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The 2020 Jaguar XE P300
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Germany may have the lock on the compact luxury
sedan market, but a formerly stray cat is making a come
back dressed in Caldera Red.
If someone wants a compact luxury car, you
think first of Audi, BMW, Mercedes. But Germany is
not exclusive in its ability to manufacture a car in this
segment. Consider the 2020 Jaguar XE P300 R-Dynamic
S AWD. Sure, you might not have the exact same object
of aspiration that your neighbors also have on their
driveway, but iconoclasm has its benefits.
Even though these compact luxury cars are
generally pretty good at everything, automakers can still
choose to highlight important attributes. Jaguar takes a
page from the same book as BMW when it comes to the
2020 XE, because its driving dynamics are placed front
and center, and to good effect. The XE’s ride quality is on
the stiff side, but chuck this four-door into a corner and
the suspension will keep things nice and flat. The ride
isn’t harsh, it’s just communicative, and it does settle into
a smoother groove on long, flat stretches of expressway.
Combine that with direct, nicely weighted steering and
you’ve got the makings of an exciting sedan.
There’s a whole lot of interesting metal in this
segment. The XE P300 might lack the punch of the
Audi S4, BMW M340i or Mercedes-AMG C43, but its fuel
economy is better. But only the Audi S4 can match the XE
P300’s base price -- the Bimmer and Merc require almost
$10,000 more to get started. The BMW is probably the
best point of comparison from a driver’s perspective,
while the Mercedes errs more toward luxury.
We enjoyed the XE’s most powerful engine, a
2.0-liter turbocharged I4 producing 296 horsepower and
295 pound-feet of torque. That torque arrives nice and
early in the revs, which makes getting up to speed easy
and fun.
This Jaguar sedan is absolutely worth your time. It
looks and fits like a well-tailored suit, it’s fun to drive and
the tech is impressive. Break down the walls of tradition
and try something new.