My summer COVID-19 travel moratorium continues, so I am back to trawling the airport rental lot looking for some more interesting cars to drive. I had just about given up on finding anything interesting on my most recent prowl when this 2019 Jaguar XE caught my eye. I must confess, I’ve never driven a Jaguar and always wanted to, so I plunked down my credit card at the counter and was on my way.
In true rental car fashion, my 2019 XE was a base model with no options. Even the black color is one of only three no extra cost colors. This is the loss leader model that allows Jaguar to advertise a low $39,900 starting price and $369/month lease, but that few people actually end up buying. A quick nationwide search on Jaguar’s website turned up exactly zero $39,900 XE’s for sale (the cheapest model I found still had one option, keyless entry). I guess that makes my rental model unique in that regard.
So what exactly do you get for $39,900? It might be easier to go over what you don’t get: You don’t get heated seats, keyless entry, all-wheel drive, LED headlights, Apple CarPlay, HomeLink, blind spot sensors, parking sensors, or any wood or metal trim inside. You do however get a panoramic moonroof, dual power seats, dual-zone A/C, and a decent 10” widescreen touchscreen infotainment system, so it is not all bad. You also get 5 years/60,000 miles of scheduled maintenance.
Behind the wheel, the Jag comports itself well. It boasts a surprisingly compliant ride (I was taken aback by how soft it was at first), yet gives up no ground in terms of handling. It was noticeably less choppy than my A3 on the same broken roads, no doubt aided by the 7″ longer wheelbase. Steering is suitably quick and body motions are well controlled. The 247 hp 2.0T Ingenium engine, which utilizes Multiair variable valve lift and timing technology licensed from Fiat, is as strong as any two-liter four in this class. The transmission is the highly praised 8-Speed ZF 8HP unit (the same unit used by Audi and BMW), so no issues here. It always seems to be in the right gear and shifts the right amount of gears at exactly the right time.
Dynamically, the XE gives up very little ground to its competitors and quite frankly behaves both as a Jaguar and a luxury sport sedan should. If only this piece were just about driving dynamics, I could finish up right now. Alas, there other issues to address, mainly around the overall Jaguar-ness of the XE.
As I confessed at the opening of this piece, I have never driven a Jaguar before. But based on reading many magazine articles over the decades and observing countless examples at car shows, I have a pretty good idea of what, in my mind, constitutes a Jaguar and what I should therefore reasonably expect.
Rear three-quarter is probably the XE’s best angle.
The first thing I expect from a Jaguar drop-dead gorgeous styling. After all, this is the company that gave us such eye candy as the D-Type, the XK120/140, and of course the E-Type, a car whose styling is so legendary that one is exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. They also gave us some sexy sedans, like the Mark 2, and even the slender pillared Series 1 XJ. Even the current XJ, with its sweeping roofline, while not a stunner, it at least distinctive and somewhat attractive. While not a swing and a miss like the Ford Mondeo based X-Type, the XE comes across as a little too generic and bland. If I squint I can see some Jaguar mixed in with some hints of a Volvo S40, Acura TL, and a dash of Mazda 6 (which some think actually pulls off a better Jaguar than Jaguar). But I shouldn’t have to work so hard. A proper Jaguar should be immediately recognizable as such.
Black dashboard with (fake) piano black trim.
Maybe we’ll fare better on the interior, where upon opening the door I had expected to be hit with the odiferous blend of soft Connolly hides and acres of highly polished walnut or maple slathered to the doors, dashboard, and steering wheel. Instead, what I experienced was distinctly more TJ Maxx than Saville Row. For starters, there was not a splinter of wood to be seen anywhere. For an optional upgrade, you can get a tiny square of wood around the shifter on the center console. And that is it. Recall that my 2017 Ford Fusion Platinum had genuine wood trim on the dashboard and all four door panels. This is one area where the X-Type exceeded the XE.
Could pretty much be any car.
