This is the type of mantra people who can afford premium vehicles such as those sold by Jaguar repeat to themselves as they’re climbing their way up life’s ladder to success, and no doubt something similar to what the top execs in Jaguar’s boardroom kept reminding themselves of every time they contemplated their next compact model.
Then
That
If you’re a Sith Lord (or a Mord-Sith), an AC Milan fan or perhaps cheer for the Ottawa Redblacks, Jaguar has your ride. The brand is initially previewing photos of the XE in its sportiest (so far) S trim, complete with a bold red on black motif inside, and while this might be right up some peoples’ alley it probably won’t work for the majority of luxury buyers. Only a lone shot of the XE’s rear seating area shows an alternative interior colour choice, cream perforated leather that looks very
Colours aside, interior photos show a car that’s richly appointed in the Jaguar tradition, or at least the modern Jaguar tradition. Along with the supple leathers, quality switchgear and beautiful handcrafted attention to detail that endowed Jaguar’s of the past, today’s Jags also benefit from clean, flowing interior design with purposefully minimal buttons, knobs and switches, superb infotainment (this model featuring Jag’s all-new “InControl” system), the coolest gear selector in the industry that rises up out of the centre console like a miniature “Yes – In The Round” stage, and in the case of this top-line XE S model, zero wood. Don’t worry British car traditionalists. Along with gloss black and textured aluminum trim offerings
X-Type aside, Jaguars have always been performance machines, and the new XE will be no different. Most who read these pages often should already be familiar with the company’s 3.0-litre twin-vortex Roots-type supercharged V6, an engine that’s already employed to power the base XF, XJ, and a variety of Land Rovers, Jaguar’s sister company. The XE will use the least powerful version of this mill for its most powerful S trim level, but again not to worry as this engine still produces a very eager 340-horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque, making it capable of scurrying to 100 km/h in just over five seconds. A quick-shifting eight-speed ZF automatic takes care of gear swapping, with a tall final gear for an expected good highway fuel economy rating as well as a 250 km/h top speed. There’s no word as to what engine will power the inevitable XE R and RS versions, although it would be
As mentioned, the new XE is aluminum-intensive, which translates into meaning that its body skin, structural framework, chassis and most of its suspension components will be made from the lightweight metal, most of which is high-strength 6000-series alloy. Rather than the usual strut front suspension setup,
If you like what you see but are stuck in a lease for another two years you’re in luck, because the new XE won’t arrive in North America until 2016 as a 2017 model. It’ll start rolling out of a new facility within the Land Rover Solihull plant sooner than that, mind you, with the Brits and others throughout Europe able to get their hands on one as early as next year.
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