When Jaguar announced that it was going to be creating a small saloon (sedan in British speak) that could compete with the BMW iii Series, many scoffed at the idea. A Jag taking on the 3 Series? Last time Jag tried to do that it gave us the X-Blazon and nosotros all know how that turned out. Only Jag did give u.s.a. the XF and that turned out quite well, so in that location was promise for the XE. Then the Jaguar XE debuted and information technology was instantly surprising. It was genuinely capable of competing with the 3 Serial. So what happens when you take the nearly fun variant of both the Jaguar XE and BMW 3 Serial together for a comparing? CarThrottle got them both together to find out.

The Jaguar XE S and the BMW 340i. Both cars are the most powerful versions of their model lines currently on sale (excluding any M or R models), then both are the most fun and dynamics variants of their respective models. On paper, they're pretty similar cars. Similar in size, both have forced-consecration three.0 liter six-cylinder engines, both have ZF-sourced 8-speed automatics, both are rear-bicycle drive and both get from 0-62 mph in effectually 5.one seconds. So, on paper at least, they seem very comparable.

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Where they start to differ is in how they perform. The Jaguar XE Southward has a more than linear powerband, with its supercharged 3.0 liter V6, while the BMW 340i feels faster because its 3.0 liter turbocharged I6 has torque that comes in more all of a sudden and stays on eddy throughout the rev range. Both practice 0-62 mph in the same 5.1 second time, simply the Bimmer feels more sudden and alert, thanks to its flatter torque curve. the BMW likewise has a improve sorted automatic gearbox. They both apply the same ZF eight-speed, but BMW's is better calibrated and makes smarter shifts, while Jag'south really shifts a flake quicker.

In terms of handling, it's quite complicated and both cars trade blows back and forth. Whereas the BMW 340i has less body gyre and feels like at that place capable car, the Jaguar XE S has better steering and a more than comfy ride. Both cars are exciting and dynamic, but in unlike means. The 340i's ride is worse and its steering more numb, simply the Jag tends to understeer at the limit and rolls too much in corners. And so there are tradeoffs for each car and it would probable come to preference. CarThrottle prefers the Jag in this test, but many customers might adopt the BMW.

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The BMW 340i besides has a more sorted and better build interior. Whereas the cabin in the XE S is very attractive and has a premium, and exciting expect to information technology, its infotainment system is pretty bad and some of its materials seem poor. Withal, the 340i is the exact reverse every bit its controls and materials feel superb and its iDrive system is vastly superior to the Jag'southward. But it doesn't look different from any other BMW and it doesn't expect as exciting every bit the Jag's. So again, both cars trade blows.

Overall, it seems that the ii cars match up confronting each other very well, with each car excelling at what the other fails at. They're almost polar opposites while also being about identical. Two halves of the same puzzle, if you lot will. CarThrottle claims that it really comes down to the BMW 340i being a "head" car, pregnant that it's the car your brain would tell you to by because it does everything well. But the Jaguar XE S is a "center" automobile, existence the motorcar that your emotions tell yous to buy because information technology'due south more exciting than the competition. In the cease, CarThrottle chooses the Jag as the car they'd rather take, every bit it's the automobile that makes them look dorsum at information technology when walking away. Only the BMW 340i is still a superb motorcar and one that can hang with the much newer competition.

[Source: CarThrottle]