OK, but what about the leather? Yes, the seat faces were covered in a material that appeared to be leather, but it was about on par with what you might find in a Jetta. Other than the steering wheel (and of course the seats), no other surface inside the car was ensconced in leather. Again, I hate to keep going back to my Fusion, but not only did it have leather seats (diamond tufted, no less), but also real leather on the dashboard and all four door panels. My point here is that if Ford can do this kind of wood and leather treatment for $35,000, Jaguar should be able to do it for $40,000. And not just as an optional upgrade, but standard. Every Jaguar buyer, even those of the base model like the one I drove, is entitled to a full wood and leather Jaguar experience. To do otherwise is to betray the name.
Window switches and mirror control are hard to reach on an elevated pod.
The door panels are completely bereft of any wood, metal (beyond the handle), or even plastic contrasting trim, and for all the world look like the injection molded door panels GM was rightly blasted for using in the 1970s. They feel like it too: Other than a very thin vinyl pad applied to the armrest, the materials are rock hard. Once inside, the dashboard seems to sit about an inch lower than the windshield cowl, necessitating an odd filler panel. It is almost as if the interior designer was going for a low and open look, while the exterior designer wanted a high sill and narrow window openings, and they forgot to compare notes.
The British phonebooth icon was a “Surprise and Delight” moment.
One my outrage calmed down and I got into the car, things began to look up. The interior was still tight and rattle-free, even after 20,000 undoubtedly hard rental car driven miles. After pairing my phone, the screen represented it with a picture of a British phonebooth, which brought a genuine smile to my face. This is exactly the kind of British charm that the XE could desperately use more of. However, other than some dodgy ergonomics, I couldn’t really point to anything else inside other than that phonebooth picture that felt particularly British. Just spitballing here, but how about a Union Jack wallpaper on the navigation system, or perhaps use British word spelling instead of American on the menus? Really, a small investment in charm here by Jaguar would pay huge dividends in what marketers like to call “Surprise and Delight” moments.
While others online have complained about it, I found the touch-screen infotainment system to be intuitive and responsive. The gesture based navigation is very similar to what you likely already are familiar with on your phone, including swiping between pages and press-and-hold to edit. You can customize the layout of the homepage to your liking, and even select different wallpapers. The standard sound system handled my loud, thumping EDM with aplomb, and quite frankly sounded better than some “Premium” sound systems I’ve experienced (the Ford Sony and Lincoln THX systems both sound worse).
So to sum it up, what are we looking at here? The basic mechanicals (and electronics) of the XE are excellent and solidly executed. Unlike past Jaguars, I can’t think of any major warnings not to buy it. Unfortunately, I can’t really think of any reasons TO buy it, either. What is missing is are the true quintessential characteristic that makes a Jaguar a Jaguar.
As it is, I struggle to see who the intended buyer of the XE is supposed to be. Anglophiles? There isn’t enough Britishness here to appease the tea and crumpets set. Someone looking for an alternative Audi/BMW/Mercedes triumvirate? Perhaps, but these are all excellent cars that few people are seeking alternatives to, and all of these models offer better interiors in their base configuration. Jaguar is trying to carve a niche for itself, but with a vehicle that is not distinctive or bold enough to do so.
Postscript: Jaguar has done a mid-cycle refresh on the XE for 2020 and addressed some of the issues with the 2019 model. Most importantly, they increased the amount of standard equipment (while maintaining the $39,900 base price). Standard equipment now includes LED headlights, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, parking sensors, and ambient interior lighting. The shifter dial has been replaced with a proper lever, and the windows switches on the door have been moved from the weird elevated pod they were on in my rental to the armrest where they belong. None of my other complaints about the interior have been addressed, however.
Nice review Tom.
Entry-level lux sports sedans are universally terrible values when MSRP is compared to equipment levels. Seek ye the subsidized lease. The Jag appears to be fully competitive with its peers by this metric. I fully agree that this has lost all of the distinctiveness I associate with the Jaguar name. The outside is clean and attractive, but not expressive or unique, while the interior is, as you say, Any Car.
