Jaguar XE to open at $60,400

Jaguar Australia has announced a $60,400 starting price for its vital new XE sedan two and a half months before it officially goes on sale on September 1, undercutting its most direct rivals in the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW 3 Series, but not the Audi A4.

The cheapest new Jaguar since the similarly sized X-Type was killed off a decade ago in 2005 will be available in four equipment grades -- Prestige, R-Sport, Portfolio and S – and powered by four engines, all matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

There will be three 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines including an all-new 'Ingenium' turbo-diesel with class-leading fuel-efficiency, plus a range-topping 3.0-litre supercharged petrol V6 exclusively for the XE S, which at $104,200 undercuts the Audi S4 but not the BMW 335i.

The engine line-up is as follows:

20t -- 147W/280Nm 2.0-litre I4 turbo-petrol
25t -- 177kW/340Nm 2.0-litre I4 turbo-petrol
20d -- 132kW/430Nm 2.0-litre I4 turbo-diesel
S -- 250kW/450Nm 3.0-litre V6 supercharged petrol

Priced at $60,400 plus-on-road costs, the entry-level XE Prestige 20t offers more power and torque than both the recently upgraded BMW 316i (100kW/220Nm) and 320i (135kW/270Nm), and although the former opens the 3 Series range at a vastly cheaper $53,800, the 320i is $1100 more expensive at $61,500.

Mercedes' rival for the Prestige 20t within the top-selling C-Class line-up is the C 200, which offers less power but more torque from its 135kW/300Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, for $500 more ($60,900).

Over at Audi there's the punchier but less powerful 125kW/320Nm 1.8-litre turbo-petrol powered A4 1.8 TFSI from just $55,500, and the higher-performance 165kW/350Nm A4 2.0 TFSI, which at $57,100 also undercuts the base XE by more than $3000.

All XEs sold in Australia will come standard with Jaguar All Surface Progress Control with torque vectoring, plus a solid safety armoury including a reversing camera, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and blind-spot monitoring with reverse traffic detection and closing vehicle sensing plus seven airbags.

Also standard across the range will be bi-function automatic xenon headlights, gearshift paddles for the eight-speed auto, tyre pressure monitoring, front/rear parking sensors, automatic park assist with parallel and bay parking and parking exit, keyless entry and starting, an 8.0-inch InControl touch-screen infotainment system with navigation and voice control, 380-Watt 11-speaker Meridian sound system, power-folding exterior mirrors with auto-dimming and reverse auto-dipping, memory control for exterior mirrors, steering column and driver's seat, dual-zone climate-control and a 40:20:40-split folding rear seat.

Key standard features for the cheapest XE Prestige 20t are now also confirmed to include 18-inch ‘Arm’ six-spoke alloy wheels and 'Taurus' leather-trimmed seats with 10x10-way power adjustment plus four-way electric lumbar adjustment.

Mirroring that equipment list are the Prestige 20d ($62,800 plus ORCs) and Prestige 25t ($64,900 plus ORCs).

That makes the cheapest diesel XE $10000 more affordable than the BMW 320d ($63,800), but pricier than both the A4 2.0 TDI ($59,900) and Mercedes C 200 BlueTEC ($62,400).

However, the Prestige 20d's 132kW/430Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel – the only new-generation Ingenium engine available from launch -- not only offers more torque than all three Germans and more power than all but the BMW, but is more efficient than them all with fuel consumption of 4.2L/100km and CO2 emissions of 111g/km, bettering all but the Benz C 300 BlueTEC hybrid in this segment (4.0L/100km).

Next one the engine list is a higher-output 177kW/340Nm version of the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine dubbed '25t', which like the base 20t is available in entry-level Prestige and sport R-Sport specs, as well as the Portolio luxury flagship ($70,400 plus ORCs).

All turbo-petrol engines consume 7.5L/100km and while the 25t is claimed to hit 100km/h in 6.8 seconds, the 20t is slower at 7.7 seconds, with the diesel just one-tenth slower at 7.8 seconds.

In addition to the standard Prestige specification, Portfolio models add 18-inch ‘Matrix’ seven-twin spoke alloy, soft-grain Windsor leather trims with Herringbone perforation and tonal stitching, a 'Leatherette' wrapped instrument panel, Gloss-figured ebony veneer and electric rear window sunblind.

