2020 Jaguar XE: An Update to Exist

Designed in 2015 to worry the BMW 3 Series, the Jaguar XE nevertheless remains very confidential on our roads, confirming that it is difficult to exist in the premium market when you do not speak German. However, this XE does not lack qualities, especially in this new vintage.

While SUVs are getting more and more points in the sales charts, the family sedan segment is nonetheless essential for any brand that wants to break into the premium market. For this first restyling, the XE adopts new headlights which give it an even more piercing look, an enlarged grille that brings more character to the front face, and a redesigned shield.

At the rear, we notice the more tapered and angular design of the lights, enough to give the English sedan a side that is both more fluid and more statutory. All this may seem like a detail, but it is clear that the whole gives a new presence to the XE. This is particularly the case with our superb trial version: an R-Dynamic finish with a Caesium Blue dress, fitted with 19 ” rims.

Hi-tech interior

Onboard, the most important difference concerns the central console, which now houses the Touch Pro Duo system consisting of two touch screens, a system already present on the other high-end models of the Jaguar-Land Rover group. The upper screen is used to control the new connected multimedia system, while the lower screen is responsible for controlling the other functions of the vehicle (air conditioning, heated seats, driving modes, etc.), assisted by the adjustment knobs which adapt their functions. to the selected menu.

And the driver is also faced with a large customizable digital dashboard, in particular, according to the selected driving mode. But at a time when these dashboards tend to be increasingly massive and imposing, that of the XE continues to amaze with its finesse and reduced height. This contributes in particular to providing excellent visibility with auto for trade japan and returns a feeling of a more compact car behind the wheel.

Comfort, with a dynamic tendency

Behind the wheel, moreover, this XE does not change radically compared to its predecessor. It still distills an excellent compromise between comfort and dynamism, despite a rather firm rear damping. The XE is therefore very pleasant to drive on winding roads, with precise steering, a well-balanced chassis, and a 2.0l engine of 250 horsepower in this case, which likes to be allowed to climb in the towers. It transmits its power to the rear wheels via an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission, still very efficient despite a tendency to downshift late in “Normal” driving mode. In more active driving, it is still possible to take control via the paddles on the steering wheel, and reactions are then instantaneous.

In short, this XE really deserves our attention for its qualities, but also for the choice off the beaten track that it represents. An original alternative, to discover imperatively.