The new Jaguar XE is joining the technology war

Technology Tuesday: Jaguar’s new XE is ready to fight.

The XE is Jaguar’s answer to BMW’s 3 Series, Mercedes’s C-Class and Audi’s A4. This classification of car, the D segment is one of the most popular in South Africa. This means that the Jaguar is up against some strong competition and to make it worse, South Africa is an extremely brand loyal country. Jaguar is aware of this and that is why they have put their hearts and souls into producing something that can potentially make a client think twice before buying the more popular brands. One of the ways Jaguar has done this in the new XE is by giving the car some very tech savvy features, something that is no longer a want but rather a need for many clients.

Major brands have been driving connectivity between car and driver in the last few years and almost all the premium brands offer services that link one’s phone with their car. To keep younger target markets happy, even less premium brands offer Bluetooth pairing and touch screen infotainment systems in their cars as standard in some of their models. So what technologies will be available in the new Jaguar XE? The usual things like Bluetooth and USB will be standard in the car and although it seems mundane nowadays there are very handy features to have. What I have personally noticed about these systems is the way the manufacturer configures their Bluetooth systems is what counts. I have driven cars that stream audio poorly and I have also driven cars that stream Bluetooth audio that sounds better than a CD player.

One thing that I love is when manufacturers team up with well known audio companies to create excellent sounding systems. Think of Harman Kardon, Bang and Olufsen and now there is Meridian which is available in the new Jaguar XE. Excellent sound quality in a premium car is of utmost importance since a Jaguar XE client can have a variety of tastes in music. The Meridian sound system is a 380-watt, 11 speaker system which will be able to thump out a Justin Timberlake track straight after a Beethoven number. The new Jaguar is not all about entertaining though, ride quality is of utmost importance too. Jaguars like the XF and the XJ are known for their creamy rides and comfort and you can expect no less from the XE. The JaguarDrive system allows the driver to choose different characteristics in their car, ranging from a sportier chassis and steering to a more comfort orientated drive and even an ECO mode to save fuel. Last but not least the car will also have as optional a laser Heads Up Display which shows the driver vital information on the windscreen so the driver can keep his/her eyes on the road at all times.

As mentioned, the technology war is going strong and Jaguar made sure that they weren’t left out of it in the new XE. This car promises to be something to contend with the big boys and we’re convinced that it will be a worthy adversary. It doesn’t hurt that aesthetically the new Jaguar XE is not bad looking, rather good looking actually, but when have Jaguars been ugly? At the end of the day, the decision lies with the potential clients and if their willing to step out of their comfort zone and step into something different. The new Jaguar XE launched in South Africa this week, now it’s a matter of time to see how the market will respond. We wish it nothing but the best. Happy Tech Tuesday Motorists.