You make an interesting point about driving dynamics. They are much more important in the entry level sports sedan category than in the mid or full size category!

Hopefully the weight savings actually materialize. They didn't seem to on the F TYPE!

 

Well put.. two markets - the die hards such as us, and the man or woman off the street whose main interest (if you can go by the advertising of new cars on UK TV) is what technology the car has. For the die hards it is going to be a bit of a battle to get it accepted (esp the 4 cylinder versions), the same as the X-Type did , but for the non die hards or non enthusiasts yes it may do well as it seems to be well equipped *and* has the Jaguar badge..
As I said in another post elsewhere on here - I would *love* for this car to prove me wrong in saying I believe it may struggle like the X-Type did.. :-)

 

I agree with this... The XFR is THE BEST looking sedan on the road. They can update the interior and decrease weight with aluminum build and it's still the best!!

 

I apologize in advance if these pics have been seen or posted elsewhere. The more I look at this car the more I'm liking it.

 

Huge disappointment!

 

The live shots of it look so much better. Also I'd just like to say I'll wait for a final decision until I see it in person.

 

I think Jaguar set the bar pretty high for themselves and their customers when they built the F-Type. I believe now anything that doesn't measure up to it will unfortunately be seen as a failure. When you announce a halo car and it actually becomes what is objectively the best looking production car no one expects you to produce anything less. The XE IS a baby XF, from an exterior viewpoint and because the design has been around for 5-plus years now it needs more than a refresh and more like a redesign. Sure, it still looks good but guys I think it's what's underneath the familiar sheetmetal that is going to be big. You got to admit that pulling off another stellar model AFTER the F-Type is a tall order and with Ian Callum doing the designs I would've thought there might be some "creativity" with the XE but I'm not disappointed. I mean, why not start with a 4-door F-Type since this car was going to be a scaled down version of the XF range? I'm actually going to try and draw it and see how it would look. Didn't AM design the Rapide as a four door Vantage?

 

I am a huge Jaguar fan but am not an apologist, I'll gladly call them out when I think they've messed up or could have done better. I'll wait to give a final decision until I see it in the flesh, but looking at the photos, if there was a weak link I'd say it's the tail-lights, but I keep going back and forth on them, but I think they probably would have been better off giving them a slimmer design to mimic the F-Type's and to go better with the thin headlights. If this thing drives like a F-Type I don't think there will be many complaints, and it sounds like it's available with a ton of tech features that will draw the younger crowd in. Yes the XF isn't a new design but in my eyes it still looks current much like Aston's DB9 which is going on the better part of a decade now. I'm curious what direction they'll take with the new XF, though.

 

I think the heck not!

 

Have to agree with Lothar. At least from the photos it looks more than decent to me--especially when comparing it with the target competition. The LA Times had an article about the car in today's business section and it was a pretty positive article.

Doug

 

I really don't know what is wrong with a mini-XF, but built of aluminium, not steel. Why gripe about it looking like the XF and XJ saloons ?

OK, we all know petrol is almost given away in the US, but it is brutally expensive here in Europe ! So if Jaguar can make a car that is both stylish and economical they should do well, certainly in Europe and most other markets.

 

Jeez, what were you guys expecting? - a 4-seat F-type with all the trimmings for $50k? This is a mid-market model; it has to be cost-effective and appeal to a broad audience. So it was never going to be a spacecraft that runs on unicorn farts.

This is the family saloon sector - the standard 3-series and A4 are hardly bleeding-edge design. Make it too 'out there' and you alienate a whole load of potential buyers. I think it's a smart move to evoke the more-expensive XF for the 'halo' effect, and it does that far more effectively than the X-Type evoked the XJ.

 

Hear, hear!

 

I totally agree with you there, but Jaguar have a good history of producing new models that are not well received ( looks wise ) yet turn out to be a classic Jaguar shape 5-10 years down the line. The XJS is a good example, most people disliked the shape at launch, thought it was not a worthy successor to the E type (XKE if your over the pond )but is now regarded as a classic in its own right, and rightly so.
The latest XJ, I must admit I did not like shape wise, ( too much like a big Citreon from the rear ) but a few years later has started to grow on me.
So I will reserve judgement until I see some in the flesh ( should be metal I suppose ) and a few years later.

 

I slightly disagree with you on the no predecessor , Jaguar virtually invented the compact sports saloon ( sedan ) with the MK 1 and set a bench mark for the rest of the world with the MK 2, especially the 3.8, 4 speed, overdrive on 3rd and 4th, powrloc limited slip diff.
They were the getaway cars of choice for 90% of 1960s villains in the UK, so much better than anything else that the police had to buy them to have half a chance of catching them.

 

The live photos, in my eyes just make it look so much better.

 

Both of the above sum up my feelings as it stands......I'd like to see more AND in the flesh of course to comment much further!

 

Some negative comments echo the what was said about the X-Type and to some degree the new XJ

"Traditional" Jag owners criticised the X-Type for not being a "real Jag" quite often without ever even driving one. Funny that hardly anyone made the same comments about the S-Type, despite it being of a similar Ford background.

"Traditional" Jag owners complained about the X351 XJ losing the classic Jag styling. Comments like "it doesn't look like a Jag" and so on. The XF was also a major shift in styling away from the S-Type but copped less flak because it had a new name.

You change the face people complain, you keep the face people complain.

The XE is a completely new model carrying the styling of the XF, XJ and F-Type, it's clearly part of the family.

Do Audi owners complain that an A3 looks the same as the A4, A5, A6, A8? BMW has carried the family nose across the 1, 2, 3, 5 & 7 series, and it works. Porsche hasn't changed its family nose in decades.

The specs of the XE are enough to sell it without even getting at the styling.

Alloy construction
Rear wheel drive
Turbo 4 or supercharged 6
Manual transmission option on the I4/V6
All wheel drive option
Supercharged V8 in the pipeline

If that doesn't tick your boxes then I don't know what to tell you.

 

Considering the market they are after, it looks really good to me. The comparisons as to how it handles vrs. the bmw 3 will tell a lot around how well the press receive it in the end.
If it handles well, and has the options I like, I would buy it based on the pictures although I would want to see it in person first.
At this point, I love my F type R and with two other cars, don't need a fourth.
Lawrence.

 

I was there at the XE reveal. I was not disappointment. You couldn't feel the dash because the car was locked. However, another car company tried to make the knobs feel luxurious by rubber coating them. The problem was that between 2-5 year later, the rubber wore off in spots making the interior look terrible.

There is still time for the exact equipment for the U.S. model to be decided. For example, in the BMW 3 series, the German base model doesn't have reading lamps, only a dome lamp. The standard German climate control is more basic than the U.S. version. I got some confidential information about the various discussions about the U.S. version but no concrete information. To me, this is nothing out of the ordinary and expected.

Some cars can be upgraded with leather dashboards, but these are usually expensive.

I'll let Thermo do most of the talking about the XE. He has great pictures.