Motoring Writer IAN LAMMING discovers that the latest Jaguar XE is a real heart-warmer
YOU want speed? I want speed, especially this morning.
We are off to a late start, school is beckoning and the windscreen is thick with ice. This is the speed I want; zero (degrees) to defrosted in ten seconds. No scraping, no spraying, no messing.
Revenge of the rabbit hutch, those criss-cross heating elements in the windscreen get to work on Jack Frost and he pales to nothing under their withering stare. Oh yeah; winter, bring it on.
Heated seats, heated mirrors, heated steering wheel and, as quick as a shot, all your extremities are toasty. While the rear screen demists I can use the optional ClearSight interior rearview mirror. This uses a camera in the aerial fin and projects the pictures to the rear view mirror which becomes a TV monitor – amazing.
Once on the road there is a concern that black ice might be lurking around every bend, and straight, come to think of it. What will help is the fact that this is the P300 XE HSE R-Dynamic and it comes with all-wheel-drive.
There’s also a raft of other safety/grippy devices including All Surface Progress Control (ASPC), hill launch assist, Jaguar Drive Control, Torque Vectoring by Braking (TVBB), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), not to mention Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) and High-speed Emergency Braking. Phew, now that’s a lot of technology keeping four rubber contact patches on the road.
P300 is a 2.0, four-cylinder, turbo-charged petrol unit. Guess how many horses that turns out – yep, 300. So this new XE is swift to say the least – 0-60mph in 5.4 seconds, 155mph top speed but 33mpg, which isn’t half bad.
New XE is sporting fresh looks too, front and back and is all the better for it. It looks low-slung and sporty, especially with the optional 20in alloys, the air-swallowing grille, slim-line lights and smart rear end. It’s a looker.
Inside benefits from JLR’s peerless design and technology with new touchscreen layout and a prestigious upmarket, high quality finish. It is contemporary and plush creating feel-good factor at the very top end of the scale.
It feels bigger too. I did tend to smack my head climbing in and out of the previous model but not so with new XE and you seem to have more elbow room too, while there were no complaints from rear seat passengers either.
But the driver gets to be the smuggest as he gets to use all that power, all that grip and fabulous handling too.
New XE really has come on leaps and bounds and offers buyers of luxury saloons a vehicle that will definitely warm their hearts.
Fact File
Model: Jaguar XE HSE R-Dynamic AWD
Engine: 2.0 litre, petrol turbo
Drivetrain: eight-speed auto
Power: 300bhp
Top speed: 155mph
0-60mph: 5.4 secs
Miles per gallon 33.6 (combined):
CO2 (g/km): 167
Price £45,835.00