My guess is that the company was looking to escape the stereotypical old British themes of quad headlights and burl walnut and join the sterile modernity of the German competitors. Enough with the manor houses and Cotswolds, dammit, London has The Shard and so shall Jaguar have piano black.
I think I’d roll the dice and lease a Giulia 2.0T if I were shopping this segment. If scuttlebutt is correct, that’s perhaps the only true driver’s car in the segment. While the Quadrifoglio has a notorious reputation for being problematic even in the short term, I wonder if the simpler 2.0T would waltz through the lease period.
Yeah, the Giulia 2.0T should be fine, just keep the options list short (so there’s less to go wrong).
Or you could just skip ahead to a Lexus IS. What you lose in speed (IS 300) or fuel efficiency (IS 350), you’ll make up in build- and material quality, without giving up on comfort or driving dynamics. And it’s recognizably Japanese, making it one of the few cars in this segment with a distinctive character…
Yeah, it’s the styling. The XJ6 (in all its versions, even with rectangular headlights) was around for so long, and carried on certain cues from early Mk sedans that were around before even I was born, that it set the expectation for what a Jag saloon should look like. BMW and Audi, and to a lesser extent even Mercedes, have kept that visual brand identity but Jaguar lost it. Handsome car? Sure. But it’s easily mistaken for a Kia. I do like the phone booth, and I love the suggestion of using Anglicisms in the user interface. “Do not change the display colour whilst driving at motorway speeds”.
“The operator is politely requested not to adjust vehicular accoutrements whilst at speed.”
All new car interiors lately are just a sea of grey. No contrast. So dull, in my opinion.
I had to wait almost 3 months to get this interior color with the dark blue/turquoise (depending on sun angle) exterior on my 2019 Camry. All the dealer had in stock was gray or black interiors.
This exterior color was also hard to find on a Camry.
All the dealer had in stock was silver, black or red.
Funny you should make this comment, as here in the Tampa Bay area it seems like every other Camry I see is that blue. I love the color, and I look at each one I see because a former co-worker bought one in that color, so I’m always scanning to see if it’s her. (I do think she has either a black or grey interior though.)
There do seem to be more blue colored (Anglicism: coloured) cars lately in the suburban San Francisco Bay Area in recent years. Most are a medium metallic blue, on Subarus, Toyotas and the like. They do provide a relief from the monotony of general colorlessness (colourlessness) and the trend, if it is one, has not yet livened up the Teutonic segment.
Or maybe it’s actually a throwback. Subaru’s blue is nearly identical to a color (colour) introduced by Chrysler in 2006, mostly seen on Ram pickups.
Love how this color changes from midnight blue (almost black) at night to medium blue in the day and then to what passes for turquoise today at low afternoon sunshine angles.
Toyota actually does allocate certain combinations to specific regions. I’ve noticed this over the years in regards to both trim and equipment. The biggest example I can think of was the first Yaris; the 3 door “S” was west-coast only. Their website build configuration tool will even tell you what colors aren’t possible if so when you include your zip code.
Well compared to the XJs of the past with their burl walnut dash, every thing pales in comparison.
I just experienced a mental automotive orgasm after clicking on this picture.
That’s an S-Type dashboard from around 1965.
I think a lot of people considering this or an Alfa Giulia For example do so precisely because it ISN’T yet another ubiquitous A4, 3-series or C-class. There’s too many of those and thus zero feeling of “specialness”, especially in their base levels too. Get an XE and you’ll likely be the only one in your subdivision or work parking lot. The base model is the rental special or the teaser. As you said, walk into the showroom and you won’t find it. Same as the $7999 Cavalier in 1994 it’s only purpose is to bring someone in the door to buy something nicer.
