by "LJ909" (lj909)
Published 05/02/2017 at 14:56
by "LJ909" (lj909)
Published 05/02/2017 at 14:56
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STARS: 1
Gambling must pay off when you do it like every weekend because a few months back, my girls dad won a brand new 2017 Jaguar XE from the local casino. All he had to do was go down to the local Jag dealer and pick out his color and pay the taxes on it when the time came. He ended up choosing a black on black 35t Prestige. Sticker on it was damn near $50 grand.
He comes and visits with my son every single Sunday so I asked him while they hung out could I take it for a drive for like an hour. I was honestly scared too because 1. he intimidates the hell out of me and 2. he garages the thing and only brings it out on the weekends or for family trips. But surprisingly he said sure but told me to be careful with a look that said “i’ll fuck you up if you scratch it”. He always has that look though.
Looks wise inside and out, its a looker and in line with the rest of the Jaguar lineup. I really like the rotary shiftier and the black gloss trim, though that has the tendency to get finger prints on it and could be scratch prone. I didn’t care for the infotainment system either and found the screen to be too small, something that didn’t fit with the rest of the high end feel of the car.
I ended up taking the car on some good driving roads around Lake Matthews out in Riverside County to get a good feel for the car and to see if it was a good competitor to the other sports sedans in the segment, namely the 3 Series and the ATS. I have to say that I was thoroughly surprised. The chassis was composed and cornered well and flat. I didn’t feel unsure about taking a curve at 50 like I thought I would have been.
The engine though is what makes the car. I believe (?) its shared with the F Type and it makes 340 horses while getting decent combined mileage of 24. It pulls strong and sounds great while doing so. Sports car like, especially in something like a tunnel or a freeway on ramp.
Reluctantly I returned the car to him before he injured me. It made me sad that as surprisingly good as it is, his sits in the garage most of the week. But thanks to that sweet sweet depreciation, maybe one day in the near future I can pick one of these up on the cheap. That is if haunting memories of how bad my S-Type R were don’t stop me.
"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
05/02/2017 at 15:11, STARS: 1
"not for canada - australian in disguise" (for-canada)
05/02/2017 at 15:36, STARS: 0
I don’t know why anybody would buy a 3 series, A4, or C-Class when the XE exists. Such a good looking car.
"LJ909" (lj909)
05/02/2017 at 15:40, STARS: 2
The 3, A4 and C Class pretty much have become status symbols. Jaguars are the same, but not as much and their sales reflect that. But this car is a drivers car though. Honestly its almost a 4 door F Type. Almost.
"Rico" (ricorich)
05/02/2017 at 15:42, STARS: 1
Part of it is Jag doesn’t have their own financing, they do it through JP Morgan Chase instead and because of that the pricing for leases and financing is atrocious.
"Arrivederci" (arrividerci)
05/02/2017 at 15:49, STARS: 0
Honestly its
almost
a 4 door F Type. Almost.
Dammit. Why’d you have to say that?! Now I have to go test drive one.
"LJ909" (lj909)
05/02/2017 at 15:50, STARS: 1
I would recommend it. Good thing it comes in diesel too.
"LJ909" (lj909)
05/02/2017 at 15:50, STARS: 0
I would recommend it. Good thing it comes in diesel too.
"haveacarortwoorthree2" (haveacarortwoorthree2)
05/02/2017 at 17:46, STARS: 1
I love my 13 XFR-S. Obviously the XE doesn’t have as much power and is a little smaller, but I bet it is fun to drive.
"LJ909" (lj909)
05/02/2017 at 17:56, STARS: 0
It is fun to drive. The only thing I dont like about the styling is that Jaguar seemed to take a page out of the Germans playbook where their cars have to be clones of the ones above and below each other. The XE pretty much looks like an XF.
"ZoopZoopLoops" (zoopzooploops)
05/02/2017 at 18:20, STARS: 0
I also recently drove an XE with the 35t. I agree the engine really makes it. It is fast. It’s effortless at normal speeds and has powerful linear acceleration up to redline when you want it. Sport mode would hold on to the revs, maintaining the throttle response. It was a joy to drive, with a very competent suspension to match.
The car looks great in the upgraded black metallic. Interior is nice, but nothing particularly outstanding about it. Materials are somewhat entry level luxury. Optional bells and whistles like adaptive cruise control (adds a noticeable feature to the grill) and the camera system front/rear/side that you can leave on while driving, or the 360degree birdseye view of the car for parking.
I like the XE much better than the 340 in terms of feel and style. Though if comparing the base 4cyl engine models, I may not come to the same conclusion. Or if you wanted to modify the car, then the BMW would probably be a better platform. I have not driven the new C class.
I will clarify that as enjoyable as it was to drive aggressively, like many new cars, it’s luxury aspect does give you a sense of isolation, so it may not be fulfilling as a sports car.
"haveacarortwoorthree2" (haveacarortwoorthree2)
05/02/2017 at 18:24, STARS: 0
Much to the chagrin of the XF owners! Although mine is distinctive enough that I don’t care. :)
"LJ909" (lj909)
05/02/2017 at 18:24, STARS: 0
Yea the Sport mode is a proper sport mode in that regard to holding revs. Totally agree with you about the interior. Its nice, but it seems that Jag reminded you that you aren’t in an XJ materials wise. That seems to be the case with most luxury makes: spend 40-50 grand and that’s entry level to them and you will get entry level materials compared to the price that look nice but closer inspection shows cost cutting.
It is quiet too. I had to drive with the windows down to hear the exhaust. Not something that I want to do in a Sports sedan. Its good and bad.
"LJ909" (lj909)
05/02/2017 at 18:26, STARS: 0
Oh hell yea, especially in that blue color.
"haveacarortwoorthree2" (haveacarortwoorthree2)
05/02/2017 at 18:32, STARS: 0
Until I looked at your picture, I hadn’t ever thought about any wheels other than my black ones. I think I do like the black better.
"LJ909" (lj909)
05/02/2017 at 18:34, STARS: 0
Yea black makes anything look better on most cars. The whole car though, from the blue to the big ass wing out back is just glorious. Im jealous.