2018 JAGUAR XE

Spectacular Chassis In Search Of Interior Designer

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: Safety Rating: 5 Technology Rating: 5 Value Rating:

This car, even in base model form, drives exceptionally well. Too bad it is also reminiscent of my wife's old Lexus RX350...great chassis with an interior that made you want to get out of it as quickly as possible. The Good: Acceptable acceleration, excellent steering and braking. A little too much nose dive under severe braking, but everything else works so well it can be forgiven. This car really holds a line when attacking those beckoning freeway on-ramps. Transmission shifts are buttery smooth and almost imperceptable. The Bad: Ergonomics & Design. At 6' even, the armrest on the driver door is at least half a foot short of where I need it to be. Totally useless. The shelf on the door with the window, lock and mirror controls is at an odd angle. It causes you to fumble around the buttons, then twist your wrist weirdly to actuate the controls. Very disappointing. The seat was not particularly supportive, nor did I find the seat back comfortable. The seat back angle is such that my shoulders didn't touch at all, just the back of my head and my middle-back on down. Switchgear was also disappointing.... very flimsy. Response time on the touchscreen is outstanding...no delay. Good luck though performing simple tasks like phone pairing or seat heating.... or re-setting your trip odometer. Lastly, road noise intrusion is just too much. Freeway driving at 70mph should not be this loud.