Ford May have wood and leather in their top of the line Fusion at 35k but then again discontinued the model seeing as they either couldn’t sell enough or at enough of a profit. Jaguar has its profitability issues as well but it’s amazing that they can keep going at their low volumes while Ford has trouble with much larger volumes of a bread and butter car at its most basic level.
Very interesting comparison. I have owned two Jaguars – an X-Type and an XJ8 Vanden Plas. I loved the styling of the X-Type (3/4 scale XJ) and respected it as it kept the Jaguar-defining wood, leather and chrome. The only “Mondeo” attribute that I disliked was Jaguar’s effort to mask the FWD architecture — the X-Type was offered only as AWD, which added weight, sapped power, and introduced more driveline noise. I would have been happier with FWD as I live in a flat environment.
My 2005 VDP was as Jaguar as a sedan can get. When it came time to replace it, I could not accept the styling of its successor. What did I land on? A 2018 Ford Fusion Platinum. We are very happy.
We too had an X-Type and were very happy with it. The styling worked as looking like a Jaguar as did the interior. Pretty much everything Tom didn’t like on this one he drove athough he doesn’t seem to be a fan of the X-type either 🙂 And it was largely Ford bits underneath which was probably a good thing at that time. The X-Type wagon is still on my top-10 wagons list, gorgeous car.
I had two different X-Types before I got my XE, and they were great cars, another model I don’t understand why people bagged on. Put good tires on ’em and they’ll handle like crazy. Both the ones I had were 5-speeds, and I had the 3.0 on Tail of the Dragon keeping up with a guy on a Ducati. Keep it in 2nd, scrub off just enough speed to keep control, pin it down about halfway through the curve, let the AWD do its magic. I couldn’t make that car break loose even if I’d wanted to. The interiors were nice, comfy, felt good, especially the sport interior with the better seats (second one had it). They looked good outside and I still think they wore that 3/4-scale XJ styling very well.
These days, what IS “leather” in cars anyway? It isn’t top grain cowhide any more, in many cases. It too often appears to be midlevel cow skin in a thin layer, bonded to a fabric backing which is readily visible when the “leather” cracks (it’s less durable than cloth interiors). The visible finish is artificially created, basically coated in colored vinyl. All that keeps it from being a total,fake is that part of it did once walk in a sunny, grassy field.
It ISN’T what was in your British uncle’s Mark II or your American uncle’s deVille.
My other half worked briefly for a furniture company, so I got the lowdown on that “leather”. In the home furnishings industry they refer to it a “bonded Leather”, which is essentially ground up scraps of leather that are mixed with a vinyl filler and then bonded to a cloth backing. Apparently there’s just enough actual cowhide product in it to qualify it to be called leather.
I’m quite confident that most automotive leather is of the “bonded” variety. I actually find it refreshing that certain automakers are now offering “leatherette” upholstery (VW comes to mind). There’s not a damn thing wrong with vinyl for car interiors if it’s done right. I’d be more inclined to purchase leatherette over the “Pleather” that most car seats actually are covered in.
Correct answer- BMW “Leatherette” and MB “MB-Tex” immediately come to mind. Synthetic, hard-wearing, looks like the real thing yet you pay more for varying grades of ‘real leather’.
Thanks for the interesting and thoughtful review. I have the 20l8 version of this car with a bit more in the way of options (Larger wheels, AWD, keyless entry, upgraded heated/ventilated seats, LED headlights, Meridian sound system, heated front windscreen, slightly upgraded interior bits and a few other little things) but the previous gen Infotainment (8 inch screen with buttons around it. Works fine but I would definitely prefer the current version with Carplay). I picked it up from the local Jaguar dealer as a former loaner after cross shopping it against some obvious competitors (C-Class, 3 Series, Guila and also a Jetta GLI).
You ask why someone would choose the XE well if I was being honest it was the deprecation that sealed the deal – similarly equipped C-Class and 3 Series in my area were going for about $10K more – however it wasn’t JUST the price. The XE is legitimately great to drive and I think nails the handling/ride balance better than any of its competitors. As to its appearance, when I first saw it I didn’t think it was anything special but over time it has really grown on me. Everything is very cohesive and works well together. The interior on the better optioned models is also a bit nicer but still not “Jaguar” enough.
