Jaguar XE Review & Prices

The Jaguar XE was the great British car maker’s attempt to create a serious rival to the likes of the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, and Mercedes C-Class. Like them, it’s a compact posh saloon with serious driver appeal.

All have premium appeal, but the Jaguar feels a bit more classy. Like choosing Champagne over Prosecco.

When it was originally launched, the Jaguar XE’s cabin was disappointingly cheap and ordinary to look at, but the latest version fixed most of those problems, bringing in nicer materials, a sense of better quality, and rather more in the way of style. The XE’s insides really benefited from changes such as the gear selector from the F-Type sports car (much nicer than the old rotary selector), a set of handsome digital instruments, and a much-improved touchscreen.

There’s an extra touchscreen, which looks after climate control and heating, but thankfully there are also some proper physical controls in the shape of two rotary switches for temperature and seat heating. The combo of physical and digital controls is slightly easier to use than the all-screen systems in the BMW 3 Series and the Audi A5, but it’s still fiddlier than it needs to be.

There’s a big problem in the XE, though. Actually, it’s a small problem — there’s just not enough space compared to the 3 Series, A5, and C-Class, and none of those cars are what you’d call cavernous at the best of times. Space in the front is okay, and the driving position is good, but the back seats are tiny, and there’s not a hope of getting three adults sitting side-by-side in the back.

The boot is pretty small too, although it makes up for a lack of total capacity with a large opening, and 40:20:40 rear seat split-folding is at least standard-fit, rather than being on the options list.

The XE’s engine lineup is pretty limited compared to that of German alternatives, but the petrol P250 or P300 versions are the best for heading into down, as they’re much more refined than the rather noisy D200 diesel mild-hybrid. Still, that mild-hybrid tech does at least help the diesel to some seriously impressive fuel economy figures — as good as 58mpg and with CO2 emissions of 128g/km, which are a big improvement on the 35-40mpg you’ll get from the petrols.

While the Jaguar XE is mostly refined, there’s definitely more tyre roar and wind noise compared to the super-quiet 3 Series and C-Class. The Jag’s very comfortable over bumps though, and the standard-fit eight-speed automatic gearbox is exceptionally smooth, as well as being responsive when you need to put your foot down.

There’s no manual gearbox option for the XE anymore, but there are gearshift paddles behind the steering wheel, and those come into their own when you’re tackling a nice, windy country road — something that the XE excels at, thanks to terrific suspension balance, sharp steering, and a sense of fun. It’s way better to drive than anything from Mercedes and Audi, and right up with the best-in-class alongside the BMW 3 Series and Alfa Romeo Giulia.

If you’re interested in this classy, fun to drive saloon, check out the latest Jaguar XE deals on Carwow. You can also find the latest used XE prices, as well as other used Jaguar models, from our network of trusted dealers. When the time comes to sell your current car, Carwow can help with that, too.

As it reaches the end of its life, the Jaguar XE is almost shockingly cheaper than alternatives from Germany. In fact, compared to a base BMW 3 Series or Audi A5, the XE can save you as much as £8,000 — and that’s based on the list price before discounts. Against the Mercedes C-Class, there’s an ever bigger price advantage — a whopping £12,000. That said, it must be remembered that the Jaguar is an older design than any of these cars, and lacks some of the cutting-edge technology that they have.

It’s also worth pointing out that while a C-Class is way more expensive, a Mercedes CLA four-door coupe is actually slightly cheaper than the Jag XE, and not dissimilar in terms of space and practicality (although its front-wheel drive chassis means it’s not as much fun to drive as the Jag).

Equally, don’t forget the Skoda Superb — not a premium badge it’s true, and it’s priced against the Jag, but it is massively more spacious, comfier, and more refined on a long run, as well as offering a plug-in hybrid version. If those matter more to you than a posh badge and back-road run, it’s worth considering.

The Jaguar XE is good fun to drive, but it’s let down by poor visibility and a noisy cabin at motorway speeds

In town

Let’s start with the main negative, which is poor visibility. The Jaguar XE’s substantial windscreen pillars create a large blind spot and make you feel claustrophobic and hemmed in. All the interior pillars are fat, which you notice when you’re pulling out on the motorway. The back window is also more like a letterbox but that at least is partially offset by the fact that the XE gets front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard.

On the plus side, the XE’s turning circle isn’t too massive, and the whole car does feel tight and compact around you, helped by that excellent steering, which gives you some confidence when squeezing through tight gaps.

On the motorway

The Jaguar XE isn’t as quiet on the motorway as a Mercedes C-Class. The XE suffers from tyre roar at motorway speeds and diesel models also produce plenty of engine noise (although the rorty sound they produce is arguably quite sporty). All models have plenty of overtaking performance, although the XE’s automatic gearbox can be sluggish to respond when lining up an overtake.

Active cruise control is standard on all versions of the XE and comes in combination with Queue Assist, meaning the Jaguar can accelerate and brake itself in free-flowing and queueing traffic. Lane-keeping steering helps take some of the strain out of longer journeys.

On a twisty road

The Jaguar XE is one of the most fun-to-drive small saloons you can buy. Its quick steering gives plenty of feedback and the car feels balanced in bends. However, the Jaguar is also very comfortable, but for the ultimate in comfort it’s worth spending extra on the Adaptive Dynamics electronically controlled suspension dampers. That’s because the XE now only comes in R-Dynamic trim, which means slightly stiffer suspension, and the Adaptive Dynamics allows you to soften that off a little in Comfort mode.

