The 2020 Jaguar XE gets facelifted inside and out for Geneva
The smallest Jaguar sedan adds many new technologies in the cabin.
Jaguar will use the upcoming Geneva Motor Show to reveal the 2020 XE, the first major refresh of the sedan since it entered production in 2015. In addition to a new look inside and out, Jaguar announced Tuesday that the car has long list of new technologies this year.
The subtle facelift makes the XE look a little fresher.
The visual changes for the 2020 Jaguar XE primarily involve new front and rear bumpers, a new grille and new lights. It's "all about building on the undeniable sporting proportions of the original car," Jaguar Director of Design Ian Callum said in a statement. To that end, the grille is wider with a new mesh design, the front bumper has been restyled, and the standard LED headlights now have "J-shaped" running light elements. The rear bumper was redesigned to give the sedan more "visual width," Jaguar says, and the LED taillights have a new graphic treatment.
Changes for the cabin begin on the center stack, where buyers can now option the InControl Touch Pro Duo infotainment system also offered in the Jaguar I-Pace. That comes with a 5-inch touchscreen and two large rotary dials lower on the center stack for operating the climate control. While it looks quite snazzy, we haven't always been smitten with those on the road, often finding their responses lethargic.
Other new tech for the 2020 XE includes wireless phone charging (a Jaguar first) and an available camera-based rear-view mirror, which at the push of a button can switch between being a normal glass mirror and a screen showing the output from a camera mounted in the car's sharkfin antenna.
Wireless phone charging, the shifter and the climate-control setup shown here are new for 2020.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are supported as part of the Smartphone Pack option, and a 4G Wi-Fi hotspot is available. An optional Smart Settings function claims to "learn" a driver's radio, climate control and other settings over time, recognizing each driver depending on which key fob is used and/or which phone is paired via Bluetooth.
Other cabin tweaks focus on ergonomics, with an F-Type-inspired shifter replacing the old XE's rotary-style one, new door grab handles that free up storage space for bottles in the door pockets, "more comfortable" leather seats and increases amounts of soft-touch materials.
The only engine choice for the 2020 XE is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four, although it is offered in two power outputs. In keeping with Jaguar's new naming structure, the two engine versions will be labeled P250 and P300. The former serves up 247 horsepower while the latter packs 296 horsepower, enough to rocket the car to 60 miles per hour in 5.7 seconds. The P250 can be had with either two or four driven wheels, while the P300 is all-wheel-drive only.
You can get the 2.0-liter turbo-four engine either with 247 or 296 horsepower.
Keen-eyed readers will note that the car's prior supercharged V6 and turbocharged diesel engines are gone. A spokesman said that overall Jaguar had trimmed the XE lineup from 31 variants to just 3 for 2020, and that the high-output turbo-four (296 hp) takes the place of the old supercharged V6 -- though it, of course, doesn't match up to that model's 380-hp output.
For buyers who want more sportiness, there is also a new Dynamic Handling package that bundles a few features that were previously individual add-ons: adaptive dampers, enlarged brakes with painted calipers and a trunk-lid spoiler.
The 2020 Jaguar XE will hit US showrooms this summer, with prices starting at $40,895 (with destination) for the S P250 rear-wheel-drive model. The S P250 all-wheel-drive is $42,895 and the tongue-twisting R-Dynamic S P300 costs $47,290.
