Pick the lightest car in the arsenal and plonk in the most powerful engine from the shelf. This elemental process is exactly what Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations department (SVO) did to produce the XE SV Project 8 that they revealed at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Jaguar has announced changes to their 2018 F-Pace, XE and XF models, including a new “Ingenium” 4-cylinder engine for all three models. It replaces the older 4-cylinder Ecoboost-derived turbo motor that was bummed off of Ford and did duty in the base XE, the Land Rover Discovery Sport and the Range Rover Evoque. Expect the latter two to get the new engine soon.
Well, is it better than the 3-Series? Let’s get rid of that obvious cliched question first. We don’t know if the all-new 2016 Jaguar XE is better, but it is certainly equal to BMW’s often-mentioned benchmark, at least when it comes to the driving factor. We had to slum it out all the way in Navarra, Spain to figure that out.
Jaguar have revealed the XE in London ahead of its full official debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. The XE brings the return for Jaguar in the premium compact sedan segment and will go against the likes of BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
The upcoming Jaguar XE entry-level premium sedan and the next-generation Land Rover Discovery will highlight the British carmaker’s growth over the next few years, according to the new Middle East managing director, Bruce Robertson.