So after about a year am I happy with my choice? I have to say mostly. The car is still a treat to drive (even in Canadian winters) and hasn’t caused me any major issues besides what I consider to be a pretty early rear brake job. Fuel economy has also been pretty great for such a decently quick car. Plus I have always wanted to own a Jag and now I do.
Ok, so it’s RWD/AWD.
Agreed, the all black interior is depressing especially since Jaguar’s heritage is really sumptuous interiors. I dunno what some wood or even fake wood, and fake wood nowadays is not the ’70’s hallucinations of the Granada, would cost (how much would would wood cost if Jaguar would use wood?) but a few $ spent would brighten this car up considerably.
Considering it’s really, really easy to option an Accord/Camry up to this level, this car does make sense as a bargain Jag especially as a lease. If you’re a midlevel management type and need to impress the boss/coworkers, this seems like a much better choice to say I drive a Jag than an Accord/Camry or a CRV or whatever. I’m not tempted, but I can see how this car makes sense. I dunno what the BMW/Audi/Mercedes competition is running but this does seem different enough to be interesting and polish one’s image a bit more than the everyone’s got one so I do too BMW/Audi/Mercedes.
This is an interesting review because you are the kind of person that Jaguar is trying to appeal to. That is, the person that has never owned or even considered buying a Jag. The company wanted to sever the ties to the past, the wood, leather, Old World ambiance and present a competent modern vehicle. Now all the guys that own and love old Jaguars can’t see much to covet in the current XE, XF line up. The top of the line XJ at least preserves some of the interior heritage cues. The problem is that guys like me don’t buy or lease new Jags. We just faun over the old ones.
It seems that you found a competent, contemporary functional car. However is there any reason to buy one over it’s rivals? Everyone knows what a Mercedes, BMW, and Audi is, and represents. In many ways, Jaguar is in the same boat as Cadillac. A storied, and once sought after marque, that’s having difficulty producing a product that satisfies what it’s buyers “think” that it should be.Thanks for the thoughtful review.
Shame about the lack of cow skin and tree in low line Jags theses days. For me the marque died when the Xj6 died back in 86. To my middle aged eyes they all look likes Lexus models,with even less interesting interiors our is it just me?.
I’d miss not having heated seats like my 2014 Acura has, but the rest of those options don’t really excite me much.
I wish I could edit my comments…I just wanted to say that this sill sounds like a very nice car. Sure BRG would be nice, along with some nicer wheels. Problem is you would have to order this car and probably not get as a good a price as some negotiation on a car on the lot.
All the new mid-sized cars look more like my Camry than they don’t.
Call it a Tata and price it against the VW GTI. Then the reality would align a little better with expectations, but it would probably still be a tough sell. Maybe they should call it a Rover and give it Range Rover styling cues. As it stands, there are nicer interiors in Japanese compacts that sell for little more than half the price.
I see two problems. Looks and Interior. They seem to have nailed the mechanicals and packaging, so that’s the hard bit done. This should be an easy fix.
Looks: it’s too generic. I reckon it would look more “Jaguarish” if the waistline dropped, and rose again over the rear wheels – give the car some haunches for that feline look. Okay, Jaguar sedans have had straight waistlines for decades, but the old sedans, even the big Mark VII/VIII/IX had a certain fleetness about them, a look that suggested speed, and it was the dropping fenderline that accentuated this. So, a swoopy waistline. It would also give deeper side windows – Jaguar could start a much-needed trend here.
Interior: Tom has nailed what’s wrong, and we all seem to have agreed. If a Jaguar’s interior doesn’t feel like a special place, can it really be a Jaguar? Management needs to bring the old interior designers out of retirement, apologise to them, grovel at their feet even, do the whole sackcloth-and-ashes routine, beat their breasts and say “We wuz wrong!” even, then stand back and let them at it! Boy did they know their job!
