Skip advert
Advertisement

Jaguar XE review - Jag's smallest saloon tackles BMW's 3-series head-on - Jaguar XE ride and handling

XE's chassis is one of the best but lacks sparkle in other areas

Evo rating
RRP
from £33,915
  • Fluid chassis, responsive and well-weighted steering, comfortable cabin
  • Design lacks character inside and out, four-cylinder engines uninspiring

Ride and handling

With double wishbone front suspension, an ‘integral link’ rear axle that helps separate longitudinal and latitudinal cornering forces, and the latest in electronic power steering software, the XE is a true sports saloon. It’s a car that gets better the harder you drive it and has a wonderful sense of balance.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The three different damper options – the passive suspension in Sport or Comfort spec and the £800 extra adaptive set-up – all offer a similarly imperious ‘bring it on’ resolve. They manage to balance grip with grace and a fluid economy of motion whatever the road surface or ambition of the driver, however optimistic. In the XE, you can get as down and dirty as you like at the wheel yet the end result will always be poised and pretty which, of course, is very flattering and something few of the German opposition does quite as well.

The XE also manages to serve up a ride quality not dissimilar to the Mercedes C-Class, there’s a controlled suppleness to the way it deals with a road and excellent suppression of tyre noise. In other words, it’s very comfortable and refined.

Where it differs immediately from the Merc is in the acuity of its responses. Darty is the first word that springs to mind, though you quickly relax and adjust and begin to marvel at how little effort is required to get the nose arcing towards the apex.

The steering progressively weights up as you attack a corner, encouraging you to really dig into the chassis’ ample but beautifully balanced reserves of grip. Not bad at all for an electronically assisted power steering system. No, there isn’t much genuine feel and the strong self-centreing action feels a bit artificial but, like the F-type, the XE has turn-in chops most BMWs would kill for and a bias towards mid-corner neutrality that’s hugely gratifying.

First taste of the adaptive dampers came on a diesel and proved perplexing, giving a much busier ride for little obvious payback in handling assets. But later, on the now off-sale 3.0S, the combination felt spot on, the extra pressure applied to the chassis by the 325bhp supercharged V6 being met with a still more planted and composed dynamic demeanour combining more tautly controlled body movements with an obviously firmer but still impressively supple ride.

 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Best cars of the 1980s – performance icons from the decade of excess
Best '80s cars
Best cars

Best cars of the 1980s – performance icons from the decade of excess

The performance car as we’ve come to adore it has its origins in the 1980s. Family cars got fast, fast cars got faster, all of them were huge fun
19 Aug 2025
Mercedes-Benz EQS 2025 review – electric S-class takes aim at the BMW i7
Mercedes EQS – front
In-depth reviews

Mercedes-Benz EQS 2025 review – electric S-class takes aim at the BMW i7

Mercedes put all of its resources into creating a bespoke all-electric flagship, but it’s not quite worthy of replacing the S-class yet
18 Aug 2025
Aston Martin Vantage (2006) Fast Fleet test – living with a £30k V8 Aston
evo Fast Fleet Aston Martin Vantage
Long term tests

Aston Martin Vantage (2006) Fast Fleet test – living with a £30k V8 Aston

How much does an early V8 Vantage really cost to run? We’re starting to find out
21 Aug 2025