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The most obvious expression of that at Solihull is the aluminium bodyshop—the largest of its type in Europe—where 613 robots wielding 299 rivet guns make the bodyshells for both new Jaguars. At full capacity the bodyshop will feed an 81,000m2 final assembly line that can complete a car every 78 seconds—not just Jaguars, but also the Range Rover Sport. It’s not unusual for different models to share a single production line—Land Rover even built monocoque Range Rovers and ladder-chassis Discoverys along the same line—but it’s curious seeing such disparate models sharing a build track. Each bodyshell travels the line on one of 230 pantograph platforms which raise or lower to the right height for each assembly operation. Two XEs head down the line for every Range Rover Sport, and when the F-Pace comes on stream early next year and the assembly operation goes from its current two-shift operation to three-shift work, Jaguars will dominate.

At least, that’s the plan. To make it happen, Jaguar needs to sell the new cars in substantial numbers, which in the XE’s case means around 100,000 a year. To do that, against rivals like BMW’s 3 Series, Audi’s new A4, and Mercedes-Benz’s C Class, the XE has to be spectacularly accomplished.

Subtle design cues like the swell of the bonnet and the hint of a circular element in the rear lights give the XE a Jaguar-family feel, though its an evolutionary shape which has a lot in common with the bigger XF rather than a new departure. It’s an efficient shape as well as an attractive one. Ducts in the front bumper channel laminar airflow around the front wheels, and there’s a smooth undertray, both of which help cut the drag coefficient to just 0.26—the result of 1200 CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulations taking over eight million hours of processor time.

The 251kg (553lb) bodyshell is about 75 percent aluminium alloys, more than two thirds of that high-strength grades. The XE is the first car in the world to use RC 5754, a high-strength alloy predominantly made of recycled material. AC 300 and AC 600 (other aluminium alloys) are used in key areas, such as the front and rear crash structures, pillars, and the "cant rail" at the edge of the roof. Self-piercing rivets and structural adhesives are used extensively, enabling optimum joint design for strength, stiffness, and durability, and offer compatibility with dissimilar materials that welding processes cannot. Galvanised steel reinforces the B-pillars and door panels (key for side impact protection) and four further layers of surface protection remove any risk of galvanic corrosion between steel and aluminium components. Subframes are magnesium castings for an optimum balance of strength and weight.

In practice, the XE weighs upwards of 1474 kilograms (3249lbs) and is no lighter than some steel rivals, but the passenger cell is exceptionally stiff, which has benefits in crash protection and also affects the way the XE drives.

The torsional stiffness of the body provides a stable structure for the suspension to work from. Double wishbones at the front have geometry optimised for both rear- and four-wheel drive—so we can expect an all-drive XE in due course—and the rear features an "integral link" design more often used on larger, more expensive cars. Jaguar says a key benefit of the system is that softer suspension bushes can be used, minimising noise and harshness without compromising handling. Weight is saved by using tubular anti-roll bars and forged aluminium knuckles, links, and control arms.

























On the road

Drive an XE down a typically British bumpy B-road and the torsional stiffness is immediately apparent: there are no rattles or squeaks, and the suspension feels like a single system rather than the front wheels arguing with the rears over which way to go and why. There’s a precision and fluidity to the XE which comes through in every corner, even at moderate speeds. Most drivers won’t notice that this is the first Jaguar with electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) instead of conventional hydraulic assistance, with a rack-mounted motor.

EPAS is often criticised for a lack of feel, but this one offers response and feedback to rival conventional systems, together with extra benefits like assistance which varies subtly with speed and damping which varies with the rate of steering input, enabling crisp response on twisty roads but also relaxed motorway cruising. The system even compensates for changes in ambient temperature and variations in road camber.

The XE also incorporates the torque vectoring system first seen on the F-type, which brakes the inside rear wheel mid-corner to minimise understeer, and All Surface Progress Control to make driving on low-grip surfaces easier. Ride quality remains excellent, even on XEs fitted with the optional 20-inch alloy wheels and low-profile tyres.

Power for the XE comes from four- and six-cylinder engines, coupled to either a six-speed manual gearbox (available on the diesels only) or a ZF8HP45 eight-speed automatic and rear-wheel drive. The four-cylinder engines all come from JLR’s new Ingenium range and have deep-skirted aluminium alloy blocks with thin-wall cast iron liners, and twin counter-rotating balance shafts to minimise second-order out-of-balance forces and improve refinement. Split cooling speeds warm-up by circulating water only in the cylinder head, reducing fuel consumption and improving emissions performance. Electronic control of the oil pump and piston cooling oil jets reduces losses. Variable exhaust cam phasing adjusts the valve timing to help the catalytic converters reach working temperature quickly. Roller bearings for the cams and balance shafts help reduce internal friction by 17 percent compared to Jaguar’s previous diesel engine.

There are two 2.0L diesels, both using 1800-bar common rail injection systems. There’s a 177hp/317ft-lb (180PS/430Nm) version, but the star is the 160hp/280ft-lb (163PS/380Nm) engine which makes the XE the most fuel-efficient Jaguar ever, achieving 75mpg on the (largely unrealistic) European combined cycle and emitting just 99g/km CO2. The Ingenium petrol engines, also 2.0L in-line fours, are turbocharged direct-injection units offering 197hp/206ft-lb (200PS/280Nm) or 236hp/250ft-lb (240PS/340Nm).

All the Ingenium motors are smooth and effective, and the low-speed torque of the diesels is impressive. But they’re all a bit anonymous in the way they operate: if character is high on your list of priorities, you have to move up to the engine (currently) at the top of the XE range—the 3.0L V6.

The all-alloy V6 in the XE S is related to Jaguar’s 5.0L V8 and shares its 90-degree bank angle, adding a balancer shaft to iron out the vibrations that the unnatural angle (V6s balance better at 60 degrees) would otherwise induce. A twin-vortex Roots-type supercharger sits in the vee, belt driven from the crankshaft and boosting the engine to 335hp at 6500rpm. Maximum torque is 332ft-lb (450Nm) at a high 4500rpm, but the V6 pulls strongly even from low speed. The eight-speed auto slurs imperceptibly between gears: leave the transmission to do its own thing and it generally picks the right ratio, but there are paddle shifters behind the wheel if you want full control.

Let the V6 rev and it delivers genuine pace as it snarls its way to the red line, punting the XE towards the horizon with gusto. Jaguar claims the 0-60mph sprint takes just 4.9 seconds, which if anything may be pessimistic. Fuel consumption is in the 30s on the combined cycle, but use any of the performance and that quickly dips below 20mpg.