What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

JaguarXE

2.0D180SER-DynamicAWDauto

Mileage 2840

Listprice£39,475TargetPrice£36,693

Priceastested£47,410

OptionsttedTechnologyPack(£1470),

DrivePack(£1000),ParkHeatwithremote

control(£1000),split-spokeglossblackalloy

wheels(£900),CaesiumBluemetallicpaint

(£600),Meridiansoundsystem(£600),Matrix

LEDheadlights(£500),ColdClimatePack

(£445),electricbootlid(£400),ExteriorBlack

Pack(£350),privacyglass(£325),aluminium

trimnisher(£175)andheated12-way

electricfrontseats(£170)

Testeconomy40.8mpg

Ofcialeconomy46.4mpg(WLTP)

whatcar.com^ April 2020 83

WHENACARhasbeenonsaleforafewyears,

it’snormalforitsmakertofreshenthingsup

bytweakingitsexteriordesignandenhancing

equipment;thinkofitastheautomotive

equivalentofgettingahaircutorbuyinga

newpairofglasses.But,tomyeyesatleast,the

recentchangestotheJaguarXEmakeabigger

differencethanmostofthesemid-lifeupdates.

For starters, slimmer, LED headlights and

reshaped air intakes in the front bumper give

it a much more aggressive appearance than

before, as well as one that’s more distinct from

the looks of Jaguar’s other saloons. Meanwhile,

the rear lights have been moved on by about

half a century, because they now take their

inspiration from the I-Pace electric car rather

than the 1960s E-Type.

The infotainment system is another

feature that’s been upgraded, with a 10.0in

touchscreen replacing the 8.0in setup –

complete with Fisher Price-plastic shortcut

buttons – that used to come as standard. In fact,

quality in general feels much improved.

Don’t get me wrong; the XE was never a bad

car. I ran one for a year when it fi rst came out

and loved the way it managed to combine a

forgivingridewithtauthandling.It’sjustthat

youhadtomakeallowancesforitinquitea

fewareas–somethingthosestandoutdriving

mannersmadeeasyenoughtodoatthetime

butwhichI’dfindhardertoday,givenhow

muchstrongerthecompetitionis.

Forthenextfewmonths,then,I’llbe

runninganXEtoseeifitcontinuestoimpress

oncethenoveltyofitsnewlooksandflashier

interiorhavewornoff.Specifically,I’vegone

fora178bhp2.0-litrediesel(thebiggestseller

intheUK)inmid-levelSEtrimandwiththe

R-Dynamicpack,whichbrings18inwheels,

leatherseatswithcontraststitching,sports

suspensionandanevensportierappearance.

I’vealsoaddedthe£350ExteriorBlackPack,

whichreplacestheusualchromedetailingwith

glossblack,andthe£1470TechnologyPack,

whichincorporatessomeparticularlydesirable

pieces of kit – namely, a head-up display, digital

instruments, wireless phone charging and a

second touchscreen.

This extra screen replaces most of the

conventional air-con controls and defi nitely

ups the wow factor. But unlike the similar setup

in the rival Audi A4, it doesn’t compromise ease

of use, because its icons are all big and easy to

hit, and they’re complemented by two physical

dials that change function depending on the

menu selected.

One thing that obviously hasn’t changed

about the XE is the amount of space you get; it’s

a lot tighter in the back than the A4 or the BMW

3 Series. Then again, my wife can still sit behind

me (and alongside our two-year-old daughter)

without her knees touching my seat. And

LOGBOOK

Refreshedexecutive

saloonis out toprove

that it cannow compete

with rivalsonall fronts

whilethebootisfarfromclass-leading,our

daughter’sbuggygoesinwithspacetospare.

I’malsopleasedtosaythattheXEisasgood

todriveasIremember,dartingintobends,

stayingflatandcomposedthroughallmanner

oftwistsandturnsandtakingthestingoutof

potholesevenonitsfirmed-upsuspension.The

onlythingthatletsthesidedownistheengine,

whichcansoundrattly,particularlywhencold.

Isthisproblembadenoughtomakeme

regretrunninganXE?Absolutelynot.But

as the miles pile on, it will be interesting

to see if more niggles follow or if Jaguar’s

most affordable model is now as good at the

mundane stuff as the fun.

Jaguar XE 2.0D180SER-DynamicAWDauto

FIRST

REPORT

OUR CARS

Steve Huntingford

[email protected]

Handling remains

an XE strong point;

interior looks much

smarter than before