Jaguar admits XE ‘could be lighter’

JAGUAR’S ALUMINIUM-BODIED XE weighs 1474kg in its lightest guise only 21kg less than the equivalent steel-bodied BMW 3-series.The lightest XE at launch is the
manual 2.0-litre diesel, which is powered by a new, lightweight Ingenium engine. Four-cylinder petrol XEs initially get a Ford engine, pending the arrival of an Ingenium version that should be lighter still.

XE chief programme engineer Nick Miller explained that the XE is not as light as it could be, partly for reasons of weight distribution and partly because there would be no fiscal advantage in achieving a lower CO2 figure than the car already manages.

The bootlid and part of the floor are steel to aid weight distribution, which is 50/50 front/rear for the four-pot models and 51/49 for the V6.The doors are also steel, although Miller said they could be aluminium if necessary. Some of the weight
savings have been ‘spent’ on more sophisticated and heavier suspension layouts in the quest for dynamics superior to the XE’s rivals.