Jaguar XE 300 Sport 2018 review
Torque from the turbocharged Ingenium engine rises to a fulsome 400Nm, delivered as a flat peak between 1,500-4,500rpm. It weighs a little bit less and looks quite a lot meaner than any other XE thanks to a subtle new black tail spoiler, black sills and big 19-inch wheels. There are also optional new black 20-inch wheels, fitted to the car we drove and which appears in the pictures.
Performance is strong, if not exactly mind-blowing for a smallish sporting saloon; 0-62mph takes 5.7sec with a top speed limited to 155mph. And that’s mostly how the 300 Sport feels on the move. Quick but not in any way bombastic; rapid but not manic. Composed, with typically lovely steering, but not in any way edgy.
So although the 300 Sport is undeniably quick across the ground, and is genuinely engaging to drive, the fact that it’s so refined means the speed you can accrue in it is deceptive. And is delivered with extraordinary ease. It’s one of those cars that you categorically don’t need to take by the scruff and muscle around to have fun in. In everything it does, the 300 Sport is far more subtle than that, and is quietly impressive as a result.
