Jaguar has given a soft launch of its new XE saloon ahead of a full reveal at next month’s Paris Motor Show. The 250kW supercharged XE S was unveiled at a special event in London and had all the bells and whistles, including a helicopter flight in front of Tower Bridge and a boat ride down the Thames, before arriving at Earls Court.
Powered by the company’s familiar 3.0 litre V6 the engine’s peak power is complemented by 450Nm of torque and when coupled to its 8-speed ZF auto transmission and rear wheels the XE S can reach 100km/h in 5.1 seconds.
A medium-sized luxury sedan, the XE has a listed kerbweight of “from 1474kg”, which is relatively lightweight. That’s thanks to a new modular construction made from high-strength alloy which Jaguar describes as an “aluminium-intensive monocoque”. Further, Jaguar states the door pressings are made from 1.1mm gauge sheeting, instead of the usual 1.5mm gauge with no loss in stiffness.
Sitting below the XJ and XF saloons, the new XE continues the current Jaguar styling and at first glance in this more compact sizing it appears to work very well. We look forward to the inevitable addition of the 5.0 litre V8 to the range, which may or may not come with the Paris launch.
