Jaguar XE: Sporty zing

The all-new Jaguar XE Portfolio adds a dash of adventure to luxury

Jaguar's new XE is the baby in the family and has enough punch to be called a sports saloon. The new Jaguar XE was launched in two variants, the Pure and Portfolio. Recently, the company added a Prestige variant.

All these are powered by a 1999cc - cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, but the Portfolio model I drove is the most powerful of the lot, producing 237 horse power @ 5500 rpm and a peak torque of 340Nm at around 2000 to 4500rpm.

The all-new Jaguar XE Portfolio costs Rs 46.50 lakh (ex showroom). The car has a short overhang at the rear with the high intensity LED tail lamps, obviously inspired by the sporty Jaguar F-Type. Twin exhausts enhance the rear looks. Not to miss is the Jaguar emblem on the boot.
 

Convenience features like power folding exterior mirrors in body colour, rain sensing wipers, side turn indicators and puddle lamps add value to the car.

The seats are softgrain Windsor leather with perforation that adds to the comfort. You can adjust the front seats electrically (10-way). And, four memory settings for the driver seats enable you to store your favourite seat position.

The seating in front is comfortable, with dual zone climate control. At the rear, there is space for three adults with enough leg and knee room.

The InControl Touch feature gives you control over the car's major functions through an eight-inch touch screen. The car comes with a 380 W Meridian sound system.

Put your foot on the brake pedal and press the start/stop button once. The engine roars to life and you will notice that a large knob on the console gently surfaces to enable you to rotate it and select the drive mode. You can only rotate the knob if your foot is pressed on the brake. This is obviously for safety reasons. It's a simple setting - P (Parking), R (Reverse), N (Neutral), D (Drive) and S (Sport).

The Jaguar XE is the first of a new generation of cars to be launched on Jaguar's all-new aluminum-intensive architecture. It has an electric-powered assisted steering and an all-surface progress control, which is a low-speed cruise control that helps cope with low traction situations. The car also has torque vectoring by braking. The engine is mated to an eight-speed electronic automatic transmission with Jaguar sequential shift. In the D mode, the moment you floor the accelerator, the car gains speed almost instantly, kicking in the turbo at rpms above 2000.

To get more zing out of the car, the sport mode is awesome and if you combine paddle shifters with it, driving the car is a lot more fun.

---

JAGUAR XE PORTFOLIO

Engine: 1999cc petrol 4-cylinder turbocharged
Transmission: 8-speed electronic automatic transmission with Jaguar Sequential Shift / paddle shifters
Power: 237hp@ 5500rpm
Torque: 340 Nm @ 2000-4500 rpm
Price: Rs 46.50 lakh (ex showroom Delhi)