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My review - from launch to delivery
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The launch
Back in September 2014 I watched the long awaited launch of Jaguar's XE, the successor to the X-type. I will not join the X-type discussion, as this is my first Jag. But having owned a Rover 618i which relied a lot on the Honda Accord, I understand many negative remarks about the X-type connection to the Ford Mondeo.
But back to September 2014. I watched the introduction live via Internet in my hotel room on a business trip, while my wife watched it at home. My wife has an above-average interest in cars, so her opinion is very important to me. Although I drive the car 90% for business, my family has a big vote when purchasing a new car (lease). My wife was very positive about the XE-S, but we both wanted to see the mainstream models. So the wait for the Paris motor show
started.
In October 2014 loads of images of all trims became available. After watching the numerous times with my wife we were sure: the Jag XE would be our next car.
The Merc
I was driving a Mercedes C Coupe (220cdi) in 2014. A car I selected because of it good looks (according to me). But it wasn't very practical: all four members of our family (including our two daughters) are pretty tall. Just to demonstrate this: my 12yr old daughter measures 172cm (5,6 feet)... The Merc was an eye catcher, and was a good drive. But the three ladies instructed me that the next car should be a 4-door instead of a coupe. The new Merc C class is not our cup of tea, too classic. So exit Merc.
Leasing in the Netherlands
Leasing a business car in NL is merely based on our very complex tax system. Depending on the CO2 output, a tax percentage of 0% (full electric), 7%, 14%, 20% or 25% is assigned. This percentage is used to add a fictive amount to your bruto income, by multiplying the catalog price of the car with the percentage. So for a car with a price of 50.000,- Euro and a CO2 tax of 20%, each year 10.000 euro (20% of 50.000) is added to your yearly income. For my
Merc it means approx 400,- Euro's extra tax per month... I don't need to tell you that this system plays a major role for the Dutch when selecting an new lease car?
Selecting the XE
So what does this mean when leasing the XE? Well, when selecting the 163ps you're safe:20% tax. But when selecting the 180ps auto things get messy. Only the Pure and Prestige trims get 20% tax, the others 25% tax. For me this would mean a extra netto tax of 5.000,- Euro for the total leasing period. So I had to make tough decisions: a 163ps auto R-Sport or a 180ps auto Prestige...
This is how I decided:
1. I preferred the interior of the Prestige
2. I like cars with an exhaust (tail pipes). The 163ps doesn't have them
3. I like the aggressive skirts of the R-Sport
4. I wanted BIG wheels
So I decided to go for a Prestige, 180ps auto. And asked the dealer to add the 19" alloys later because of our tax system...
The wait
So, back in October I had ordered my XE... from a website without seeing the car in the flesh or driving it. But in December 2014 Jaguar NL joined the Masters of Luxury fair in Amsterdam were the new XE (and the Landrover Discovery Sport) were available for a exclusive preview. When my wife and I returned from this fair, we felt good. The XE was a very nice car.
The big wait was now in full progress. In January the first very positive prototype reviews were published, making me and many others on this and other forums more eager to drive it. In the mean time I changed some minor details to my car, but always avoiding a later delivery. In April my dealer emailed me the definitive build slot (end of April) and a possible delivery date (end of may).
The dealer
I ordered my car at Munsterhuis Sports Cars in Hengelo, The Netherlands. My company has been a long time client of their own leasing firm (Munsterhuis Lease) and have enjoyed a very good relation with them. Munsterhuis Sports Cars sells Ferrari, Maserati and Jaguar, so we didn't lease their own brands till now. My XE was the first car leased via and delivered by Munsterhuis. You can tell that they are in the higher segment of cars: a very nice showroom where loads of dads+sons are watching the supercars and a very nice atmosphere. If you're in their neighborhood: visit them! (Last month they had Alessi's Ferrari F1 car in the showroom).
