For 2016, Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia has an all new sports sedan ready to take on the segment leader, the BMW 3-Series. This all new Jaguar is based on an all-new aluminum extensive chassis that shares no other nameplates. Called the XE it will be arriving in Malaysia in 2 weeks time.
The Jaguar XE has a distinct advantage over the 3 Series, in that it’s quite a bit newer. The current F30 3 Series was first launched in 2012, Jaguar has had 3 years to benchmark the F30 when making the XE. The XE shows that Jaguar truly used those 3 years wisely when developing it.
Jaguar engineers focused on the ride and handling of the new XE sedan in a bid to outclass rivals such as the BMW 3 series. Jaguar claims the XE is the “best driver’s car” in its class and auto journalists taking part in a test drive in Spain last year were overwhelmed by the sedan’s driving dynamics.
The XE is the stiffest, most aerodynamic sedan built by Jaguar to date. It is the first Jaguar equipped with electric power steering, which offers greater tuning potential and improved energy efficiency.
The XE’s body is 75% aluminum, which contributed to the body-in-white’s low weight of 251kg. Jaguar expects 90 percent of XE buyers to be new to the brand, said Peter Modelhardt, managing director of Jaguar Germany. The XE is Jaguar’s smallest and most affordable car, which the automaker believes will help it attract younger customers and more women to the brand.
