Jaguar XE Diesel specs and features revealed

When Jaguar launched its entry-level sedan, the XE, in India at the Auto Expo 2016, the vehicle was available only in the petrol guise. It came with a 2.0-litre gasoline engine in two states of tune - 200bhp and 240bhp. Now the British carmaker is all set to introduce an oil burner variant of the XE in India, bookings for which have already commenced.

The diesel engine in question here comes from the newly developed Ingenium family. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged motor puts out a healthy 178bhp of power at 4,000rpm and 430Nm of max torque between 1,750-2,500rpm. The power is channelled to rear wheels through an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, accelerating the sedan from 0-100kmph in 7.8seconds and a top speed of 228kmph.

Its driving aids come as standard fitment and include – a cruise control with speed limiter, torque vectoring braking, hill start assist, dynamic stability control and traction control, intelligent stop/start, all surface progress control (ASPC), and electronic power assisted steering (EPAS).

The XE diesel will be available across the same three trim levels as the petrol XE – Pure, Prestige and Pure. The diesel XE will also be visually similar to the current petrol variant and the features are evenly matched as well. The Pure trim, however, misses out on sunroof and gets reflector halogen headlights with DRL, instead of xenon HIDs with 'J' blade LED DRLs.

On the inside, the eight-inch touchscreen gets smartphone connectivity, navigation, Bluetooth, USB, AUX and a 380W Meridian sound system. The upholstery can be had in Taurus leather and comes with options of driver seat memory, 10-way electric front seats, four-way lumbar support and light oyster headlining. Other specs include dual-zone automatic climate control, mist sensing, auto-dimming rear view mirror, steering mounted controls, and 12v power sockets.

On the safety front, the XE diesel will get a standard line-up of pedestrian contact sensing, emergency brake assist, whiplash protection, ISOFIX and hazard lights under heavy braking. List of airbags include front side, full length side window curtain, driver and front passenger, with seat occupant detector for passenger.

Jaguar will introduce the XE diesel in a couple of months. Given that many of this sports sedan’s competitors have already introduced diesel versions to their cars, it was high time that British marque introduced the oil burner in India. It will take the CKD route to India just like the petrol variants. Hence the pricing is expected to range between Rs 45 - 50 lakhs.