Last year I sold my Infiniti G37 Sedan 6 MT, it was approaching its 10 years birthday, even though it performed flawlessly during its long tenure, I just felt that something may go wrong sooner a later.

For its replacement, it came down to these 2 choices:

• Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti
• Jaguar XE S

Alfa Giulia TI:

The car exterior looked attractive with the 5 hole 19” wheels, the interior was clean and sporty, and the price was already discounted by 3K before negotiation.
Off to test drive; driving off the lot, I was surprised by the amount of grunt this 4 pot engine had, you press the gas pedal and the car takes off pretty quick pinning you back slightly to the back of your seat, the gear changes are smooth, and the shift paddles are long and easily accessible.
I take a few fast corners during the drive and I noticed how fast and immediate the steering was, however I felt it was a little bit on the numb side.
One letdown was the engine noise or lack of it, it was very low with no character whatsoever, kind of disappointing for an Italian car.
Another letdown was the infotainment system, it was not a touch screen, and the resolution was low. Furthermore, the navigation graphics looked like circa 2004.

The sales guy invited me to try the Giulia Quadrifoglio. Now that car is a beast, the performance is incredible, in race mode, it literally feels like a 4 door Ferrari. I loved everything about this car, however the price is outside my budget even after they knocked 10K off its list price (it was a 2017 model) , so I thanked the sales guy for his time and went to the Jaguar dealer.


Jaguar XE S:

I always had a soft spot for Jaguars, and this one did not disappoint in person. It looks very sharp, with the right mix of straight and round edges. The S model comes with side skirts, a very tasteful rear spoiler, blacked out trim, and a beautiful set of 20” propeller style wheels.
On to the test drive. I could feel the torque of the engine as soon as you step on the gas, but for some reason it did not feel much faster than the Alfa. The steering is direct but less communicative than the Guilia’s, and overall the handling felt is a step below the Alfa.
Then I put it in Dynamic mode which totally transformed the character of the car, the throttle, gearbox, suspension, and steering became sharper and more responsive, it reminded me of the BMW e90.
The only downside was the cheap plastics used in some areas of the interior.
Overall I thought the interior and exterior design was superior to the Alfa, and the balance between ride and handling was outstanding.

Verdict:

Even though every comparison test I read, they picked the Giulia over the XE, I felt that the Jag offered the best luxury/sport experience and had the better warranty and dealer network, so I signed the papers on the XE S and headed back home in my new British saloon.


One year later:

Now that I have owned the car for almost a year I would like to give an update on my experience with this sports sedan.

I would like to share the fact that this car has not left me stranded once for any mechanical or electric reasons, and I do drive the car pretty hard on a regular basis.

However there are a few nagging issues with other parts of the car that fall under the "British quirks" category that can get on your nerves after a while.

Without further due here are the pros and cons.

PROS:

Beautiful exterior design
Clean interior design
Very good steering feel and feedback
Impressive ride with 20" rubberband tires
Dynamic mode transforms the car into a true sports sedan
Powerful engine (380 HP)
I don't miss shifting my own gears
Cool supercharger sound
Meridian sound system is loud and clear
People have no clue this car exists


CONS:

Low end platics used in interior
Slow and laggy infotainment system
Cramped backseat compared to the competition
Wonky climate control (sometimes it blows ambient air instead of cold air)
Mediocre fuel economy (14-15 mpg, 90% city)
Proxymity parking aid goes off randomly when sitting in traffic
Trunk needs to be slammed to close shut
Occasional buzzing sounds over rough roads
The car is heavier than it should be considering it's composed of 70% aluminum
The 8 speed auto transmission is not very responsive in auto mode


In short, this car is a pleasure to drive if you don't mind its quirks that I listed above. Putting it in dynamic mode and going for a spirited drive around some winding roads will make you appreciate its brilliant chassis and drive-train.

I plan to do an APV tune and I may go for a more aggressive exhaust in the future.

But overall, I'm happy with the XE, and plan to keep it past its warranty period.

Without further due here are some pics:




My car

 

Wow. Great post. I have always liked Jaguar for some reason. You don’t see this car all the time which is a nice thing as you get something exclusive (you’re last pro). Interesting quirks.

Do you think the infotainment system will get long in the tooth after the warranty period? I wish they planned for updates to keep them fresh. But I guess not.

 

madmax2k1 thanks so much for sharing so much detail on your decision and experience.
and congrats, that’s a great car and thr blue is awesome.

 

Nice car side shot looks a little like a GSF

 

Actually the infotainment system is loaded with features and does support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (with an add-on package), however its laggy performance ruins the experience.

 

Congratulations....beautiful car, especially the paint color. And it shows that people are still buying sedans (saloons in British-speak).......the market for them is not dead, unlike what some auto executives claim.

 

So Car Play or Android Auto is laggy as well?

 

Love the blue and considered the XE a couple years back but the interior (and only that) turned me off. The drive did not disappoint. Enjoy!

 

Very detailed indeed. This was great. Glad you’re enjoying the XE. A very unique and under appreciated saloon

 

Very nice body shape. And love that blue color! Lets hope reliability pans out for you.
Enjoy

 

It's a little better with Android Auto and CarPlay.

 

Thank you all, I'm definitely enjoying the exclusivity and performance of this car, I hope it will last

 

it's maddening when car infotainment runs even slower than a $50 smart phone.

laggy choppy scrolling and zooming... like there's a 1mhz cpu powering it.

 

I love driving these.

But I can't stand getting into or out of them. I am 300lbs, and not overly tall. I know, I need to get my fatass on a treadmill, but alas, this had to be one of the most uncomfortable cars I have ever driven. And the tiny rear seat legroom?! Hope you never carry passengers back there.

Other than that it is a hoot to drive, but I couldn't do any long trips in it. Those side bolsters would have my hips screaming in about 2 hours.