Spring Clean Motoring Part 2: A Slippery, Frugal Cat

It's little over a month to go until the Evolution Motor Show silently whooshes once more along to the Royal Highland Showground at Ingliston. Amongst the cars on show this year, the one you'll hear coming above the low hum of futuristic electricity is the new Jaguar XE, which will showcase the company's latest green tech.

Sleek lines for both form and function - muscular body work is sleekest Jag ever

Sticking to a more traditional format for a small executive saloon car, the XEs currently on the market are powered by a selection of all-aluminium petrol and diesel units, each of which aim to squeeze as much out of every single drop of fuel as possible. At the sharper end of the range is the supercharged 3.0 V6 from the base F-Type, sure to give XE blistering performance, but return less of a saving at the pumps.

The headline economy figures come with Jaguar's Ingenium diesel engines, which are likely to be the most popular on UK roads. Utilising variable exhaust valve timing alongside aftertreatments for the gases emitted, the 2.0-litre turbodiesel unit manages to give 160 horsepower and 280lb-ft of torque whilst producing only 99g/km of CO2, putting it in the lowest UK tax band with a cost of precisely zero pounds per year. If you fancy a bit more grunt and can stomach handing over 20 of your pounds to the government each year, there's a more powerful 177hp Ingenium diesel, which, despite the power upgrade, still produces just 109g/km.

Jaguar haven't just focused their quest for efficiency on the engines; the whole car has been considered, examined and worked on to make the whole package as clean and green as possible. The bodywork is as sleek as can be, making the XE the most aerodynamic Jaguar ever, with a drag coefficient of just 0.26. On the Ingenium diesels, there's the option of a six-speed manual running with low-viscosity oil and pseudo dry-sump lubrication to assist in putting the power to the rear wheels. Part-time all-wheel-drive is available on the more powerful diesel, but only with the 8-speed ZF box. This improves traction but adds weight and lessens economy, but makes perfect sense for those in colder climes.

In no way does this efficiency come at the expense of performance in the XE - Jaguar would never allow that. The smallest Jaguar is also the lightest and the stiffest, showing that the petrol V6 is not the only thing carried over from the F-Type sports car. The XE showcases more of Jaguar's aluminium monocoque technology, and they claim that this is the first time such a thing has been seen in the mid-size segment. 

The XE surrounds the driver with technology

Inside, the XE draws upon the design of its flagship big brother, the XJ, with a subtle wraparound dash that aligns along the door line giving a very secure feel. Jaguar's new InControl infotainment system dominates the centre of the dash, which should be a welcome improvement over the previous unit, which felt sluggish in a world dominated by smartphones and i-things. 

The XE - incredibly efficient, drives like a Jag should

An expected above-70mpg fuel economy combines with vast service intervals of 21,000 miles makes the Jaguar a strong contender for the ideal mid-size saloon fleet car. On paper alone it appears to dethrone the mighty 3-series in many ways. The proof is in the punch, so to see for yourself if the XE truly is the king of its class, head along to the Evolution Motor Show at the Royal Highland Showground, Ingliston on the 16th April 2016.