As it is, it’s a competent modern sedan, but generic. About the only standout thing about it is that it’s NOT another Ubiquitous German Prestige Sedan – they are SO common these days they have largely lost their prestigiousness. As it stands, would I purchase this Jaguar? No, I’d be more inclined to go for the aforementioned Mazda 6. Way downmarket maybe, but this Jaguar doesn’t offer a Reason To Purchase that appeals to me.
Considering that this car is roughly $2,000 over the median transaction price for a new vehicle these days, I’m not on board with a lot of the criticism here. Remember the “traditional” X-Type? The Rover 75? People loved their Britishness (eye roll). Besides that, you’ll pay more over at BMW for less features in a 3 series to start, so I’m not seeing this car being stripped relative to the target Jaguar is aiming for.
An XJ6 was a nicer car because it was vastly more expensive to begin with…
So I’m on my third Jag now, this one a 2017 XE 35t R-Sport, AWD with the supercharged V6. I love it! I actually had three cars I was going to test-drive that day, and the Jag happened to be the first just because of where the dealer was located. I drove it and bought it on the spot. Didn’t even bother with the other drives.
I’ve heard the interior criticisms before. It’s worth note that if you get out of the base trim, you get better seats, nicer dash materials, etc., and it’s also worth note that even the base interior’s still nicer than the comparable 3-Series or the small Mercedes SUV crossover thing (GLA maybe? I dunno, my former neighbor works for MB and had that as his company car).
In R-Sport spec, the interior’s quite nice, and the seats are fantastic. Mine are in a contrasting scheme, black bolsters with white inserts, that I find rather striking. I find the exterior styling rather fetching, and I’ve had a number of people come up to me asking about it.
But the real story’s in the driving. The supercharged V6 is a delightful engine, and the 8-speed is a great mate to it. My last Jag, an ’03 X-Type with a 5-speed manual and the 3.0, acquitted itself remarkably well on the Tail of the Dragon, and I have no doubt that this XE could do the same. Honestly, the thing’s stupid fast if you ask it to.
That’s probably the most interesting thing about it. In “Normal” and Drive, it’s a friendly housecat, docile, charming, a bit playful but incredibly comfortable for hours on end. The seats are good, the ride is smooth, and the responses are all what you expect. Put it in “Dynamic” and Sport, though, and the claws come out. Throw it into a corner, put your foot into it coming out, and next thing you know you’re rocking along at highly illegal speeds.
I also do not agree with the comments comparing it to luxed-up Fords. My husband’s previous car was a 2017 Fusion Titanium, and he’s now in a 2017 Taurus Limited with every option but for adaptive cruise. It’s a lovely car, to be sure. My seats are more comfortable, especially on a road trip, and better bolstered besides. My car’s quieter, better put together, tighter and more solid. The Taurus has everything options-wise my car does, but the Jag’s still the better car. We’ve been in a place for 20 years now where a mainstream brand can offer everything a luxury brand can, but the options list is not the only thing that makes a good car.
As for me? I intend to hold onto this one for awhile.
Pic didn’t post…
Interior
Sorry, that’s a damned good looking car.
From what I’ve read, the supercharged V6 was the one to have. It has since been canceled.
Drove an older model in the same manner, as a rental. It looked like a Ford Fusion/Mustang combo.
It had the turbo and was very happy with its performance. I took it around Angeles Crest before I returned it it. It felt very well balanced. Never did figure out how to turn the A/C off.
Honestly I was impressed and considering one in the future. I will however wait and see feedback through the forums on reliability.
Here’s a pic of it on Lower Tujunga.
The dashboard dropped below the windshield thing works if they committed to it and did it right, like they did the first time with the last XJ (which I still, unlike the author, think is by far the coolest looking car in its class, and I’ve seen examples on the street recently).