Jaguar XE: First local specs revealed

The first Australian details for Jaguar's most important vehicle in decades, the all-new XE mid-size sedan, have been revealed ahead of the car's arrival here in August.

The British brand has announced exhaustive specifics about the European model range and standard features of its crucial new car, which will slot underneath the XF and give Jaguar its most affordable model since the unloved X-Type was axed in 2009.

But now Australians have a clearer idea of what to expect after Jaguar Australia launched an XE model configurator on its public website.

Although full local details still to be confirmed, including specific model pricing, the luxury sedan will be influenced by the European range which comprises five trim levels – Pure, Prestige, R-Sport, Portfolio and S.

There will be four engine options – a trio of 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines and a supercharged V6 – though it's not clear if all of them will be offered from the Australian launch in August.

Entry-level 'Pure' models are offered with a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel delivering 132kW/430Nm and consuming just 4.2L/100km, and a turbo-petrol unit producing 147kW/280Nm and consuming 7.5L/100km.

Prestige and R-Sport models can be had with the above engines, and also the more potent 177kW/340Nm four-pot turbo-petrol, which sprints to100km/h in 6.8 seconds.

Jaguar XE S models come with the beefy 3.0-litre supercharged V6 borrowed from the F-TYPE sports car, cranking out 250kW and 450Nm for a 5.1-second sprint to 100km/h. They use fuel at a rate of 8.1L/100km on average.

All versions of the rear-drive XE are all fitted with eight-speed automatic transmissions, and pricing will be competitive with the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, meaning a starting price of around $60,000.

Standard features on entry-level Jaguar XE Pure models include dual-zone automatic climate-control, an 8.0-inch touch-screen infotainment system with satellite-navigation, Bluetooth everything, text-to-speech functionality, push-button start, front and rear parking sensors, automatic wipers and headlights and an electric driver's seat with memory settings.

Factor in a host of safety tech, such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning, hill start assist, torque vectoring and stability control, and the standard features list looks very competitive.

The top-shelf non-sports model, the Portfolio, is expected to get even more advanced equipment, while the R-Sport models gain a sports body kit, exterior chrome highlights, a rear spoiler and so on.

The flagship S supercharged V6 models are likely to command a six-figure pricetag, and will come with the sporty exterior body work, an adaptive dynamics system and red brake callipers, according to the Jaguar website. Expect a few more surprises too.

Stay tuned for our first drive report of the new Jaguar XE in the next week, as motoring.com.au attends the international launch in Spain.