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Tinashe Makichi Motoring
The new Jaguar XE is an exhibition of luxury, refinement, style and beauty. Its athletic body structure is a hint of the speed and torque that the vehicle possesses before you even drive it.

What I like about the new XE is the phenomenal exterior styling which is perfectly proportional and meticulous. The new Jaguar XE Sedan is easily recognised as a Jaguar with its harmonised looks and aluminium skin formed around the fundamental principles of perfect proportions and aerodynamic efficiency.

The body structure of the XE is 75 percent aluminium which makes the XE light, stiff and safe. It is the only car in its class that has been built around the aluminium ‘monocoque’.

One thing that Jaguar always does when designing vehicles is to pay attention to detail and both the exterior and interior styling show the amount of time that was invested in producing the best.

The entry level to the XE range features high quality luxtec seats and gloss black treatment for the door trim finishers. For the R sport and S models the seats are finished in Taurus leather.

The interior offers outstanding levels of comfort and spaciousness. Exquisite materials and finishes combined with Jaguar craftsmanship make this a class-beating interior that’s unlike anything else in the segment.

The contour-hugging front seats are mounted low — creating a sports-car like driving position — offering both heating and cooling options, and up to 14-way power adjustment.

At the centre is an eight-inch touchscreen that offers drivers easy access to media and navigation features, as well information displays. The vehicle boasts of the most advanced driver assistance systems for example the All Surface Progress Control (ASPC) which enables the vehicle to gain traction electronically in seconds when driving on low grip surfaces such as icy roads or wet grass.

Another exciting feature is a stereo camera mounted behind the front windscreen to give the XE a 3D view of the road ahead, this highly accurate data is used for functions including the lane departure warning system.

The new XE is built on a double wishbone front suspension which makes the car a supple ride and gives it crisp handling. It has high performing brakes which respond easily when you decide to brake. It is powered by a range of four — and six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines offering a blend of performance. All engines benefit from direct injection, variable valve timing and boosting to deliver clean, quiet combustion and exceptional throttle response.

It has intelligent stop-start systems and the smart regenerative charging saves more fuel. Power is sent to the rear wheels through smooth-shifting 6-speed manual and 8-speed automatic transmissions. The petrol engine range begins with the turbocharged, direct-injection, 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit, which delivers 177kw and 340 Nm.

The XE has an engine which provides superior performance and an exhilarating ride, this all-aluminium engine is a modular design with takes its core architecture from Jaguar’s acclaimed 5.0-litre V8. Its top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h and the engine performance is pegged at 250kW and 450Nm.

The new XE’s adaptive cruise control (ACC) makes motorway journeys even more comfortable. Long-range 77GHz scanning radar monitors the road ahead, enabling the car to maintain a pre-set distance from vehicles in front.

The ACC system can also initiate emergency braking if it detects an impending collision. I enjoyed parking the XE, the two semi-automated park assist functions did the work for me, what the ultrasonic sensors do is to measure the space where you want to park and if suitable will enable the car to steer itself during both parallel and bay parking manoeuvres.

Driving out of parking spaces has been made even safer with the reverse traffic detection system. The sensors used in the blind spot monitoring system will detect approaching vehicles which may be unseen by the driver and can trigger an alert.

The New Jaguar XE is a must have and available at Premier Auto Services, for pricing and availability.