The prodigal cub

Tata Motors-owned luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover is planning to launch an all-new version of its luxury sedan Jaguar XE in India next month. With its assertive looks and agile drive, XE is a Jaguar to its core

At the Geneva Auto Show in 2014, Jaguar-the artists of villainy, ballistic luxury cars, slung lower than the morals of Radhe Maa, showed off a concept. Much to our surprise. It was pure and pious. It was a baby Jaguar, an entry-level luxury car from the Brits.

Code named as the C-X760, the car represented a perfectly judged balance of style, performance and practicality; later rechristened as the XE. XE now starts from where Sir Ben Kingsley, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Strong left the art of villainy, and takes it to a country where Mogambo, Gabbar, taught us, ‘it's good to be bad’.

A campaign which was partly about repositioning the brand aguar as a "disruptor". Yes, the Germans make excellent cars, but where's the fun in toeing the party line? All Jaguars make you feel good, like an impeccably tailored suit, or a custom shelving unit. It gives you exactly what you’ve always wanted, even before you knew you wanted it.

Like the perfect edible, it has magic baked in. Rip through a highway on-ramp just a little too fast, stop-short because some idiot pulled over without looking at the rear mirror, roll up to the valet stand. There’s never any anxiety—just a kind of sumptuous confidence.

Partial credit goes to a taut and seductive shape penned by expert Jag design head Ian Callum, a man who made his mark designing Aston Martins. And there’s real engineering to brag about at the mechanic’s garage (which, since it’s a Jag, you may be stopping by a few times): a featherweight all-aluminum chassis that makes the Jaguar so fun to toss around.

An "integral link" rear suspension that absorbs bumps without wallowing in them, putting your grandpa’s old Fiat to shame. That interior, which looks as rich as it smells the day you pull off the lot.“The All-New Jaguar XE displays levels of innovation never seen before in this segment. Coming from an impeccable lineage of extraordinary Jaguar sports saloons, we are confident that XE’s thrilling performance and dynamic design will set a new standard for excellence and will be a game changer in the segment.

The launch of All-New Jaguar XE in petrol in February this year will flag-off our journey to enter into a new territory and mark a significant milestone in the expansion of Jaguar’s product offering in India,” shared Rohit Suri, President, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd (JLRIL).

The new Jaguar XE will be made available in two petrol variants delivering 197bhp and 237bhp respectively to sell their new launch in the national, capital where there is a 3-month ban on selling diesel cars and SUVs over 2,000cc.

Both the variants of the Jaguar XE will be powered by a four-cylinder, two-litre petrol engine. Where the 197bhp variant will have a maximum torque of 320Nm, the 237bhp version will have a maximum torque of 340Nm. Both the cars will have an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

With the XE, Jaguar is not necessarily looking to add to its crown jewels. There will be no old men 50 years from now mistily recalling the summer spent at its wheel. That’s what the F-Type is for.The task before the XE is more about the bottom line, which makes it exponentially more important.

Although the existence of Jaguar is virtually assured by the huge pile of money being amassed by its Land Rover sister, its status as a proper, profitable mainstream car maker is contingent on the kind of volume that only a compact executive saloon like the XE can generate.