The day has finally come when the world got to see the Jaguar XE in flesh. Touted as the most fuel efficient Jaguar till date, the British luxury carmaker had been teasing the latest saloon edition to its line-up for quite some time. In addition to the release of the tid-bits about the car, Jaguar also undertook an elaborate marketing campaign to declare the arrival of the XE.
The company, in a video/ trailer/ teaser, first roped in the RAF Red Arrows ahead of the all-new Jaguar XE's global debut. The RAF Red Arrows are seen cruising over the company's home in Coventry, England, before the video ends with a shot of the XE being airlifted by a helicopter.
Watch the video here:
Then day before yesterday, i.e. September 6, 2014, Jaguar revealed a unique aluminium word cloud sculpture in the shape of the new Jaguar XE sports saloon at the London Design Museum. The installation features 95 words, which describe the new XE, in 7 languages, including French, German, Spanish, Italian, English, Russian and Mandarin.
Though that's not all of the extravagant campaign to herald the saloon's arrival, we'll save that discussion for another day.
The rear-wheel drive Jaguar XE sports saloon features advanced lightweight construction, streamlined styling, luxurious interior, and quality ride and handling. Set to go on sale in 2015, Jaguar debuted the car with an indicative starting price of £27,000.
The all-new Jaguar XE gets the high-performance S model at the top of the range.
Here's all you need to know about the Jaguar XE till they tell us more at the 2014 Paris Motor Show:
a. Design
The Jaguar XE is the first model developed from Jaguar Land Rover's new modular vehicle architecture. It features a long wheelbase and low seating position that enables perfect proportions and a streamlined, coupe-like profile. Furthermore, the S model gets large front air intakes, chrome side vents, discreet rear spoiler and optional 20-inch forged alloy wheels.
b. Interiors
The company claims the baby Jaguar's cabin offers outstanding levels of comfort and spaciousness, thanks to the use of exquisite materials and finishes. Let's not forget that the XE is also the first Jaguar to be equipped with electric power steering.
c. Engine
First things first, the Jaguar XE will be powered by a range of 4- and 6-cylinder diesel and petrol Jaguar engines - Ingenium. For those who wish for more, there's the XE S, which shares its supercharged 3.0-litre V6 with the acclaimed F-TYPE. The V6 on the XE S develops 335bhp and 450Nm of peak torque, and offers quite the acceleration and performance. It goes from 0-60mph in just 4.9 seconds, and offers an electronically-limited top-speed of 249Km/h.
The Ingenium family delivers class-leading performance and refinement while reducing emissions and fuel consumption. The company says this new family of low-friction, high-performance petrol and diesel engines was a result of the endeavour to meet the growing demand for lower fuel consumption and cost of ownership, without compromising performance and the driver experience.
Both, the diesel and petrol versions are based on extremely strong and compact aluminium blocks which share the same bore, stroke, cylinder spacing and 500cc cylinder capacity.
d. Fuel-Efficiency
It is no secret that lightweight construction is central to any Jaguar's DNA; the Jaguar XJ, XK and F-Type have all been developed using exceptionally stiff bonded and riveted aluminium structures. Add the XE to that list of models to use aerospace-inspired technology. That said, this reduction in weight consequently ensures that the XE is the most fuel-efficient Jaguar yet. The luxury carmaker says the Jaguar XE delivers a fuel economy of over 75mpg, which roughly translates to 26 Km/l, on EU combined cycle.
e. Infotainment System
The sports saloon gets 'InControl', a new 8-inch touch-screen infotainment system that eases access to all features and functions, including voice control. Furthermore, the XE also gets an 'industry-first' laser head-up display that projects sharp, high-contrast colour images onto the windscreen. Talking about InControl, the system also includes InControl Remote, which will allow users to connect their phones to the car from wherever they are and thus provide control over of a range of the car's functions like 7-day timed pre-setting of the climate control system, locking or unlocking the doors, starting the engine or even locating the car in a parking lot.
Then there is the InControl Apps that allows users to access smartphone apps via the Jaguar XE's touch-screen. That pretty much translates to this: you can make a conference call, find a parking space or book a hotel room among other things, from your car! However, that's not all. The XE has also been configured to function as a WiFi hotspot, which will enable multiple devices to connect to the internet.
