Let's start with the really good news that, well before driving it, we can confidently state that the new Jaguar XE definitely isn't an X-type.

Jaguar won't thank us for mentioning its last attempt to build a small sedan so high up in this story, but we need to clear the air and move on. And if the XE is to succeed the first thing it needs to do is expunge the memory of its woeful predecessor.

Because the X-type was a deeply cynical car, a parts-bin special developed on the cheap back when Jag was still part of Ford's ill-fated Premier Automotive Group. Beneath its retro bodywork, the X-type shared its mechanical components with the Euro-spec Ford Mondeo, and putting it against cars like the E46 BMW 3-series was like bringing a rubber chicken to a gunfight. Six years after it died, unmourned by all, the smell still lingers.

Yet we have the X-type to thank for one thing: making Jaguar take development of the XE as seriously as it has. The company has spent billions of dollars on engineering the car and the mostly aluminum platform on which it sits, plus the new factory that will build it and the range of four-cylinder engines that will ultimately power most examples.

So let's start with the basics. The XE has longitudinally mounted engines and rear-drive as standard, with an optional all-wheel drive system to follow. The body shell is mostly made from high-strength aluminum—each body side is a single pressing—and we're told that the XE is both the lightest and most torsionally rigid sedan that Jaguar has ever produced.

It's been designed to look as low and sleek as possible, with design director Ian Callum talking about "coupe-ish" lines. The XE is an inch and a half or so longer than the 3-series sedan (183.9 inches total) and the roofline is the better part of an inch lower (55.7 inches). Its Callum admits that keeping the bonnet as low as possible was one of the trickiest design challenges: "The new four-cylinder engine isn't small by any means—modern engines tend to be tall because there's a lot of stuff in the cylinder head." And the front-end styling is meant to be familiar. "I didn't want to reinvent the whole Jaguar look again," Callum says. "We have to build on our current face; good luxury branding is all about consistency."

Under the skin, the XE will have an unequal-length control-arm front suspension with a multilink setup at the back. (More info here.) It also will be the first Jaguar to have fully electric power steering rather than a hydraulic system. We only have output numbers for the V-6 engine that will power the XE S variant at the moment. It's the same 3.0-liter supercharged powerplant familiar from elsewhere in the range, with Jaguar quoting 340 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. It works through a standard eight-speed automatic transmission and delivers a claimed 4.9-sec 0-to-60-mph time and a limited 155-mph top speed; those figures are buoyed by a claimed base curb weight of 3250 pounds. European buyers will also get a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel from launch—it's apparently on its way here, although we’re taking a wait-and-see approach—but a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline four from JLR's forthcoming 'Ingenium' powertrain family will be offered to Americans shortly after the car hits dealers.

Predictably, the XE's high level of tech is also being pushed hard. Options will include stereoscopic safety cameras, a full color head-up display system, and a remote-control app for iOS and Android devices that will allow seven day timed presetting for climate control and even starting the engine. A new development is what's called “All Surface Progress Control”: a low-grip traction system spun from Land Rover's expertise that enables you to set a speed between 2 mph and 19 mph in slippery conditions. It’s also worth noting that the new Jaguar will have the company’s new InControl infotainment system, which it promises will be a vast improvement on the slow, finicky setup currently offered in its cars. It will have an eight-inch touch screen, Android and Apple iOS integration, and available Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity.

Beyond the launch of the sedan in early 2016, we can say that a hybrid version is a certainty—the new platform has been designed to accommodate a part-electric powertrain—and we can also safely predict that a range-topping XE-R and probably also an XE-RS will follow, with insiders suggesting these will both be powered by V-8s. We also know that the company is working on a two-door coupe version, although we're told there probably won't be a station wagon—even for Europe—as that role is covered by the existing XF Sportbrake and the forthcoming Jaguar crossover that's being spun from the same platform.

Now there’s just the primary question of whether it will drive well enough to banish memories of the X-Type forever. We look forward to telling you.

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