More details are emerging on the upcoming Jaguar XE small sports sedan, which will go toe-to-toe with the BMW 3-series and friends. The British company is still playing coy with much of the styling—although this image of the XE-S version’s nose shows it will evolve the XF and XJ’s look—but we now have more information about what will be under the skin. Jaguar previously told us about the suspension and steering, and now has provided tantalizing details about the body structure.
The car will adapt Jaguar’s fifth-generation bonded and riveted aluminum architecture, and the latest news reveals that the mix of materials will include more than 75 percent aluminum. Similar bones are currently used in models as varied as the XJ sedan and F-type sports car, but the XE marks the first time the technology has been used in this price class. The XE will employ a new high-strength alloy called RC5754 that was developed for this application and which incorporates a high degree of recycled aluminum. The result, according to Jaguar, will be a car with the lightest structure in its class, as well as exceptionally high levels of torsional stiffness and strength.
One of the main goals of weight savings is to improve fuel economy, of course, and Jaguar expects the finished car to achieve 75 mpg as measured by the EU Combined Cycle test. A thousand disclaimers apply here, including the fact that the number no doubt comes courtesy of a tiny diesel engine we won’t ever get here and that no actual tests have been performed or published. This nonetheless likely bodes well for gasoline-powered cars in the U.S., and could point to class-leading (non-hybrid) economy in its segment.
A light stiff structure should also be a boon for handling, roadholding, and ride. The XE will feature a new multilink rear suspension with integral links and a control-arm front suspension based on the F-Type’s. Many of the suspension components themselves will be forged or cast aluminum as well, and the car, as you probably expect, will have electric power steering. Expect U.S. powertrains to include at least one four-cylinder from Jaguar Land Rover’s new Ingenium engine family, as well as the supercharged V-6 from the F-type. We have also been told that a V-8 will fit quite nicely in the engine bay—500-plus-hp XE-R anyone?
The XE will be produced on a new, dedicated line at Jaguar’s Solihull, West Midlands, U.K. plant. It will debut in London on September 8.
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