On the Periodic Table of Elements, XE is the name of the noble gas xenon, which has also been the name of a popular currency conversion site and even the name of the infamous Blackwater paramilitary company. It’s also the name of a small Jaguar sedan that car enthusiasts have been waiting for with bated breath. Now, the drawn-out wait for the newest Jaguar model enters another stage, as we see the front end of the car, unwrapped, in “S” specification.
A 2016 Jaguar XE
Appearance-wise, the XE looks like a more square XF, but i will also carry forth Jaguar’s new line of 2.0-liter turbo fours, which is the current default engine layout of Europe. Only Jaguar will name its turbo four “Ingenium”, a word reminiscent of the element “unobtanium” from James Cameron’s 2009 “Avatar”. The diesel engines for the car will be versatile enough for transverse or longitudinal positioning, depending on AWD or RWD, and Jaguar claims that the gasoline and diesel engines will not only return great mileage, but also propel the car to 186 mph, no small feat.
Jaguar is officially launching the XE on September 8th, weeks before its rumored debut at the Paris Motor show. It will host an interactive audio-visual spectacle in London, which is designed to show off how painstakingly British Jaguar is, a trait that it is genuinely proud of and works to embrace. The whole event is being called “FEEL XE”, with the hashtag #FEELXE. There’s something about the hashtag that sounds kind of awkward. Maybe a drunk guy named Felix, or maybe a bizarre name for a bit of software. Jaguar will be going around London, asking Londoners, “what makes you feel Exhilerated?”. It will involve Emeli Sandé, designer Stella McCartney and Idris Elba, famous due to his role as Stringer Bell in “The Wire”. The whole event just oozes Britishness, and you can’t help but think about it in a British accent.