On this flashback Friday we can’t help but reminisce about the @jaguarsouthafrica XE S, a comfortable and luxurious sporty sedan that makes for effortless driving within the city and on long drives on the highway. The 3.0 V6 under the hood ensures that it pounces on prey without hesitation at a moment’s notice. #friday #fbf #flashbackfriday #jaguarsouthafrica #jaguar #jaguarxe #jaguarxes #xes #sedan #sportysedan #v6 #power #speed #luxury #comfort

A post shared by The Car People (@khulekani_on_wheels) on Jul 12, 2018 at 10:02pm PDT

By Khulekani Dumisa

The luxury premium segment is dominated by the German troika, the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C Class and Audi A4. No doubt, each one of them is a fantastic product but what if they don’t rock your boat? Well, the English have something that they know will excite you. In fact we got to sample one of the top picks of its range recently. Ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about the Jaguar XE S which is powered by a 280 kW supercharged 3.0 V6 engine found in the F-Type and capable of making the XE S sprint from 0-100 km/h sprint in 5 seconds. Now, that we’ve got you excited, let’s break down why we think the Jaguar XE S will excite you.

The exterior design

The XE was built from ground up to specifically take on the Germans. This can be daunting but the assignment was taken on by hands that know they can land a punch or two on the formidable Germans. The front of the XE greets you with an elongated grille bearing the Jaguar emblem. This is complemented by well-crafted LED headlights on either side of the rectangular grille. The sharp lines running down the bonnet extend the appearance of the Jaguar XE and give it a commanding presence. You are not left wanting on the side profile with the back tyre arches that stretch out of the body bequeathing the XE with a sporty appearance. The back is also good to look at with boomerang LED lights. Overall the XE has a presence of something in between segments as it appears larger than competitors from the outside.

Interior

The cabin is where Jaguar has rather outdone themselves. They have spared no effort in using quality materials all over the cabin including generous leather with visible stitching on the dashboard. It’s not only that the interior is well crafted that does it for us, but importantly, it’s how well it all comes together. The front gives off airy floating feel. The infotainment screen is generous and tops off a centre console that is finished off in gloss black material. The buttons are carefully thought out and easy to reach from a driver’s position.

Apart from being well designed, the interior is spacious and affords all occupants generous legroom. The boot is also very good in terms of space. A family will enjoy times spent in the XE thanks to its space and comfort. The generous sunroof will also add to the ambience and ensure optimal enjoyment of long drives with a lot of light coming into the car and making it feel even more spacious.

One thing @jaguarsa does very well is their interiors. Uncompromising quality, comfort and sophistication is what you can look forward to in there. In the pictures is the interior of the XE S. pic.twitter.com/d5Au7t4uG9

— Khulekani on Wheels (@khuleonwheels) July 11, 2018

Convenience and drive

The XE S also excels from a technological safety point of view. Ours came with adaptive cruise control, lane assist and blind spot monitoring. These made time spent behind the wheel of the XE feel safer and thoroughly enjoyable.

From a connectivity point of view, the XE has two USB ports, an HDMI port, Bluetooth and was AppleCar Play enable. We also enjoyed the accurate navigation although the car didn’t have a sim-card to give live traffic updates. The car still managed to match our navigation on the phone most of the time.

The drive was perhaps what was most impressive. Jaguar has managed to strike that illusive balance between having a sporty sedan that’s actually comfortable for everyday use. The XE S is certainly not tame but you’d swear you are in a car with far lesser capability when it comes to comfort. The ride is comfortable and not as firm as you may expect. This changes at a flick of a button when you want to play around and a beast is unleashed however, even at that stage, comfort is not sacrificed at all. What a gentleman the XE S.

You’d have to consider a lot of things before you leave the dominant players in the field. One of the obvious ones in that the XE S does come at a premium when compared to the competition. You also have to check what the others offer as standard features before you come to a satisfactory point in the price comparison. Another point is depreciation and how much you’ll get when you eventually part ways with your cat. The Germans may do better. Again, you’ll have to do your homework. On the upside, you’ll get exclusivity that’s on par with the German offering in the market and you will not in any way feel like you’ve compromised on quality and looks when they pull up next to you. Some may even stir in envy.

The Jaguar XE range is priced as follows:

Jaguar XE Pure:                R575,900

Jaguar XE Prestige:          R631,500

Jaguar XE Portfolio:        R699,300

Jaguar R-Sport:                R656,400

Jaguar XE S:                 R1,004,800