It was 10 years ago when Ford-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the esteemed British manufacturer introduced the world to their serious attempt to design and build a mass-market performance-oriented sedan—the Jaguar X-type. Based upon the European success of the Ford Mondeo sedan, the design and final product failed in every way imaginable.
Fast forward: Ford no longer has an ownership stake: that distinction now falls to Indian automaker, Tata Motors. So when Jaguar Land Rover started to leak news of a similar project a couple of years ago, there was, to say the least, a little skepticism.
Any doubts were soon slowly removed as vehicles became available for sale—initially in Europe and then in North America. It would appear to most that Jaguar will succeed with the introduction of the XE, an obvious threat to the likes of the Audi A4, BMW’s 3-series, and the venerable Mercedes-Benz C-class: notice has been seriously served.
This 4-door sedan rides on an all-new platform and introduces the Ingenium family of in-house engines to an eager and receptive driving-enthusiast public.
