Whilst Jaguar’s marketing team is gearing up for the motor show reveal of the new XE in Paris this October, the British firm’s engineers are out on the Nürburgring fine tuning the compact executive sedan that will launch at a Jaguar showroom near you in early 2015.
This particular prototype is powered by the same 3.0-liter supercharged V6 found on other Jaguar models like the F-Type series, in which it is offered with two outputs at 335hp (340PS / 250kW) and 375hp (380PS / 280kW).
At the lower end of the range, the XE will offer a new range of turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, while on the other end, there has been talk about the use of a supercharged V8 for the XE R and XE R-S high-performance versions.
The engines sit on Jaguar’s new rear and all-wheel-drive aluminum architecture that should help keep the weight in check compared to rivals BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
One thing you should keep in mind about these XE testers is that, the British automaker’s engineers craftily added a Skoda Superb-like camouflage wrap to the C-pillar and rear window; the actual production car is believed to have a raked rear screen leading to a stubby boot.
Depending on how it is received in the market, the XE series could evolve into an entire range of models, including an estate and a coupe.
By John Halas
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoopS
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