Last night as we drove down Dawson St. in downtown Raleigh, a Jaguar XF appeared in front of us, and we couldn’t help but be impressed. It reminded us that Jaguar has a new model coming out, the XE, due in America by 2017, one that was revealed in great fanfare (a helicopter lifted it into London, James Bond style). The more we see of the new XE, the more excited we become. Although the XF looks quite well, too; maybe it was just twilight magic but the silver exterior and tail lamps worked together beautifully.
It reminded us, however, to take stock of what’s on the way in the new XE. Jaguar is utilizing every resource at its disposal to make this model as compelling as possible, which shows in the press reports thus far. There will be diesel engines, Ingenium engines, and supercharged V6 engines to satisfy every possible buyer. There will be a double wishbone suspension for the front wheels and an Integral Link for the rear, a very complex arrangement, so that the ride will be either pliant or responsive, depending on the whim of any possible driver.
The body will be more than 75 percent aluminum to save weight, the transmission is from ZF to be silky smooth, the steering will be electric to improve fuel economy, and a head-up display will silence anyone who might even whisper the word “German.” This is, quite plainly, every possible feature in the basket of automakers these days. A multitude of features is usually aimed at a multitude of buyers, so we hope to see plenty of XEs on the streets of Raleigh once it arrives.
As we meander toward that date, the largest surprises will most likely be technological. Two years is plenty of time for software updates, operating system redesigns, and integration with Apple and Android operating systems, so we look forward to super speedy integrations with mobile devices.
To drive a current XF in Raleigh or Cary, stop by our showroom.