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Taking on the Audi A4, BMW 3-series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class isn’t an easy task, but with the Jaguar XE, the British brand gets much closer to the dominant Germans than you might expect. While it’s now a generation behind the models it first set out to compete against on its 2015 launch, continual evolution means the handsome Jaguar XE is still appealing for those seeking something a little different.
Since the very start the Jaguar XE has driven well, with a blend of ride and handling to rival the best in class. It’s very well equipped too, and Jaguar has worked hard to improve areas in which it previously underperformed, like the infotainment system.
Whether that will be enough to pull you away from the Audi, BMW and Mercedes is a different matter, and each is newer and more sophisticated than its British rival - the most recent 3-series arrived in 2018, and the C-Class in 2021. Then there’s the Alfa Romeo Giulia, a car perhaps even closer than the XE to beating the German trio.
It might be getting on a little now, given the first Jaguar XE appeared in 2015, but Jaguar’s compact saloon was competitive when it arrived, and gradual improvement has kept it there or thereabouts for the best part of a decade since.
There are several good reasons to choose one today. For a start, it’s just as handsome now as it was in 2015, with a well-balanced, chiselled shape, facelifted in 2019, that’s undoubtedly at its best in bold colours like blue and red, and with large alloy wheels squeezed under the arches. At the same time, it doesn’t shout for your attention, maintaining an air of class perhaps missing from some rivals. Its rarity possibly helps it here too.
It also drives very well. Like the BMW 3-series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the Alfa Romeo Giulia, the Jaguar XE is predominantly rear-wheel drive, as is traditional for both the class and Jaguar itself. That means the chassis is well-balanced, but Jaguar has tuned it well too, with fine steering, keen responses, and also ride quality suited to the Jaguar name.
The cabin isn’t the wood and leather mix you might be familiar with from older Jaguars but the restrained, sensible design still feels upmarket, and healthy equipment levels really help too - features like standard leather trim and 12-way power adjustable seats are the kind of features some rivals make you delve into the options list for. All Jaguar XEs get a digital instrument cluster and a central touchscreen too, and at the 2019 facelift, Jaguar improved the quality of the XE’s interior materials.
If all this is making you reconsider that 3-series, then just bear in mind that one area the XE lags behind is in its engine offerings. You get a choice of four-cylinder turbocharged 2-litre units, or nothing - the old 3-litre supercharged V6 disappeared with the 2019 facelift. This lack of multi-cylinder options is understandable but means the top XEs can’t quite match the smooth-revving nature or the prestige of some of the German alternatives. There’s also no performance model to match the BMW M3s and Giulia Quadrifoglios of the world.
Despite these misgivings, the XE does offer something different, is easier on the eye than some of the alternatives, and offers plenty of kit for the money. It’s no class-leader, but remains worth a look.
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If you plan to use your Jaguar XE in the way many owners use these small executive cars - piling on the miles on a brisk commute or long motorway journey - then the sensible option remains one of the diesel units. Jaguar has offered several over time, all based around a 2-litre four-cylinder layout, and while the latest offers mild-hybrid technology and promises nearly 60mpg, they’re all frugal, and promise fairly low tax bills pre-2017, too.
In the current range even the entry-level R-Dynamic S is very well specified, so don’t be too concerned about selecting one trim level over another if you’re looking at a used XE. Go back a few years and the range was slightly broader, and if you prioritise ride quality above scalpel-sharp handling, the older SE and Prestige models, on their smaller 17-inch wheels and taller tyres, may be the ones to go for.
Jaguar has shaken up the XE’s trim levels a few times during the car’s time on sale, but in its most recent iteration, the range is split between three levels of sporty R-Dynamic trim, and the range-topping 300 Sport. The R-Dynamic models are all available with both the 200 diesel and 250 petrol engines, while the Sport only comes with the top 300PS unit.
Go further back in the XE’s model years and more luxury-focused trim levels were available, as well as an XE S prior to 2019, which used a 3-litre supercharged V6 engine lifted from the F-Type sports car.
The Jaguar XE’s dimensions are:
The Jaguar XE’s boot space is:
From the current range, all XEs aside from the XE 300 Sport fall below the £40,000 threshold for paying a VED or ‘road tax’ surcharge in the second to sixth years of registration, and mild hybrid technology classes them as alternative-fuel vehicles too, so you’ll pay a modest £170 per year for the D200 MHEV and P250 MHEV models. The 300 Sport is both over £40,000 and is not a mild hybrid, so in years two to six, it attracts a much larger £570 annual bill.
Among older XEs, post-2017, non-hybrid petrol and diesels that cost less than £40,000 new are currently £180 per year to tax. Pre-2017, VED rates are based on the car’s CO2 emissions, so will vary depending on engine and trim level.
Jaguar XE insurance groups range from group 29 for the D200 and group 30 for the P250, to group 33 for the 300 Sport. Some of the earlier, less powerful diesel models started in group 27, while the supercharged V6 S was in group 35.
Read our full Jaguar XE review
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