Jaguar Unleashes its All-New 2017 XE Sedan

Jaguar XE S (Credit: © Jaguar)

Jaguar has long been missing a true competitor for the BMW 3 Series, but with the recent unveiling of its new XE Sedan, the leaping cat is ready to pounce all over the entire 3 Series lineup. At London’s Earls Court on September 8th, Jaguar released a ton of new details surrounding its upcoming XE Sedan. Unfortunately, this is all global information, so some of the info may not apply here in the U.S.

The overall style of the XE is no surprise, as Jag unveiled plenty of teaser images that were rather revealing and there were loads of spy shots, but it is still a thing of beauty. The traditional, swoopy Jaguar lines are all present, while the long hood and short overhangs give it a sporty presence. The model in the press images is the upmarket XE S, so it has a few extra styling bits that you shouldn’t expect on the base XE, including the aggressive front apron, the side blades and the flashy wheels.

In addition to a stylish design, weight savings and sustainability are two key features of the XE, as Jaguar used RC 5754 recycled aluminum to construct many of the car’s components. This aluminum is a high-strength, 6000-series alloy that allows Jag to reduce the thickness of the metal on the sides of the car to just 1.1 mm, which plays a significant part in the XE’s relatively low 3,249-pound curb weight. The XE also uses a full 101 pounds of recycled plastics and renewable materials to help increase the green factor of its new sedan.

Jaguar XE (Credit: © Jaguar)

The model that Jaguar highlighted at its press event was the XE S — the higher-performance model. The XE S comes standard with a supercharged, 3.0-liter V-6 that is shares with the F-Type. This blown V-6 produces 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, which allows the XE S to hit 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds and top out at 155 mph. This engine is a near certainty to arrive in the U.S., but there is also a family of diesel and gasoline Ingenium engines in the pipeline that will have select availability in the U.S. However, don’t expect to see the diesel engines arrive in the U.S. unless the 328d — BMW’s diesel-powered 3 Series — is a success between now and the U.S. release of the XE.

Backing up the engine lineup if a ZR-sourced, eight-speed auto transmission that features paddle shifters and a rotary dial. As of not, the XE is set up as a rear-wheel-drive sedan, but Jaguar noted that the platform can accept all-wheel drive in the future.

This initial launch was for the global model, therefore North American details will be outlined later, but Jaguar did announce that the XE will arrive in U.S. dealers in 2016 as a 2017 model year.