autoevolution
 

Jaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on Ice

We’ve spied Jaguar’s upcoming mid-size sport sedan on numerous occasions. Nevertheless, those were all XF-linked test mules and now that the company has formally announced the XE at the Geneva Motor Show, our photographers have managed to snap the first images of the XE prototype.
Jaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on Ice 17 photos
Photo: Automedia
Jaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on IceJaguar XE Prototype Spied Drifting on Ice
In other words, we have the XE’s production body hidden under all that camouflage. The sedan was spied while doing what Jaguars always do - the car was being drifted during a cold weather testing session. The smiles on the occupant’s faces should offer a pretty good hint on how things went over there.

As you can see in the adjacent images, the roofline is heavily camouflaged, which means that the British automotive producer will come up with some pretty interesting styling cues. We would’ve expected nothing less of Ian Callum, Jaguar’s Head of Design. Let’s just hope the skip the XJ’s plastic C-pillar ornaments.

Wearing the X760 internal code, the XE will be underpinned by Jaguar’s future modular iQ [Al] platform. Yes, that designation stands for Aluminium, with Jaguar confirming that the architecture will be shared with three other models, including the production version of the C-X17 crossover concept. Among others, this means that the architecture will offer two- as well as all-wheel drive.

What’s more, the XE will benefit from an upcoming family of all-new Jaguar engines. These will follow the downsizing trend, with the range set to include an unit emitting under 100 grams of CO2 per kilometer, for example.

Fret not performance fans, Jaguar is also planning high-performance versions of the XE, so expect the range-topped to offer assets such as a top speed of 186 mph (300 km/h).

Jaguar’s XE is positioned as a sports sedan, which, of course, means that it will be benchmarked against the BMW 3-Series. It certainly won’t have an easy life, not even when skipping the aforementioned information. Think of the new W205 Mercedes C-Class as one of the many arguments backing this up.

Jaguar is set to offer us a more complete set of details on the XE matter later in the year. Rumors currently place the Jaguar XE’s reveal at the Paris Motor Show in October. The sedan is expected to make its sales debut sometime in 2015.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Andrei Tutu
Andrei Tutu profile photo

In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories