Once upon a time, Jaguar, a car brand from the United Kingdom, has always been luxurious and high-end, and its models are often sold at tens or even millions, which also deters most people. However, in the context of marketization, in order to achieve more considerable profits, Jaguar also had to bow to reality, gradually under the focus of research, and launched models such as XEL, XFL, E-PACE, which are less than 500,000 yuan. At the same time, further localization has also made the manufacturing cost of the whole vehicle more economical.
Take Jaguar's medium-sized sedan XEL as an example, after a series of terminal offers, consumers can spend about 250,000 yuan to take a XEL youth sports version home, and this can be regarded as a people-friendly price also means that the luxury of this entry-level model is greatly reduced? Next, let's follow our article to ponder together.
The rim shape has a greater impact on the appearance
In fact, the difference in appearance of high and low models has long been commonplace for this industry, and Jaguar has been well versed in this for a long time, consumers often need to buy top-of-the-line or even limited edition models to get the styling effect on the poster, otherwise there will be buyer shows and seller show results.
However, this situation has improved in recent years, and the XEL Youth Sports Edition (hereinafter referred to as the starter version) is equipped with a sports appearance kit, which is almost no different from the high-end model in the shape of the vehicle body. The headlights are also equipped with LED configurations, and manufacturers do not have the function of adapting to far and near light, but this is not important. In addition, the front of this low-end model also has the words "R-DYNAMIC", which is equally rich in detail.
The side of the car adopts a styling style similar to that of a slipback, and the slender front is also in line with the characteristics of British cars. Thanks to the rear-drive platform, the front overhang of the vehicle is short and the proportions look more relaxed. The taillights are still an evolution of the F-type, and the exhaust is designed with a bilateral double out, and has a real exhaust effect, at this point the British veteran car manufacturer is not fooled.
As with most brands, the biggest difference in appearance of XEL's entry-level models is the shape of the rim, and the rim's impact on the appearance of the vehicle is too great. Fortunately, the 17-inch rim equipped with the XEL entry-level version is acceptable in both shape and size, but it is a pity that the entry-level model cannot be equipped with a 19-inch rim with excellent visual effects through official channels, and the higher-level models can. At the same time, due to regulatory restrictions, the owner cannot replace the larger rim by modification later.
The equal treatment of vehicles in body shape makes the development cost of the model can be reduced to a certain extent, which also allows consumers to spend less money to buy more beautiful shapes. However, the difference in the shape of the vehicle rim is still the killer skill of the manufacturer in the subdivision configuration, but the shape of the entry-level 17-inch rim is not unacceptable, but it will drop some points in the sports temperament.
"Civilian" interior configuration
In terms of the shape of the interior, the entry-level model is no different from other models, but in terms of local details and materials, it can still be seen that it is different from high-end models. The central control area adopts a full-system one 10.2-inch LCD display, and the car machine system supports voice control, Apple CarPlay/Baidu CarLife, which are more commonly used functions, but the minimum model does not have navigation and on-board 4G configuration. At the same time, it is also the only model in the series that is not equipped with a full LCD dashboard.
Although it is a luxury brand, the interior configuration of this XEL entry-level model is still mainly practical, and the lack of some configurations also makes it seem a little shabby, such as keyless access to this very practical function. The functions of the vehicle are also relatively basic, such as automatic dual-zone air conditioning, keyless start, segmented sunroof, reversing image, one-button lifting and lowering of the full window, etc., which are some very basic configurations.
The positioning of the vehicle dooms its interior configuration to not reach the so-called luxury level, because slightly higher specifications such as steering wheel electric adjustment, Meridian brand speakers, wireless charging of front-row mobile phones, and automatic anti-glare inner mirrors are not available for this entry-level XEL, not even the right to choose.
As for the seat, this entry-level model uses a sporty seat, which has a more obvious backrest wing design than a normal seat, and its lateral support will be relatively better. The front seats have an electric 8-way adjustment function, but they are not equipped with seat heating/ventilation functions, and the rear seats are also not equipped with heating functions, and cannot be selected like other high-end models. The comfort configuration of the whole set of seats is relatively ordinary.
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After the extension, the jaguar XEL has a wheelbase of 2935mm, which also makes it have a relatively good interior space, especially for the second row of passengers, the legroom has reached a very good level, which also allows the XEL entry-level model to get the seating space performance that matches the luxury brand.
From the performance of the configuration alone, this XEL entry-level version is really difficult to stick to the word "luxury", and those more practical configurations make this luxury car look a little "plain". At the same time, in terms of interior color and materials, the entry-level XEL does not have too many highlights, and may not meet people's expectations.
The base plate is thick
Jaguar XEL is equipped with a 2.0L turbocharged engine, while the XEL entry-level engine uses a low-power tuning, with a maximum engine of 147kW and a maximum torque of 320N·m. This engine is matched by ZF's 8-speed automatic transmission, which is also the most matched transmission in Jaguar Land Rover models today.
The material of the chassis can be said to be eye-catching: first of all, its suspension adopts a structure that pays more attention to handling, such as the front double wishbone and the rear multi-link; secondly, in the material, most of the connecting rods of the suspension are made of aluminum alloy. Although the entry-level model cannot be equipped with an adaptive suspension system, the structure and materials of this chassis are also difficult to find in other models in the same class.
At the same time, the entry-level model has a series of driving assistance systems such as lane departure warning, lane keeping, forward collision warning, active braking, etc., and only lacks the two functions of road sign recognition and parallel assist compared with the top model, and the difference with high-end models is only road sign recognition.
Compared with those luxury brands that extend their tentacles to small displacement engines, Jaguar's configuration in terms of power and chassis is still in place, which also reflects that the British brand originally born for the track has not forgotten its original intention. At least on the driving and configuration level, this entry-level XEL may live up to expectations.
Editor's comment: Luxury is a product that relies heavily on subjective feelings, and everyone's definition of luxury is different. But as far as the current mainstream evaluation standards are concerned, this entry-level Jaguar XEL basically completes the "task" assigned to it by the manufacturer. The design standards that are almost the same, so that the vehicle still retains the unique temperament of the British luxury brand in the appearance and interior, and the premium chassis configuration is even more impressive. With all this alone, this entry-level XEL will never put Jaguar to shame, but the more "civilian" configuration also makes it a little more regrettable. But then again, if only 250,000 can bring it home, would you?