Jaguar has given the XE an update, designed to make it that little bit more appealing in a market that’s increasingly shifting away from this sort of car; the average buyer of a ‘premium’ car is now less likely to look for a saloon and instead for a fat hatchback. An SUV, that is.
And so, while it doesn’t get any design changes because that happened last year, the starting price of an XE has been slashed from £34,600 to £29,356. Jaguar has also made buying an XE less baffling by near enough halving the number of derivatives, down from 24 to 13. Handily, that'll cut Jaguar's production costs too.
Only three trim levels are available now: S, SE and HSE. Buyers can then add an R-Dynamic Black pack to that, which brings extra equipment and styling elements including red brake callipers, tinted windows, gloss black trim, and a choice of 19- or 20-inch wheels.
The £29k starting price for an S puts the XE on par with Jaguar’s smallest SUV, the E-Pace, while an update to the XE’s infotainment system makes the interior far more intuitive and modern than before. That’s the biggest change actually, with Jaguar ditching the old Touch Duo Pro setup and replacing it with the latest Pivi Pro system comprising a 12-inch digital instrument binnacle, a 10-inch touchscreen for the infotainment, and a 5.5-inch screen to control the air con.
Pivi Pro is not only easier to use, it’s also powered by an independent battery pack which allows it to both power up more quickly and update itself when necessary when the car’s parked. The only other change to the interior is a new steering wheel, although buyers might also notice that they’re breathing that little bit more easily because there’s also a new cabin air filtration system that removes even the most minute of airborne particles.
And finally the drivetrains, which now include a mild hybrid diesel that’s both more powerful and more efficient than the non-MH diesel it replaces. It’s the same 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder block but with a 48v battery pack attached to assist with acceleration and ease load, improving efficiency. The setup is rated at 201bhp with 430Nm, good for a 7.3-second sprint to 62mph and returning 58.5mpg and 127g/km.
The petrol lineup is unchanged, with two versions of a 2.0-litre turbo unit available, one with 247bhp and the other 296bhp. An eight-speed automatic gearbox is standard.
You can order a new XE now, priced from…no, we’ve done that already. You can order it online though and have it delivered to your door early next year.
Keyword: Jaguar updates XE, slashes five grand off the starting price