Fleet replacement

[mike020150]

Having sampled possible replacements for a small non Jaguar petrol car in our domestic 'fleet', the decision came down recently in favour of an Jaguar's smallest model, the XE. The 2 litre petrol seemed an obvious choice but didn't impress as much as the 3 litre so a 3 litre it had to be (so much for fulfilling the key requirement to buy something economical).
Finding the right car second hand was made much more difficult by Jaguar's pricing policy when new. Even on the top spec 3 litre so many items had to be added as extras to get a reasonably well-equipped car but the maze of permutations and combinations of extras is simply mind-boggling. Couple that issue with the fact that, these days it's no longer possible to add extras once a car has left the factory and the search for the right car becomes quite difficult.
So having found a car which, as an absolute minimum, had to have folding wing mirrors and folding rear seats, first impressions after a few days and a few hundred miles driving are good although already I have decided the annoying Lane Keeping Assist function will be switched off permanently! Mike.

[ptjs1]

Mike,

Congrats on the new addition to your Profile signature!

From a driving perspective, I'm sure you've made the right choice with the 3 litre. I remember the first 3.0 S/C XE I saw was on the LtoB run when Jaguar brought down an early car. The only thing that disappointed was that it had a much more subdued exhaust note than the F-Type. Even their Marketing guy said he was disappointed and would be recommending a switchable exhaust note for production. I don't think it ever happened, though.

Drive safely, Mike, I'll have the car off you in 5 years time!

Paul

[mike020150]

Thanks Paul. I promise I will look after the car for you! You have a point about the exhaust note. It's not particularly sporting nor is it executive quiet, the decision of a committee, perhaps? Mike.

[pcollard]

Mike & Paul,
From what I saw somewhere, the 'F' Type exhaust was engineered for the V6 and V8 to give a one off signature for the model. Marketing has decided this type of flavour has had its day, according to research, at least, & Jaguar have gone heavily off it. Exhaust noise in other manufacturer's cars is now done by a sound emission from the car's stereo triggered from information from the car's ecu (as with Porsche & Audi I believe) .As far as noises derived from the exhaust go, this sound is energy that can easier be channelled into making the car accelerate quicker ! In my experience, controlling the gears with the paddle shift derives more benefit from the exhaust note, whereby an intentional gearshift over a ridge in the road, or direction change towards an exit if a roundabout, (or a moment later), aids the 'pointing' of the nose of the car, with the surge in torque at mid-revs settling the handling. Once straightened, my fingers pull on the right paddle for two seconds back to 'D' . In old money, 4th gear in an 8 speed ZF was very close to 3rd gear in the 6 speed ZF, and when the 8 speed gearboxes came in, for instance, the TDV6 diesel had had a few sharp climbs in torque output that corresponded very well . By the same token, tiny roundabouts I take in 3rd , medium in 4th, and greyhound track-like roundabouts, traffic permitting, 5th gear, all three gears being spaced closely around the old 3rd gear in 6 speed boxes. I find this way I achieve great exhaust purr on acceleration.
Peter

[pcollard]

Oh !
And one point about lane keep assist, like all these things, it would dearly keep us bound in the same lane say, in thick fog, when the white lines with long gaps are very unreassuring, that is if you can see them at all. Well, lo and behold, these technologies seem to often throw the towel in as they cannot see through moisture in the air, as with fog. Strangely, road spray is ok though. Secondly, a snap emergency steer could be hindered if steering out of lane with it switched on.

Peter

[mike020150]

When it comes to exhaust noise, I suspect I have been spoiled by my XKR Dynamic. With its XKR-S exhaust system (fewer silencers = more noise!) I have found it even creates enough decibels to blow away errant French (the worst in the world) tailgaters. One heavy twitch of the right foot serves to remind them the space near my boot lid is for access to it, not for scaring the daylights out of the driver in front! They tend not to travel quite so closely after a blast. In comparison, the noise from the XE S is very tame. Mike.