Best Jaguar Sedans

I am in love with my car – The car looks brilliant, glides over country roads, is quiet, very economical, understated, has excellent features and accessories, internal leather… Read more

is first class, the entertainment system is excellent, and the colour - the colour sapphire blue is WOW.

Often overlooked against the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C Class and Audi A4 – It’s a matter of fact that the Jaguar XE has been lagging in its sales behind the usual German suspects in this small and medium sedan segment. … Read more

Mercedes, BMW and Audi are the familiar brands to head to when buying a smart-looking sedan with a splash of luxury. The C-Class, 3 Series and A4 have all been smart options for a reliable and upmarket option for the best blend of business and casual use.

Jaguar launched the smaller XE sedan in 2015, and has been tweaking this sedan to find the ideal model to take on these usual suspects.

I believe the latest iteration of the XE has finally been perfected. From its price, build quality, ride and post-purchase care, it’s now peaking my interest the most in this segment.

To be honest, the build quality of the current generation C-Class felt lacking for a brand that’s renowned for its high standards. Meaning, the high bar set by the new XE felt like an obvious step above what most brands are offering in this segment.

Whether it was the embossed Jaguar logos on the headrests, the ‘Made in Coventry’ labels on the seats, the high-quality screens or tight shut lines between panels, I was utterly impressed.

To my legitimate surprise, pricing for this exact model starts from $64,704 before on-road costs. This one had a ‘Technology Pack’, consisting of a wireless charger, smart rear view mirror (a camera feed replacing your rear view vision mirror), a heads-up display and a 10” touch pro duo screen. On top of that, it had a sliding panoramic glass roof, privacy glass, and strangely a 40:20:40 folding rear seat option. With all this, you’re out the door at $69,874 before on-road costs.

For under $80,000, you’re getting an AWD sedan with a relatively punchy four-cylinder, producing 221kW and 400Nm and capable of hitting 100km/h in 5.9 seconds. Not to mention that this is one of the better looking sedans you can buy too. It’s certainly more visually appealing than the non-sporty trims of the German alternatives.

Jaguar and Land Rover finally realised that they need to reassure new and existing customers that they are committed to long-term ownership of their vehicles.

It’s no secret that the British marque isn’t known for long-lasting reliability. However, just last year, the warranty period had finally been upped to 5 years/unlimited kilometres and 5 years of Roadside Assist.

Add on that you can prepay for 5 services up to 102,000kms for a fairly reasonable $1950, and there isn’t a solid reason as to why the Jaguar, now, would be a worse long-term purchase than its competitors. It’s actually a better offering than BMW’s measly 3-year warranty.

Spending extended periods of time in the XE was certainly a relaxing experience. Although, if you’re chasing a little bit of Jaguar engine sound, you won’t really find it here.

The Meridian speaker system is a very welcome upgrade in the XE, adding plenty of power and clarity to your sound. It makes music and phone calls as clear as they should be.

Dynamic driving in the XE was certainly supported by a capable set of brakes. Measuring in at 355mm and 325mm for the front and rear brakes respectively, there wasn’t a moment where the XE felt heavy under braking.

Weighing in at just under 1700kg, this is not a lightweight sedan, but it’s far from being overweight.

0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds isn’t blisteringly quick, but it’s more than capable for daily driving and a bit of back road fun.

This 2.0L turbocharged petrol four cylinder, producing 221kW at 5,500rpm and 400Nm at 1,500-4,500rpm, is very reminiscent of a high powered hot-hatch power plant.

There’s a wider torque band here, but this still means you start dropping down the torque range while chasing peak power as that rev needle climbs higher.

However, thanks to a longitudinal, set-back placement and an AWD system, this Jag feels brisk getting up to speed.

The 8-speed automatic transmission in the Jag is just as good as you’d find it across Jaguar/Land Rovers latest range of cars.

I found that lagging shifts and holding gears weren’t a problem for this sedan.

Instead, it offered the best change between luxury and dynamic driving. For day-to-day driving, the buttery smooth shifts offered by this 8-speed allow you to relax and focus on other things like that meeting you’re probably driving to in the XE.

When you need to engage those gorgeous true-aluminium shifter paddles on the steering wheel, you are met with re-assuring shifts that help liven up this daily-driver.

Low-down weight distribution, all-wheel drive and weighing in at a reasonable 1690kg - it’s a formula for success when it comes to Jaguar XE’s handling.

Under dynamic settings, the car does a fantastic job at feeling cohesive through corners. The longer wheelbase compared to a fast hatch gives you a preferable driving characteristic under pressure.

Additionally, the longitudinal engine placement helps with a proper weight distribution on the nose.

Even in the wet, the XE inspired confidence via the AWD system. Despite all four wheels being powered, I never hit an obvious moment of understeer.

The obvious advantage of having a four cylinder petrol motor is the reduced fuel consumption figures.

With a claimed 6.8L/100km figure and a real world 11L/100km figure as tested by yours truly, it’s not going to be terribly expensive to fuel up.

A two-step dashboard design gives you more of a sense of sitting lower in the car. This can be a trap some sedans can fall into by feeling like you’re sitting a little too high off the ground.

Count them - there are 7 screens in this car. No, this isn’t ‘Pimp My Ride’, instead Jaguar has incorporated a lot of screens in this sedan. There are the classic infotainment and driver’s display screens. However you can also count the full-colour head’s up display, and 3 screens for the climate controls (2 on the dials and one in the centre).

Finally, you top it off with the rear vision mirror, which also has an option to run a camera feed via the mirror.

It was surprisingly practical! Folding the rear seats down proved to be a little less intuitive than what I would have preferred, but once folded you had more than enough space for many daily activities. No, it’s not a replacement for the work ute, or the 7-seat family hauler. But, it was showing itself to be practical and enough space for daily activities, like large trips to the shops and carrying around any additional passengers. Although, taller items won’t fit back here, and it’s far from being a replacement for a taller SUV if that’s what you need.

Most owners seem to be happy with their XE ownership experience too. Leading me to believe you should take the jump if you're leasing this car under warranty to pick it over a German rival to try one for yourself.

It’ll turn heads in the right way, it’ll make you feel special when you drive it, and it’s a near-perfect example of what you should expect in a non-performance orientated upmarket sedan.

*Disclaimer - I work for ProductReview as their independent car and motorbike expert. I borrow new cars and motorbikes from manufacturers and owners to review. I am not paid or incentivised by these brands to post reviews. I write and create content to provide insight and information about any new or used vehicle I can get my hands on.