By Karl Peskett.
It’s when things go wrong that you find out more about people. You see the real person, their inner depth and their care. When things are going well, it’s easy to be nice. But when things go south, that’s when you see whether your relationship is worthwhile.
The same can be said for car companies. If your car is driving perfectly, has no issues and is performing exactly how you expect it to, then why would you question how a car company will treat you? But when things go wrong, you find out whether their support is worth the money you’ve paid.
Our test car this week was Jaguar’s midsize sedan, the XE. And after waking up to find a completely flat tyre, we decided to call on Jaguar’s roadside assistance program. But more on that later.
The XE was billed as Jaguar’s answer to the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the Lexus IS. Using the same platform as the Jaguar F-Pace, the XE is a rear-wheel-drive, turbocharged, sports luxury sedan, and on the surface it fits the brief perfectly.
With a turbocharged four-cylinder of Jaguar’s own design (called Ingenium), this 2.0-litre produces 221kW and 400Nm, which when run through an eight-speed auto will make the standard 0-100kmh run in just 5.9 seconds.
For this price, that’s excellent value, but all isn’t quite as it appears. While the power delivery from the engine is fine, the torque figure is said to run from 1500-4000rpm, but there’s a shunting effect as the torque comes in, making it feel like there’s not quite enough torque to overcome the XE’s 1633kg dry weight.
There’s no doubt, the XE is quick, and it’s quiet and smooth. But the engine note isn’t exactly inspiring – something that doesn’t just plague Jaguar, but all manufacturers using these smaller, turbocharged four-cylinder motors.
However, an area in which the XE does shine is its chassis balance. This Jaguar handles exactly how you’d expect, and it now outshines BMW, which was the class leader just a few short years ago. Couple that with excellent steering which has good response and feel, and you can throw it into corners without much regard for how quick you’re going.
Of course, you have to respect physics, but the chassis balance is so good that it feels like you can ignore Newton, Einstein and anyone else who dare challenge Jaguar’s suspension gurus. Which brings me to the ride comfort.
With beautifully crafted 19-inch split-spoke dark satin grey alloys (to match the dark satin grey grille surround, window surrounds, side sills and vents, mirror caps, rear valance and boot spoiler), the ride should be shocking.
These tyres are basically licorice strips wrapped around diamond-turned wheels. Yet it doesn’t crash or jolt, nor does it thump across expansion joints and cracks. Instead, the gurus in Jag’s ride and handling department have made the XE ride like it has wheels which are two inches smaller in diameter. But of course, it benefits from the handling that larger wheels brings.
And yes, those big brakes also help slow things down tremendously, time and again without fading.
To let you know of its sporting intent, the 300 Sport gets a badge on the multi-function steering wheel, and gets yellow contrast stitching, while the same “300 SPORT” name appears on metallic treadplates for the sill panels.
The cabin is designed in a cockpit shape with a wraparound effect, flanked by a cascading door card in which the window switches and seat memory buttons are split on two levels.
The seats are sport pews with”300 SPORT” embossed into the headrests, while yellow contrast stitching features across not just the seats but also the dashtop as well. With 14 ways of electric adjustment and an electrically adjustable steering column, there’s a driving position to suit just about everyone.
And Jaguar’s InControl Touch infotainment system is superb – nice and quick, with a beautiful sounding Meridian stereo, including Bluetooth and USB inputs. And the digital dash is very nice, being able to customise the virtual dials and display for the driver. Also lovely is the rising rotary gear selector.
But there is a problem. While the interior is well built and feels like it suits a $80K car, the back seats don’t. Not because they’re not crafted properly, but because they’re basically unusable for adults. Even children complain about the lack of legroom sitting in the back. And for a midsize luxury sedan, that’s not a great aspect. If you do have to put adults in the back, you’ll be having to push your chair too far forward to drive comfortably. In this respect, the Mercedes, BMW and Lexus are all superior.
However, one area in which Jaguar shines is it customer service, more specifically, the roadside assistance.
Instead of being farmed out to an overseas call centre, the lady in the Jaguar roadside assistance office was based here in Australia and was very pleasant. She showed care, asked how it happened and even showed empathy by her comments.
It was only a few short minutes on the phone, but it was enough to brighten my day despite waking up to an inconvenience. With the registration of the car given, the location and my phone number, a roadside dispatch was requested and while on the phone a confirmation SMS came through. No other details required, no third degree inquisition.
Now, I could have changed over the wheel to the space saver tyre by myself (it’s not a terribly difficult job), but with this sort of service included, why not take advantage of it? Unlike an insurance claim where premiums go up, there’s no limit to the amount of times you can use roadside assistance. Keep your hands clean and get the car company to sort it out – after all, you’re paying for the privilege.
A few hours after the tyre was changed, I received a courtesy call to ensure that I was on my way, that everything was taken care of to my satisfaction and if there was anything else they could help with, they would.
It’s that sort of service that you’re paying for when you buy a luxury car, and the experience lived up to expectations.
The only problem? You can’t throw an XE into corners when you have a space saver fitted…
