If Washington Irving had set Rip Van Winkle in modern times, you could forgive the old man for wondering if Jaguar was the same company when he woke as it had been when he fell asleep twenty years earlier. The last few years alone have seen the British luxury car maker undergo a major transformation, leaving behind the predictability that had served it so well for so long in favor of radically new designs like the Jaguar F-TYPE, the 2017 Jaguar F-PACE, and the brand new 2017 Jaguar XE. After months of waiting and anticipation, the 2017 Jaguar XE is finally available to the Peabody and Newton customers served by Jaguar Peabody, and we couldn’t be happier.
The 2017 Jaguar XE is the long-overdue replacement for the Jaguar X-TYPE, which bowed out of the lineup in 2009. The Jaguar XE has more in common with the Jaguar F-TYPE than it does with its predecessor, and that’s a good thing. It combines effortless grace and unpretentious luxury with just the right amount of attitude. Not for nothing did Car and Driver name the Jaguar XE among its “25 Cars Worth Waiting For from 2015–2018.” Now that they wait is over, let’s see what’s in store.
The 2017 Jaguar XE comes in four trim levels (Jaguar XE, the Jaguar XE Premium, Jaguar XE Prestige, and Jaguar XE-R Sport). Extensive use of aluminium, backed by a choice of engines ranging from 240 to 340 hp and an automatic ZF transmission, should make for good fuel economy and dynamic handling. Currently available options include all-wheel drive, alloy wheels, Jaguar InControl Apps™, and option groups specific to each trim level. Further along, a manual transmission will also be introduced.
Thrillist calls the 2017 Jaguar F-PACE and 2017 Jaguar XE “the single most important one-two punch Jaguar has launched in at least 20 years, if not since its inception.” We agree. While there’s plenty more to be said about both, we’d much rather you experience them the way you should: from behind the wheel.
