The 2017 Jaguar XE 35t Prestige has a mountain to climb. It’s competing in a class dominated by the BMW 3 Series and about to be joined by an all-new generation of the Audi A4. But the Jaguar XE has some advantages, several of which we’ll be going into with this road test review.
But let’s state the obvious first: it’s not a BMW, an Audi, or a Mercedes-Benz C-Class. As great as those cars are, they’re far from exclusive. The XE is an opportunity to acquire a premium compact sedan with plenty of gadgets and an enthusiast-pleasing chassis, yet remains just a degree or two away from the mainstream.