sale here in the UK in May.

I suspect Jaguar want to keep close tabs on this car in its early monhs, as it is very important it is successful, and they won't want to see a load of internet stuff on breakdowns and problems. There is also the new Ingenium engine too, and despite all the testing, the customer always seems to find things the test engineers miss.

 

Hopefully we will get it in late 2015 as a 2016 model!

 

My neighbor has an IS and although the lines are similar, the size and proportion of the XF make it have much more presence. So I get the statement, but I don't. Maybe more so in the lower trim lines but an XFR looks nothing like an IS to me.

 

This is an interesting thread to read coming to it a 9 months to a year on and having seen the car in the flesh and driven one a fair few times.

I can understand the sentiment regarding the non traditional looks. I'd have been happy with something that looks a bit more like a traditional Jag, but Jaguar's problem was best summed up with the sales figures posted a few pages back. In the US, sales figures dropped 75% in the space of 5 years. I suspect the story is just as bad in other markets - including the UK.

Jaguar has to do something different. It's perceived core values had become ersatz Ford, unreliability and throwing banknotes into a furnace. It has to establish a new image, and it was never going to do that with something that had 'traditional looks'. I can understand the similarities with the current XJ/XF too. Is there any four door saloon manufacturer that produces models that look totally dissimilar?

With the advantage of having seen and driven the car, I am totally sold on it and cannot wait to get one of my own. I was always going to go for a Jag but I did take a look at the 3 series and C-Class (I wouldn't pee in the fuel tank of an A4 much less drive one). The question was posed earlier 'can it outshine the opposition'. In the sense that it x-rays the current 3 series and C-Class, gives them an MRI and then reduces them to a burning cinder with microwaves, yes it does outshine them. That may change with the new 3 series that is in the pipeline but right now the XE is appreciably the better car. In my humble, of course.

 

I will never understand why all models of a manufacturer have to share a similar look, if only to **** off the buyers of the flagship model that is often mistaken for the entry level model. Personally I think it's a 'Teutonic disease' started by Audi... that is now reaching epidemic proportions.

 

Why not change the thread from huge disappointment to HUGE SUCCESS !

 

I got my Jag XE R-Sport 177KW (240 hp) on the 1s of August 2015 and I have to say it's probably one of the best car I've driven in my short life! I drove a BMW 528i series, 428i series, 320i series (all of them been the latest models), and I owned an Audi A4 1.8TFSI S-Line before I got the Jag.

Okay the 5 series were luxury in terms of equipment, but the XE were almost on par. Here in Mauritius, it's dearer than any of the German cars by almost 30%! That said, all the options on the german cars are standard on the XE (electric seats, two-tone colour seats, coloured stitching, sport seats, iPod and bluetooth i integration, navigation (doesn't work here though).

Some people are saying the interior looks very cheap, but I really don't think so when I compare it to the other german brands. In fact, it's anything but this. And so many people who have been my car have been overly impressed.

In terms of driving feeling, it's very powerful even for 240 hp, the engine sound is very nice, and what my pregnant wife enjoys is that the sport suspension on the R-Sport does not feel as stiff as the one on the A4 S-Line. Much much more comfortable, I guarantee this!

Overall, it's a complete car. I wouldn't change it for any others.

For the ones complaining about losing the exclusivity to people like me (medium class), well, I still spent 30% more than a german car, I might not be able to afford an XF R-Sport yet, but Jaguar has left a good taste in my mouth! Sorry to you guys, but I do feel exclusive!

 

Btw, here's my XE R-Sport 240hp with 19" Black Venom wheels

 

Sweet ride! Our dealer has earmarked an IRR 177KW R sport with black pack and venoms for my wife, arrives in December. I havent driven the 177KW model yet, but I thought that the 147KW car was just amazing to drive (suspension and steering), much better than the current XF (which I have no complaints about at all) though obviously the car is quite a bit smaller inside.

I'm really keen to drive the 177KW, but I'm assuming that it is similar in performance to my wife's v40T5 CC (5 pot turbo) which is plenty good enough. Is the main acceleration at the lower speeds (say 0 - 60kph) or does it pick up more at the higher?

I agree with you on the interior, seriously I dont know what the complaints are about. I found one or two "cheap" things when I went looking, but you really have to be pretty **** to be put off by that.

 

Thanks BruceTheQuail.

Actually it is the IRR with black package R-Sport that actually sold me on the car in terms of looks! The dealership brought one in with panoramic roof and Meridian sound system as well. That made the price more expensive by a quite a lot (I was already above my budget) and that's why I went for the Ultimate Black as these were the only 2 models in R-Sport available in stock. I didn't order because I didn't want to wait. Hence, got my car after 1.5 weeks!

So I have to say you made a very good choice in choosing the Italian Red Racing. I saw it in person is it's very striking with the black glossy finish!

Coming back to the "cheap" things inside the XE, I still can't find anything that would stand out compared to the Germans. We can't compare this car to an Aston Martin or Lamborghini or Ferrari. It's supposed to be compared to 3 series, A4, and C-Class. None of the later can match the XE, this I can tell you because I shopped around a bit before making my choice. I wasn't a Jaguar fan, but I'm glad I didn't pass by on this opportunity!

 

Cheers. Tell me though, what's that engine like with acceleration/lag etc? I'm busting my nuts to drive one, I've only driven the 147kw.

 

Sharp car there!! I think I actually prefer the front end treatment of the R-Sport over the S. Looking forward to test driving the XE next year.

 

I appreciate the XE updates from those folks with access to the new model. Here in the US it will be a while, but I am looking forward to checking it out when it's here. Hopefully with a coupe option! I'll be driving the Jaguar Academy in February and am hoping they will have a few XEs there for some track time.

For comparison's sake, my 2014 C-63 AMG's dash looked like it had been designed by a committee, and to me anyway, the XE's dash looks fairly logical as well as elegant. I'm not bothered by the simplicity of the rear end of the XE either, I'd prefer that to something more tortured and "modern." But it's all very subjective as we know!

 

The car looks really sharp. The front end looks like a cat concentrating on stalking some prey. It's the "rugged black cat" theme.

 

Well I can only compare the XE 240hp to my Audi A4 1.8TFSI 160hp (118kw) (B8) and it's a massive difference. When you accelerate hard, it knocks your head against the headrest. I don't know if it's good or not, but it surely feels aggressive and like a monster going for the kill!

The lag is there though, especially when driving with shift paddles, you press gear up but it takes half a second to change gear.




Interior of my XE R-Sport 240HP