I guess that I was a pretty difficult customer to them. Their sales staff was of course very new to the XE and I, just like many others on this forum, became very informed about the XE, production process, etc. by sharing with each other. I guess that at some points our information was more up-to-date than the info supplied by JLR to their dealers... But they managed to deal with me, even when I bypassed Munsterhuis and JLR NL to get more detailed information about a definite delivery date.
The arrival and delivery
At June 10th my dealer send me some pictures of their parking lot: my XE had arrived!
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After a few days the final delivery date was scheduled: June 18th. Delivery was great. I took my family with me to Munsterhuis and said my Merc farewell at their parking lot. In the showroom my XE was covered in a black Jaguar cloth.... showing how big the car was..... A nice bottle of Prosecco was posted next to the car, to celebrate the first XE delivery by the dealer (and one of the very first in The Netherlands).
After some nice words, my daughters were asked to reveal the XE.
![]()
And there it was: our nice and very aggressive looking XE on its big black wheels. We were both overwhelmed, as was our leasing contact person from Munsterhuis. Some more chit chat and we drove the XE outside, to enjoy it and show it to our family and friends.
![]()
PS. A big surprise from Jaguar: my car got complementary electric seats. I ordered it with the default Prestige seats for the Netherlands, 2 way electric adjustable but got 8 way electric adjustable
My verdict for the dealer experience: 9 out of 10
The first impressions
After more than a week I can tell a lot more about the car...
Looks
The car looks great and gets loads of attention from other drivers and people walking by. All remarks are very positive, although not everyone likes my choice of wheels. Everyone I talked to preferred the XE above my Merc, so it's definitely a big step forward for the looks. And I have to confess that I look a lot at my car, every day...
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My verdict for the looks: 9 out of 10
Performance
The new Ingenium 180ps is a powerful beast. The 8 gear autobox works like a charm and is very subtle when shifting gears. It's like a very refined smooth sports car. My Merc had the 170ps engine with 400nm torque (the XE has 430nm), but it felt more aggressive. Of course that was a manual, so it cannot be compared with the auto box. At this moment I cannot decide if I prefer the XE engine above the Merc, but I must say that it is a big joy to drive it. If you see me driving, the joy can be read from my face. The engine has one little danger: I drive often to fast in the XE, because of its smoothness and the silence of the engine (it really doesn't feel or sound like a diesel). The Merc was much louder and less smooth, so driving to fast unnoticed was impossible then.
The first 1500 kilometers were not very fuel economic, but I think that's because the engine is new and I have to learn to drive a little slower... I will keep you informed about fuel consumption.
My verdict for the engine: 8 out of 10
Steering
I read a lot of very positive reviews about the steering. And I completely agree! I have never ever driven a car that feels so good to steer like the XE. It sticks to the road and makes you feel like driving a high-end sports car. No more comments, drive it!
My verdict for the drive: 10 out of 10
Build quality
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Here things get a little less positive. If you look around the (very nice) cabin, you can see that Jaguar is not yet at the level of the German Three. But they're getting close.I noticed some not completely fitting components and cheap materials. For example my sunglasses are eaten by the XE as it won't let me open the sunglasses compartment. My old Merc was not as good as the XE, the new Merc is much better.
My verdict for the build quality: 7 out of 10
Entertainment system
![]()
Moving from the out-of-date Mercedes entertainment system (2012 model) the XE feels very good. The sound is okay, but the navigation system is outstanding for this class. Nice graphics, including 3D cities and lane information makes it a pleasure to drive with. The voice control works good, and integration with Bluetooth telephone is nice. I have found some minor software bugs, but you won't hear me complaining.
My verdict for the entertainment system: 8 out of 10
Overall (9 out of 10)
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I am very very happy with my car and am looking forward to every trip every day. Can I recommend the XE to you? NO! Keep away from it, buy an A4/3/C/Guilia, but let me one of the happy few to drive the Jaguar XE. But then, I really wish JLR to succeed and keep on designing great cars.... so yes, go to the dealer and testdrive it as soon as possible. I predict long delivery times in the near future.
