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Although I positively made a big deal about the Jaguar F-Type when it first came out, I must admit that the all-new XE sedan is a much more important vehicle. The F is more of a halo car. A way for the brand to reach out, grab attention and say "We're doing amazing things here at Jaguar!"

The XE is the first vehicle that's going to execute yet another all-new generation of products at the storied British marque. It's a big deal.

And it's even a bigger deal because it is aiming to go up against the likes of the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Both of the Germans are doing what they do best — the BMW performs and the Mercedes is entry-level luxury at its finest.

So, how does the all-new Jaguar stack up?

Well, our friends from across the pond at Autocar can give you the download. Not only did it have the chance to sample the Ingenium engines — that's diesel for the folks not in the loop — it also got behind the wheel of the gasoline variant too.

Essentially, from what I can glean from this brief first impression, the Jaguar is a contender but it doesn't blow away the competition as we know it. Factor in that Autocar **may** have a bit of love for anything that's British and we're looking at something that's decidedly "OK" but not going to be a class leader.


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What's it like?: 

Every bit the contender that it needs to be. We’ve tried the higher-powered diesel with a manual gearbox and an auto, and sampled it with all three suspension set-ups - Comfort, Sport and Adaptive (active dampers). We’ll get into the subtle differences between them all in a moment, but it’s worth stating now that overall, the XE is an extremely well-resolved creation that manages to bridge the gap between the overtly sporty 3 Series and the comfort-focused C-Class - while being closer in spirit to the BMW. (Let’s forget the Audi A4 for now, shall we? It’s sitting there waiting for the executioner to flick the switch.)..

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Should I buy one?: 

We can think of precious few reasons why you shouldn’t. The gaps between class-leading cars in this sector are sufficiently close for us to want to take a 3 Series and an XE down the same stretch of road before proclaiming the Jaguar to be the better-resolved driver’s car - but even so, on the basis of this test, the new challenger looks a very well-judged compromise between a sporty drive and a long-distance cruiser. The prices are sensible, strong predicted resale values should help leasing and finance rates to be competitive, and the diesels’ CO2 emissions should make the XE stand out on company car sheets.

Jaguar’s stated goal here was to not become another ‘alternative to the big three executive car manufacturers’, a la Lexus, but rather ‘one of the big four’. Every shred of the XE feels like it will propel the firm towards that goal.



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DRIVEN: The FIRST Review Of The Most Anticipated Jaguar In Recent Memory, FIRST Impressions Of The All-New XE

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