There is something about a Jag that sets it apart from ze German competition, and it’s not something quantifiable. However, off-late that gap feels like it’s closing, Jaguar doesn’t build raw performance-focused cars anymore. Nor are their cars any less vanilla than the rest of the world full of luxury sedans and that’s a bit of a problem or is it? I mean Jaguars have also become more mainstream, but less shed-built, meaning that you won’t have to have a crew of mechanics running around behind you every time you head out for a drive, which is good. They also look friggin fantastic, and in my opinion, because they aren’t as popular as the rest of German population in India, they stand out in a crowd of boring luxury barges. This brings me to the XE diesel that we tested recently and it’s quite efficient and hence easy on the pocket. This is nice because as much as I would like to have an XJ220 in my garage, I would be broke in a month, maybe even less. The mid-variant Prestige Diesel that we are testing today costs about what you would pay for a 3-series with the base petrol starting as low as Rs 35.85 lakh, so we take to the driver’s seat to get a hang of what this new generation of cost-efficient and practical jags are really all about.
Design
In terms of looks, the Jaguar does take a cue or two from the bigger XF. Place both cars side by side and you can see the strong family lines between the two. Two emotions stem from this, the first is a little bit of disappointment as it’s fine if the Germans do it but Jaguars have always been special and set apart so the shared looks are a bit of a disappointment. On the hand, the XF is a looker and shared lines means that the cheaper 3-series rivalling XE looks more premium than it is.
Throw it on a ramp with its peers, the likes of the BMW 3-series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the Audi A4, and the XE does stand out. The fastback design inspires a sporty theme that is continued by the large face grille up front flanked by Jaguar J-Blade LED DRLs. The sinewy bonnet lines on the bonnet continue the motif.
At the rear, the long sleek LED tail-lamps accent most of the boot and lend a touch of class to an otherwise uninspiring boot lid. The XE also gets 17-inch satin finish alloys that are great to look at but are terribly damped by the large profile on the XEs tyres.
Interior
The Prestige variant that we drove is the mid-variant and sits between the Pure and the range-topping Portfolio. However, for the most part, the XE does feel the part of the driver-oriented premium sedan. I say driver-oriented because the rear-seats on the XE are not great and might not fit the bill for those who intend to be chauffeured. However, the beige seats are contrasted by the black theme on the dashboard. For the Audiophiles in the audience, the Jaguar does not disappoint as it sports a 380W 11-speaker Meridian sound system that has a clean output although bass-fans might find it lacks the “thump”. This can be remedied by switching off “Gucci-gang” and trying some Yanni instead.
You do get a 360-degree camera which is really convenient in tight parking spaces. The highlight of the console is the centrally mounted 8inch infotainment system which feels great to use, although Apple Carplay and Android Auto are sorely missed considering the InControl system from Jaguar is slightly complicated.
Engine and Performance
The XE Diesel that we had on test, gets the 2.0-litre diesel from Jaguar’s recently developed Ingenium series of engines. In the XE, the 2.0-litre motor makes 180 hp at as low as 4000 rpm and 430 Nm of peak torque that kicks in pretty low too between 1,750 rpm and 2,500 rpm. The thing is despite all this power and torque the XE still feels a little sluggish off the line. However, once on the Trott, the XE does get a little more exciting to drive although, given that you turn off the polar bear friendly ECO mode. If you’re looking for a Spirited run the Sports mode makes all the difference. The Jag will make the 100 kmph dash in 8 seconds in sports mode, and that’s really not bad if you consider that your sitting in a leather-wrapped luxury car.
Jaguar has tried to push the “green-velope” even further by adding a start-stop function which turns off the motor when the car is at rest. The good thing is with all Green modes switched on the Jaguar should give you as much as 15 kmpl even in city drives! Ludicrous for the brand but great for your pocket. Especially when considering that if you poke the XE hard enough it will rocket all the way to 228 kmph.
The XE does reclaim its own when it comes to driving dynamics as XE’s chassis is mounted on integral link rear and wishbone front-shocks, which somehow manage to keep the car well damped without losing much of the steering feel and stability even while pushing upper triple digits. The big cat gets torque vectoring which is great and keeps the Jag planted around corners and makes it feel alive and in its own. The dynamics do a lot to preserve that Jaguar essence in the XE keeping it exciting and agile.
XE Diesel Verdict
Now an econo-Jag might sound like an oxymoron but if you really think about it hard enough, the fact that Jaguars are now standardised and mainstream is a good thing. It allows you to take the Jag off your bedroom wall and have one in the garage. Its reliable, economical and it still drives like a Jag. At Rs 40.54 lakh for the Diesel Prestige model that we drove, we think the XE is definitely worth a look if you’re in the market for a premium-luxury car and the Germans are just not niche enough.