The Jaguar XE has plenty of room up front but its back seats and boot aren’t as roomy as you’ll find in German alternatives

The Jaguar XE has a sporty driving position that has enough adjustment to make it feel like the seat has been tailored specifically to your body contours. All versions of the XE now come with 12-way electrically adjustable heated seats with perforated leather upholstery. They’re a big upgrade on the basic seats that the previous versions of the XE came with, and are very comfortable.

Storage isn’t the best in class but it’s not bad. You get a space under the front centre armrest that has USB plugs and a 12V socket, two cup holders, and a storage space in the centre console that will swallow all sizes of mobile phones. However, the door pockets struggle to swallow a one-litre bottle of water.

Space in the back seats

Anyone over six feet tall is going to struggle in the back of the Jaguar XE. Headroom is tight for tall adults and knee room isn’t brilliant either. Even if you’re not tall, you’ll find the footwells are small and oddly positioned for your feet. With three in the back, those footwells seem even smaller and your middle-seat passenger is going to be short of hip and elbow room. The way the back of the seat sweeps around the door pillar also seems oddly confining, forcing you further and further into the middle of the cabin.

In better news, clear ISOFIX points make it easy to fit a child seat’s base, but narrow doors mean it's more of a squeeze getting the top half of the seat into position. On balance, it’s an easier job in a Mercedes C-Class.

Boot space

The Jaguar XE’s 370-litre boot is significantly smaller than you’ll find in the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class, and the boot’s awkward shape makes it hard to make the most of the space that you do get. We could only get one large suitcase in the back of the Jaguar, while the German options swallowed two.

Want to carry longer items? Well at least the 40:20:40 split folding rear seats have moved from the options list into the standard specification, bringing the XE into line with alternatives.

The Jaguar is stylish enough and has decent infotainment, but it’s starting to feel dated next to alternatives like the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class

The Jaguar XE’s interior features a ‘Riva hoop’ design that’s been inspired by an Italian speedboat, but while it looked great back in 2015 when the car launched, it's starting to show its age despite a recent update. Another area the XE lags on is interior build quality which doesn’t have the solid feel you get in the BMW 3 Series or Audi A4.

Infotainment has been regularly revamped over the years and the latest XE models now come with stacked centre touchscreens. The lower screen is used to control the car’s ventilation system, while the top screen deals with infotainment. The overall look isn’t as slick as the huge tablet-style display you get in the Mercedes C-Class.

Jaguar’s top-of-the-line Touch Pro Duo infotainment is slick to use, features connected navigation, a head-up display, digital TV and adds a digital dashboard display. It’s much, much better than the older screen, but still not quite as easy to use as BMW’s big iDrive screen thanks to that car’s click-wheel controller. All versions of the Jaguar XE also come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Jaguar XE used to be available with a wider range of engines – including a 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol – but the range has since been pared back to two petrol models and one diesel that all come with an automatic gearbox as standard. There are no hybrids nor plug-in hybrid models to compete with the alternatives you’ll find in the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series line-up, although at least the diesel gets the fig-leaf of a mild-hybrid system which helps to save a bit of fuel around town.

The entry point to the Jaguar XE range is that D200 which has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel that produces 204hp, gets the XE from 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds and gives it a top speed of 146mph. The D200 returns fuel economy of 57.7mpg and produces CO2 emissions of 128g/km meaning road tax in your first year of ownership isn’t too expensive, and as a bonus the XE’s bargain price point means that you won’t get stung for the extra levy that’s applied to all three German alternatives, which have starting prices above £40,000.

The P300 Sport four-wheel drive XE, by contrast, is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol that produces 300hp to get the XE from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 155mph. Unfortunately, it’ll struggle to return fuel economy of 30mpg, and CO2 emissions of 204g/km mean that road tax in the first year is very expensive, and you have to pay the extra in years two to six for cars costing more than £40,000.

There is a P250 petrol model, which has a price that ducks under the £40,000 limit, and which will have slightly better fuel economy than the P300 Sport — reckon on around 35mpg on a long run — but its 183g/km CO2 emissions mean you’ll still have to pay a hefty bill for the first year’s road tax.

The Jaguar XE was awarded a five-star safety rating in 2015, but that Euro NCAP score has since expired and as a result, you can expect the XE wouldn’t perform as well as the newer BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class in the latest tests. Having said that, the Jaguar XE does come as standard with automatic emergency braking and multiple airbags. All XEs also come as standard with a 12-month tracker subscription.

The Jaguar XE tends to turn in a below-average performance in reliability terms, and there are well-documented issues with the four-cylinder diesel engines, although it does come with a three-year unlimited-mileage warranty that’s a match for the cover you get with the BMW 3 Series. The Jaguar has been subject to a long list of recalls covering everything from faulty infotainment screens to fuel leaks, faulty seatbelt pretensioners and stalling engines. If you’re buying second-hand, it makes sense to ensure these issues have already been resolved free of charge by Jaguar.

For all that, Jaguar did very well in the most recent Driver Power survey, coming 9th out of 32 brands, with owners apparently prepared to overlook the fact that some 43.6% reported faults with their cars.