For more pics, click here: http://www.xeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=596&start=10
The launch
Back in September 2014 I watched the long awaited launch of Jaguar's XE, the successor to the X-type. I will not join the X-type discussion, as this is my first Jag. But having owned a Rover 618i which relied a lot on the Honda Accord, I understand many negative remarks about the X-type connection to the Ford Mondeo.
But back to September 2014. I watched the introduction live via Internet in my hotel room on a business trip, while my wife watched it at home. My wife has an above-average interest in cars, so her opinion is very important to me. Although I drive the car 90% for business, my family has a big vote when purchasing a new car (lease). My wife was very positive about the XE-S, but we both wanted to see the mainstream models. So the wait for the Paris motor show
started.
In October 2014 loads of images of all trims became available. After watching the numerous times with my wife we were sure: the Jag XE would be our next car.
The Merc
I was driving a Mercedes C Coupe (220cdi) in 2014. A car I selected because of it good looks (according to me). But it wasn't very practical: all four members of our family (including our two daughters) are pretty tall. Just to demonstrate this: my 12yr old daughter measures 172cm (5,6 feet)... The Merc was an eye catcher, and was a good drive. But the three ladies instructed me that the next car should be a 4-door instead of a coupe. The new Merc C class is not our cup of tea, too classic. So exit Merc.
Leasing in the Netherlands
Leasing a business car in NL is merely based on our very complex tax system. Depending on the CO2 output, a tax percentage of 0% (full electric), 7%, 14%, 20% or 25% is assigned. This percentage is used to add a fictive amount to your bruto income, by multiplying the catalog price of the car with the percentage. So for a car with a price of 50.000,- Euro and a CO2 tax of 20%, each year 10.000 euro (20% of 50.000) is added to your yearly income. For my
Merc it means approx 400,- Euro's extra tax per month... I don't need to tell you that this system plays a major role for the Dutch when selecting an new lease car?
Selecting the XE
So what does this mean when leasing the XE? Well, when selecting the 163ps you're safe:20% tax. But when selecting the 180ps auto things get messy. Only the Pure and Prestige trims get 20% tax, the others 25% tax. For me this would mean a extra netto tax of 5.000,- Euro for the total leasing period. So I had to make tough decisions: a 163ps auto R-Sport or a 180ps auto Prestige...
This is how I decided:
1. I preferred the interior of the Prestige
2. I like cars with an exhaust (tail pipes). The 163ps doesn't have them
3. I like the aggressive skirts of the R-Sport
4. I wanted BIG wheels
So I decided to go for a Prestige, 180ps auto. And asked the dealer to add the 19" alloys later because of our tax system...
The wait
So, back in October I had ordered my XE... from a website without seeing the car in the flesh or driving it. But in December 2014 Jaguar NL joined the Masters of Luxury fair in Amsterdam were the new XE (and the Landrover Discovery Sport) were available for a exclusive preview. When my wife and I returned from this fair, we felt good. The XE was a very nice car.
The big wait was now in full progress. In January the first very positive prototype reviews were published, making me and many others on this and other forums more eager to drive it. In the mean time I changed some minor details to my car, but always avoiding a later delivery. In April my dealer emailed me the definitive build slot (end of April) and a possible delivery date (end of may).
The dealer
I ordered my car at Munsterhuis Sports Cars in Hengelo, The Netherlands. My company has been a long time client of their own leasing firm (Munsterhuis Lease) and have enjoyed a very good relation with them. Munsterhuis Sports Cars sells Ferrari, Maserati and Jaguar, so we didn't lease their own brands till now. My XE was the first car leased via and delivered by Munsterhuis. You can tell that they are in the higher segment of cars: a very nice showroom where loads of dads+sons are watching the supercars and a very nice atmosphere. If you're in their neighborhood: visit them! (Last month they had Alessi's Ferrari F1 car in the showroom).
