► Month three with the Jaguar XE R-sport
► Similarities to a Series 1 XJ12? Yes, actually
► Precise and direct steering gets a thumbs up
One of my indelible childhood memories is that of our neighbour, Gerry Bourdillon. Gerry was a small man with a massive personality. He owned a very profitable building firm and it seemed that not a month went by when he wasn’t indulging in something lavish. Swimming pool, yacht, snooker room. He ticked all the boxes.
But it was the succession of Jaguars that filled his garage that seared him into my memory banks. His love of big, fast and high-maintenance saloons culminated in a Series 1 XJ12, in Old English White with rich burgundy leather and glossy wood veneer. Keep in mind this was in Zimbabwe in the very early ’80s, and you’ll understand why a knee-high 140mph Jag powered by an inaudible 5.3-litre V12 was the height of goosebumpy exoticness. I mean, this car had two petrol tanks! It made our chunky W108 Mercedes-Benz 280SE comparatively utilitarian and prosaic.
As a result, Jaguars have always possessed more than a whiff of rakish glamour and opulence. This despite the dross that has come and gone over the last three decades – epitomised by the truly abhorrent S-type. So I barely hesitated when Editor McNamara asked if he could trade his XE for my Discovery Sport. Given that his children are in baby chairs and mine are in booster seats, the swap was a no-brainer.
The Series 1 may have gone out of production in 1973, but 43 years on, the XE exhibits much of its dynamic flare, if not its visual allure. The Sport-R’s addenda – complemented by those black 19-inchers – lowers and widens the XE’s lines, making the car look both sleek and chunky. It’s a touch bland from the rear three-quarters – too much generic German in there for my liking – and while it does possess a distinctive air of authority and presence, I wish there was a bit more look-twice sparkle.
Crucially, the XE glides in the same way that Gerry’s XJ floated insouciantly over blacktop. This smallest of Jags feels beautifully fluid – it seems to breathe along over any road, with only the very rudest of ruts and potholes reverberating through the cabin and ruffling its composure.
Its handling is equally composed and balanced – you immediately feel this is a stable chassis that is as accomplished as it is capable. It takes everything you throw at it, and calmly rolls up its double-cuffed sleeves and gets on with it. The firmly-damped ride – in default Dynamic mode – walks that compliance line between control and comfort. Very Jaguar.
The precise and direct steering should also take some credit here. The electric EPAS system may not have the final word in feedback but its instant and consistent responses makes the XE feel tail-up and keen. Pivot-from-the-hips turn-in and progressive weighting are there in abundance. All of which means my daily work commute, a 50-mile combination of urban crawl, suburban sprawl and B-road blast, is something I relish morning and evening.
So let’s talk about elephant in the room – the 180bhp Ingenium turbodiesel engine. With 317lb ft that muscles in at 1750rpm, and a satiny smooth eight-speed automatic that’s almost always in the correct gear at the correct time, there’s nothing wrong with the pace on offer. All that torque whips the XE along with such effortless ease that proceed-directly-to-jail speeds are ridiculously easy to dial up. But its character and its soundtrack? I’m really not sold. I’ll explain next month, along with the ho-hum cabin, the barely adequate rear accommodation, and suing Sussex County Council.
From the driving seat
+ Combination of on-road rarity and sharp R-Sport suit make the Jag a head-turner
– Handling section of notebook peppered with words like fluid, flowing, stable, secure
– £42k? Feels and looks like it. Most of the time…
Logbook: Jaguar XE R-Sport 2.0 180PS Auto
Engine: 1999cc 16v, turbodiesel 4-cyl, 177bhp @ 4000rpm, 317lb ft @ 1750-2500rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Stats: 7.8sec 0-62mph, 140mph, 111g/km CO2
Price: £34,775
As tested: £42,220
Miles this month: 606
Total miles: 8929
Our mpg: 39.9
Official mpg: 67.3
Fuel cost: £69.02
Extra costs: £0