Introducing …the Jaguar XE
It happened on a hot sunny afternoon 18 years ago. After hours of running around playing football, bird excreta on the shiny surface of the car caught my attention. Young and oblivious as I was, I picked the nearest stone to scrap the bird poo.
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However, my goodwill tickled the nerves of the car owner, Lawyer Brown, a man known in my childhood neigbourhood for his fine suits and cockiness than his victories in the courtroom.
Although I caught glimpses of Lawyer Brown sprinting like a cat towards me, my least expectation was that I would be hit in the back, grabbed by the shoulder and dragged home to my mother like a pickpocket headed for the cells.
Fuming with anger, he narrated in exaggerated details, how I have scrapped paints off his precious car—an ugly automobile that spat enough smoke to warrant many people taking cover when Lawyer Brown drove by.
I had an earful that afternoon from an incensed mother and in all sincerity hated Lawyer Brown, who has since passed on, until last Thursday.
The Jaguar XE
Wait wait!!! I didn’t see his ghost, neither did his children nor his sweet widow come asking for forgiveness on his behalf, but rather, I had a feel of the metallic beast Lawyer Brown has been protective of. Only this time, it is smooth, refined and efficient—the Jaguar XE—not the ugly fume-emitting Jaguar Mk2 Lawyer Brown punctured my childhood ego for.
Together with some motor and lifestyle journalist, from Ghana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Angola, we set out in the hilly towns and villages of Cape Town in South Africa to test the pulse of Jaguar Land Rover’s latest baby—the Jaguar XE launched by Jaguar Land Rover, Sub-Saharan Africa.
So what is in the DNA of the XE? Choice is one of the most understood words in JLR lexicon and that is visible in the engine types available. The XE variants are powered by a four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an 8-speed or 6-speed manual transmission and four-cylinder 3.0-litre supercharged petrol engines with an 8-speed automatic transmission.
A third offering, 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel engine, billed to be available in sub-Saharan Africa markets from March 2016, the metallic cat’s makers, together with the other variants, gave the Jag a good heart for the race on the incredibly beautiful roads of Cape Town both city and rural.
It boasts 4.2l/100km of fuel economy and in traffic, the engine cuts off automatically within a minute to reduce fuel drain.
Lighter and stylish
With the British auto maker putting the world’s largest aluminum body shop to work, the Jag is lighter yet still maintains its stylish and robust appearance.
With the world clamouring for reduction in emissions and a greener production from the auto industry, the Jaguar XE’s response is impressive. It is also the first car in the world to make use of a new grade of high strength aluminium called RC 5754 which has been developed specifically for the XE.
This new alloy features a high level of recycled material and makes a significant contribution to Jaguar’s goal of using 75 per cent recycled material by 2020.
That in addition to carbon dioxide emissions as low as 109kg/km makes the Jauguar XE, the most sustainable car of all time to wear a Jaguar badge, the JLR claims.
Imagine having the breathtaking hills and greenery of Shai Hills, the curvy roads and hills of Aburi and the green lush plains on the outskirts of Bolgatanga.
All that rolled into one gives you picturesque environs of Stellenbosch and Somerset West on the outskirts of Cape Town where it is very easy to notice as one bobs and weaves through the curvy roads that the XE’s steering (lubricated by an electric power assisted steering) and handling is so smooth and the ride very comfortable.
It doesn’t take much to observe that its suspension gives it a firm hold on the road while absorbing the effects of the smooth roads.
Outside, the Jag are some impressive features. It maintains its cat-like look, 17-inch wheels with an option to upgrade.
Inside the XE
Ohh!!! The inside of the Jag is simply elegant. I wish I paid attention to Lawyer Brown’s but the XE is simply lovely. The finish has been kept simple and neat. The buttons and the only knob are straightforward, simple and easy to use.
While coming with admirable seats designs and fabrics, they are unique and appealing
and complement the overall finishing of the seating arrangement, providing enough space and legroom for the driver and front passenger but not too impressive for the tall rear passengers.
While the frontal visibility is a driver’s wet dream, the rear view is not obstructed by large rear-seat headrests, making it easy to snake your way through traffic.
The airconditioner is super-efficient to kick the heat out of the door but it produces an irritating hissing sounds when put on max.
JLR has long kicked out the stick as a gear selector and in the XE, it is the rotary gear selector that adds the classy touch.
No car is worth it, if it cannot entertain. An eight-inch touchscreen touch screen provides a wide array of media informatics from Bluetooth connectivity, radio, maps, and a USB port to listen to your favourite melodies and camera for parking sensors and park assist.
Safety and Security
For safety, all variations of the XE are stocked with safety devices including airbag, lane departure warning,autonomous emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control.
A merchandise of Alliance Motors in Ghana, Jag XE boasts another industry first in terms of warranty—five years or 150,000 kilometres.