MoneywebDRIVE: Feature
The all-new Jaguar XE range is the first
D-Segment premium player that the company has introduced since the X-Type, which
launched here over a decade or so ago,
but had neither the styling, interior finishes or
the performance dynamism to really set the
pulses racing.
The XE, however, is the real-deal, and it has a
shape that will see would-be owners pouring
over online catalogues in dream-like reverie,
while those who take the plunge will probably spend the first couple of weeks of ownership sitting in their garage in the evenings
and merely staring at the sensuous, sinuous
lines and admiring the fine detailing of grille,
airscoops, wheels and the chunky rear end.
Happily, that beautiful shape cloaks an
equally stylish interior and, beneath the
skin, an engineering integrity of which
the Coventry cats can be exceptionally
proud. The hype as far as chassis, suspension, engine and electronic systems is con-
cerned is in fact delivered by the new XE
as far as performance, ride, handling and
steering feel are concerned, if our extensive launch drive in the Western Cape a
few days ago proved.
The XE comes in five trim levels and with three
engine derivatives. The engines are the turbocharged four-cylinder 2,0-litre as already
seen in the larger XF and XJ models, the
3,0-litre supercharged V6 as employed in the
XJ and the exciting F-Type sports car, and
the all-new Ingenium two-litre diesel, which
makes its debut here in the XE range.
Here is the range and the pricing.
2,0 Diesel Pure: R 534 800
2,0 Diesel Portfolio: R 590 400
2,0 Diesel R-Sport: R654 600
2,0 Petrol Prestige: R644 953
2,0 Petrol Portfolio: R709 253
2,0 Petrol R-Sport: R628 653
3,0 V6 Supercharged S: R915 652
Twisty-road driving has always been a hunting-ground for Jaguar and XE rear-
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