Meantime, on top Prestige equipment the three-engine R-Sport range ($64,400 20t, $66,800 20d and $68,900 25t) adds sports seats in Luxtec trim with Technical mesh inserts, 18-inch ‘Star’ five-spoke alloy, sports suspension, an R-Sport bodykit including unique front bumper, side skirts and a bootlid spoiler plus gloss-black window surrounds, and R-Sport branding on steering wheel, sill plates and side power vents.

There is no manual version – even for the XE S – although manual options and a sub-99g/km entry-level diesel model are offered in Europe. Upgraded Ingenium petrol engines are expected to join the range within 18 months.

Topping the range – for now – is the XE S, powered by the F-TYPE sports car's 250kW/450Nm 3.0-litre supercharged petrol V6, priced at $104,200 plus ORCs, making it cheaper and more powerful than Audi's 245kW/440Nm supercharged 3.0-litre S4 ($105,000).

The XE range-topper, which Jaguar says can hit 100km/h in 5.1 seconds, also delivers more performance than BMW's 225kW/400Nm turbocharged 3.0-litre 335i, but it's more than $10,000 cheaper at $93,430. The V6 S consumes 8.1L/100km.

In addition to standard Prestige specs, the XE S adds sports seats in Taurus leather with suedecloth inserts, Adaptive Dynamics with sports suspension, 19-inch ‘Venom’ five-twin spoke alloy, red brake callipers, and S’ bodykit including specific front bumper, body coloured and gloss-black side sills, a gloss-black rear valance and window surrounds, sports Leatherette-wrapped instrument panel, 'S’ branding on steering wheel and sill plates, Bright-finish pedals, black headlining and tailpipe finishers.

As is customary in this segment, there will be a wide range of optional extras, including digital radio ($540),  a powered bootlid ($850), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Forward Alert, Queue Assist and Intelligent Emergency Braking ($1750), head-up display ($1770), panoramic sunroof ($1800), Adaptive Dynamics ($1850 -- standard on S) and "unrivalled levels of personalisation" via a selection of wheel styles and sizes, exterior and interior colours in both race-inspired or traditional colours, and choice of wood or metallic veneers.

There is also an array of option packs, the most notable being the Lighting Pack (Adaptive Bi-function HID headlights with cornering lamps, washers and Intelligent High Beam) for $770, and the Highway Technology Pack (ACC with Forward Alert, Queue Assist and Intelligent Emergency Braking, HUD and Solar Attenuating Windscreen) for $3420.

Metallic paint costs $1300 extra and premium paint costs a cool $2600 more. There will be only two solid colours -- white and black.

Jaguar Land Rover Australia managing director Matthew Wiesner said the XE will become Jaguar's top-selling model – at least until its first SUV, the F-PACE, arrives in mid-2016.

"Without going into numbers it will obviously be a strong contributor in terms of volume," he said. "XE's going to dominate until we get to F-PACE, which will be the first entry from Jaguar in the SUV space. It will add considerably more volume to our bottom line."

Wiesner said he expected R-Sport models to be as popular as Prestige variants from launch, with diesel versions of the latter likely to also be strong sellers.

We've written much about the all-new XE, including our first drive report from the global launch in Spain last month, but Jaguar claims its smallest sedan is also its stiffest ever (and its most aerodynamic with a 0.26Cd drag coefficient).

This is thanks to a "first-in-class" aluminium-intensive monocoque chassis – the first to be developed from Jaguar Land Rover’s new modular vehicle architecture -- with double-wishbone front and Integral Link rear suspension, which Jaguar says makes it "the driver's car in its segment". Kerb weights range between 1530kg for four-cylinder petrol models, to 1565kg (diesel) and 1665kg (V6 S).

The mid-size rear-wheel drive sedan rides on a 2835mm wheelbase and the four initial model variants are expected to be joined by an XE-R powered by a 360kW V8 from the F-TYPE and a 400kW XE-RS flagship that will go head to head with the BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C 63 S.

The XE completes Jaguar's sedan range beneath the large XF sedan, the second generation of which will arrive in Australia early next year and is expected to be more expensive than the current model, and the facelifted XJ limousine now confirmed for a November local release.

It is produced exclusively at Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull plant in the UK and is expected to be joined by wagon and coupe versions in coming years, although like the new XF wagon the upcoming XE Sportbrake may not be sold here.

2015 Jaguar XE pricing (plus on-road costs):
Prestige 20t -- $60,400
Prestige 20d -- $62,800
Prestige 25t -- $64,900
R-Sport 20t -- $64,400
R-Sport 20d -- $66,800
R-Sport 25t -- $68,900
Portfolio 25t -- $70,400
S V6 -- $104,200