By Veeno Dewan 

 A lithe, graceful car with striking, elegant lines, the Jaguar XE is a luxury compact sedan that looks simply fantastic. While others cars in this sector seem fussy, bloated and overdesigned, the XE is sinuous, athletic and toned. For 2020 the Jaguar XE receives a careful, measured revamp.  It is not just cosmetic, the redesigned XE is now has an exceptional drag coefficient from 0.26 to 0.25. Just as important, Jaguar have spruced up the interior with higher grade  materials and updated technology. Power is courtesy of a turbocharged 2.0-liter four cylinder engine hooked up to an eight-speed automatic, teamed with All Wheel Drive.

Interior wise the upgrades include Jaguar’s optional 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and the twin screen “InControl Touch Pro Duo” infotainment display. Jaguars cool rotary shifter in now gone and there is now a traditional “SportShift” gearshift. Also new is higher grade leather covering the dash, center console, and door panels with better raised stitching. 

 There are now just two well equipped XE models for Canada, the P250 and P300 R-Dynamic, – powered by either a 247- or 296-horsepower versions of the gasoline 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged Ingenium engine. We tested the P300 model dressed in superb black paint and with a tasteful black leather trimmed interior. Inside, the Touch Pro Duo infotainment system’s two screens allow you to use navigation in the top screen and also see other controls in the bottom screen.  There are two touchscreen options— a standard eight-inch (In- Control Touch) and an optional 10.2-inch (In- Control Touch Pro) display screen.   High quality aluminum and leather offer a tasteful contemporary looking look. The finish is excellent all round in the front and rear cabin. Front legroom is excellent, although the rear cabin is a tighter affair. . The rear features e 40:20:40 folding-seat option, but a rather smallish trunk. The equipment levels are high with full power and creature comforts. Connectivity and infotainment features include: Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Navigation, 4G LTE Wi-Fi and a bevy of apps, live-info and remote-control features. Wireless charging, head-up display and camera-image rear-view mirror are available. Standard driver aids include driver-drowsiness and rear-traffic monitoring, lane-keep assist, semi-autonomous park assist, auto high-beam assist and emergency braking. A Drive Pack option adds adaptive cruise, blind-spot assist and high-speed emergency braking 

 . Every Jaguar is special and the XE is no exception. Highly recommended if a compact luxury car is on the list. 

2020 Jaguar XE P300 sedan. Priced from: $49,900 plus options.

www.jaguar.ca