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A few years ago Jaguar didn't even sell SUVs and now I'm having a hard time seeing a single one of these sedans on the road anywhere.
The car I have with me here the refreshed for 2020 Jaguar XE is the choice of mold breakers who are tired of seeing the same German metal over and over again.
But is stepping outside the usual triumvirate actually worth it?
Let's find out.
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If there's one quality of the Jaguar XE that outshines the rest, it's the driving dynamics to be honest.
The chassis' an absolute He's working in conjunction with adapter dampers to keep this thing flat as a pancake when I'm chucking it in the corners.
I mean, combine that with some of the most direct responsive steering I've felt in a while and baby jaguars got a real Steve Cook in here.
[BLANK AUDIO] My P300 Tester comes packing a 296 horsepower, 295 pound foot, two liter turbocharged four cylinder engine.
While it's sufficiently thrust it doesn't really make up for the 380 horsepower V6 now missing from the lineup, leaving it lagging behind competitors like the Audi S4 BMW M340i, or Mercedes AMG C43.
It's eight speed automatic transmission is fine, but it doesn't feel as sharp as the competitors con Swappers, nor does the manual shift option really feel like the car is giving me the final say in what gear gets chosen.
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Now while the SCP 300 is kind of a stiff boy, it's still pretty good on roads around town.
Now when I'm driving in the smoothest mode possible, which is Just comfort motives.
Still isn't say as luxurious as a C-Class, but that's not a bad thing.
Instead Jaguar chooses to let the sportier side of its chassis shine more like a BMW than anything.
My only real issue when driving this thing around in the city is the brake pedal, it's kind of grabby and it doesn't really permit The smoothest stops.
My tester is the least efficient exi in the lineup with an EPA estimated fuel economy of just 22 mpg city and 30 mpg highway that might seem kind of middling and it is but in terms of its competitive set, it's pretty high up there.
It's above cars like the ODS, foreign Mercedes C 43 wallets tied with With the BMW M340.
I and it's just a little bit behind the Alfa Romeo Giulia.
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I've been a fan of the Jaguar XE's look since it first came out.
And the late nip and tuck for 2020 has only improved its standing with me.
The slimmer headlights and tail lights look more contemporary and combined with my testers optional 20 inch wheels and blacked out trim It sort of tows the line between cute and aggressive.
It's not more or less anonymous than your garden variety BMW or Mercedes, and I think the Alfa Roma Julia has a beat on visual expression, but it should stand out by sheer virtue of their not being that many XC's on the road.
My aero dynamic testers interior is quite a nice place to be, with plenty of soft leather and unique contours that keep things feeling luxurious.
The electric eyepieces steering wheel is a nice inclusion here and the F types normal ship lever is a welcome replacement for the rotary dial.
I would recommend skipping over the thousand dollar carbon fiber trim in favor of something a bit more adult.
And you can't change the fact that the rear seats are claustrophobic with little in the way of headroom and footwell space.
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The most notable in car update for the XE this year is the addition of Jaguar's standard in control infotainment System which includes both navigation as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
And to be honest, it's probably a good thing smartphone mirroring is standard because while Jaguar has made a lot of leaps forward with its infotainment system, it is still kinda clunky to use and kinda slow to respond and boot up can take a while, especially if you spent the whole night on it Fans of the iPaste will recognize this second smaller screen beneath the infotainment system.
This is what Jaguar calls the Touch Pro duo system and optional upgrade on the E that replaces these standard HVAC controls with a screen.
And a pair of dials that also have screens.
It's part of a $1900.50 upgrade package that includes wireless charging and a 12.3 inch game display.
And in all honesty, I think it's absolutely worth it.
It's both cool to look at and easy to use.
But then again, slow response gears it's ugly head here too.
Adding crucial seconds in the morning between per sliding.
Getting into the car and actually getting those heated seats fired up.
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As for safety systems, well Jaguar makes a whole bunch of them standard, including parking sensors, automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist.
If you really want to round everything out you can also add the cruise control and monitoring together for just 1700 bucks.
My favorite little piece of tech though is in the rear view mirror here.
If you flip this switch you go from the mirror to a feed from your backup camera.
Now it's not exactly groundbreaking tech other auto makers have had that for years but it's still pretty cool.
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One thing Jaguar has in common with its German competition is its equipment packaging, my $46,000 x ep 300.
All dynamic tester has nearly $20,000 of options tacked on.
And that is a lot but thankfully US sales are not doing so hot.
So mosey your way on down to the dealer haggle a little bit and I imagine get a couple grand off that window sticker.
So why bother with the same thing Vanilla German driveway trophies is the rest of your neighbors, embrace your inner iconoclast and tear down the halls of tradition in the 2020 Jaguar XE.
It might deliver its luxury in a slightly different way than the competition but that's kind of the whole point.