I guess that I was a pretty difficult customer to them. Their sales staff was of course very new to the XE and I, just like many others on this forum, became very informed about the XE, production process, etc. by sharing with each other. I guess that at some points our information was more up-to-date than the info supplied by JLR to their dealers... But they managed to deal with me, even when I bypassed Munsterhuis and JLR NL to get more detailed information about a definite delivery date.
The arrival and delivery
At June 10th my dealer send me some pictures of their parking lot: my XE had arrived!
After a few days the final delivery date was scheduled: June 18th. Delivery was great. I took my family with me to Munsterhuis and said my Merc farewell at their parking lot. In the showroom my XE was covered in a black Jaguar cloth.... showing how big the car was..... A nice bottle of Prosecco was posted next to the car, to celebrate the first XE delivery by the dealer (and one of the very first in The Netherlands).
After some nice words, my daughters were asked to reveal the XE.
And there it was: our nice and very aggressive looking XE on its big black wheels. We were both overwhelmed, as was our leasing contact person from Munsterhuis. Some more chit chat and we drove the XE outside, to enjoy it and show it to our family and friends.
PS. A big surprise from Jaguar: my car got complementary electric seats. I ordered it with the default Prestige seats for the Netherlands, 2 way electric adjustable but got 8 way electric adjustable
My verdict for the dealer experience: 9 out of 10
The first impressions
After more than a week I can tell a lot more about the car...
Looks
The car looks great and gets loads of attention from other drivers and people walking by. All remarks are very positive, although not everyone likes my choice of wheels. Everyone I talked to preferred the XE above my Merc, so it's definitely a big step forward for the looks. And I have to confess that I look a lot at my car, every day...
My verdict for the looks: 9 out of 10
Performance
The new Ingenium 180ps is a powerful beast. The 8 gear autobox works like a charm and is very subtle when shifting gears. It's like a very refined smooth sports car. My Merc had the 170ps engine with 400nm torque (the XE has 430nm), but it felt more aggressive. Of course that was a manual, so it cannot be compared with the auto box. At this moment I cannot decide if I prefer the XE engine above the Merc, but I must say that it is a big joy to drive it. If you see me driving, the joy can be read from my face. The engine has one little danger: I drive often to fast in the XE, because of its smoothness and the silence of the engine (it really doesn't feel or sound like a diesel). The Merc was much louder and less smooth, so driving to fast unnoticed was impossible then.
The first 1500 kilometers were not very fuel economic, but I think that's because the engine is new and I have to learn to drive a little slower... I will keep you informed about fuel consumption.
My verdict for the engine: 8 out of 10
Steering
I read a lot of very positive reviews about the steering. And I completely agree! I have never ever driven a car that feels so good to steer like the XE. It sticks to the road and makes you feel like driving a high-end sports car. No more comments, drive it!
My verdict for the drive: 10 out of 10
Build quality
Here things get a little less positive. If you look around the (very nice) cabin, you can see that Jaguar is not yet at the level of the German Three. But they're getting close.I noticed some not completely fitting components and cheap materials. For example my sunglasses are eaten by the XE as it won't let me open the sunglasses compartment. My old Merc was not as good as the XE, the new Merc is much better.
My verdict for the build quality: 7 out of 10
Entertainment system
Moving from the out-of-date Mercedes entertainment system (2012 model) the XE feels very good. The sound is okay, but the navigation system is outstanding for this class. Nice graphics, including 3D cities and lane information makes it a pleasure to drive with. The voice control works good, and integration with Bluetooth telephone is nice. I have found some minor software bugs, but you won't hear me complaining.
My verdict for the entertainment system: 8 out of 10
Overall (9 out of 10)
I am very very happy with my car and am looking forward to every trip every day. Can I recommend the XE to you? NO! Keep away from it, buy an A4/3/C/Guilia, but let me one of the happy few to drive the Jaguar XE. But then, I really wish JLR to succeed and keep on designing great cars.... so yes, go to the dealer and testdrive it as soon as possible. I predict long delivery times in the near future.
For more pics, click here: http://www.xeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=596&start=10
