Jaguar XE gains four-wheel drive

The 2017 Jaguar XE saloon will gain a grip-enhancing four-wheel drive system, a new infotainment system and Apple Watch connectivity as part of a series of revisions.

The new four-wheel drive system will only be available with the 178bhp version of the car’s 2.0-litre diesel engine. Like many other systems on the market, the Jaguar XE AWD (all-wheel drive) sends all of its power to the rear wheels in order to save fuel.

When additional grip is required, it can send some of its power to the front wheels in just 165 milliseconds. A similar system is used in the Jaguar F-Type AWD.

The XE’s grip can be enhanced with an optional Adaptive Surface Response system (AdSR). It has been developed from Land Rover’s Terrain Response system and adjusts accelerator, gearbox and stability control settings according to the road surface conditions.

The XE’s four-wheel drive system operates through a version of Jaguar’s eight-speed automatic not available elsewhere in the range.

Jaguar’s most advanced infotainment system yet is available in the XE. The new In Control Touch Pro system is available alongside the standard InControl Touch system. Both are compatible with the Apple Watch, allowing wearers to lock and unlock the car, check fuel levels, set the climate control, start the engine and even view the car’s location on a map.

The new system uses a 10.2-inch touchscreen – up from 8-inch – and uses a quad-core processor and a 60GB solid-state hard drive. Jaguar claims the touchscreen is larger than those fitted in the XE’s rivals and “makes interaction smooth, seamless and intuitive”.

The home screen can be customised and widgets added to provide shortcuts to frequently-used features. The screen allows multitasking, with the possibility to show weather reports or phone details alongside the main display. Graphics are claimed to be sharp and users can ‘pinch’ and ‘pan’ to zoom in and out of maps in a way familiar to smartphone users.

Because InControl Touch Pro is connected to the internet, users can use location-based services. One such feature calculates if the car has enough fuel to complete a journey inputted into the sat-nav. If there’s not enough, the driver is alerted and filling stations on the route are highlighted on the map.

The MY17 Jaguar XE is available to order now, priced from £26,990.

Destination, current location and the estimate time of arrival can be shared with others via text message. A Commute Mode feature can learn your daily commute and intelligently suggest quicker alternative routes. Another system can show a 360-degree interactive street view of your destination and direct you to the nearest available parking space.