Jaguar XE Minor Quirks and Annoyances

[MPAVictoria]

Hello All,

On the previous car forums I have participated in there was often a thread on the minor things/quirks about the cars that owners found after living with the vehicle for a bit. I always found these interesting so I thought I would get the ball rolling here by posting some of my thoughts. (None of these issues are a big deal and in general I am very happy with my XE.)

1. The parking sensors are way more sensitive, while also being not nearly as accurate, as those on my 2012 Volvo S80. For example, ice and snow build up on the front and back bumper will set them off way more than on my Volvo (which, living in Canada as I do, is a pain). The senors often go off when there is nothing there! Not a big deal but an annoyance.

2. The base Incontrol Touch system is fine but nothing more than that. I knew it didn't support Apple Carplay when I bought the car so I can't complain about that. However it can be slow to boot up, especially on cold days, and god forbid you want to switch your media source right after turning on the car. The navigation is pretty laggy as well.

3. The back fender flairs are just total magnets for rock chips and blemishes.

4. My wife really hates the little rubber blisters in the cup holders. They grab onto her travel mug too tightly for her taste. (Can't say it bothers me any though.)

5. The radio reception just isn't great. Lots of stations have more static and cut out earlier than on other cars.

6. The winter mats are pretty but way too small to be fully effective.

7. It would be nice to have dedicated buttons for the seat warmers/coolers that were separate from the infotainment system.

That is about it really. Really interested to see what some other folks have to say about it.

[Jeff123]

Point 3 is a good one; a bad one really! Manufacturers must test their cars in wind tunnels, so by the time they are conceived, they must know where the areas that attract stone chips are. Surely they could have done something that enhances the general aesthetics whilst protecting the paintwork.

[BruceTheQuail]

We didnt have that issue but I suppose that on the R Sport/R Dynamic the skirts will offer some protection.

Oddities that I noticed with the 2016 model were that the air conditioner blows chilled air onto your hand (on the steering wheel), the rotary dial would get scorching hot if the car was left in the sun (didnt happen to either of my XFs or my XKR), and the home button is the farthest button away from the driver which is a bit of a PITA. The 20 model has fixed those, though my minor beef with that is that the front spoiler scrapes more easily.

[Zingiber]

One complaint I have is regarding the procedure to lift the wipers off the windscreen.

To get the wipers in the park position, you have to switch the ignition on, then back off, then immediately pull the wiper stalk down.
All sensible so far. But for some reason Jaguar decided to make it so the keys had to remain inside the car while the wipers were up.
If you took the keys out with you? Well the wipers would retract and the wiper arms slammed into the bonnet lip. The metal bits of the arms too, not the nice cushioned rubber bits.

It doesn't stop there however. If the Jag decides you're taking too long doing whatever it is with the wipers. You guessed it, it retracts the wipers. Slam.

It's been over-engineered yet poorly designed at the same time.

The procedure to lift the wipers in my Citroen DS4? Switch the ignition off and pull down the wiper stalk. That's it, they simply stay up.
Take the keys out with you. Lock the car. Take as long as you want. Go for a nap. Travel the world. Whatever. The wipers stay up.
To bring them back down? Just pull the wiper stalk again. Simple.

It's such a petty thing to complain about, but it just annoys me as they could've made it much better simply by doing less.

[capese21]

The wiper blades can be changed with the wpers parked no need for the service position

[Groningen]

My daily annoyance: the hardness of the doorpad on which my arm leans on.... the centre armrest is good enough, but the one on the door...... I tried to make a pad on it, but it looked that did not work.
Really annoying....

[Faltwen]

The wiper blades can be changed with the wpers parked no need for the service position

Absolutely, no need for the silly park position.

[Zingiber]

The wiper blades can be changed with the wpers parked no need for the service position

For changing the wipers yes, but there's other situations where it's handy to have the wipers up and off the windscreen.

In my case, I was applying rain repellent to the windscreen and would've liked the wipers up during the application and curing.

[capese21]

Why would you apply rain x to the black opaque section of the windscreen where the wipers park

The service position is intended to facilitate fitting wiper blades which even going slow couldnt take more than a couple of minutes.

[Indianajons]

The wiper blades can be changed with the wpers parked no need for the service position

For changing the wipers yes, but there's other situations where it's handy to have the wipers up and off the windscreen.

In my case, I was applying rain repellent to the windscreen and would've liked the wipers up during the application and curing.

If you open the bonnet the wipers can be lifted enough to easily change blades or clean under them anyway, without using the service position