I'm not gonna judge the 2016 Jaguar XE sedan on the bad live musical version of Doctor Who that was the way they chose to launch it. Instead, I'll judge it on its looks, which are good, and its specs, which are impressive.
We'll start with the XE S, which gets the 3.0-liter supercharged V6 from the F-Type S. In that guise the car has 340 horsepower and can hit zero to 60 mph in a brisk 4.9 seconds. It will also have a top speed of 155 mph. Okay, that's quick.
How much weight does all that aluminum save? A lot, apparently. The XE sedan weighs in at 3,250 pounds, though it's not clear whether that's for the V6 or four-cylinder versions. Either way, not bad at all.
At the moment, the only gearbox listed is the ZF 8-speed automatic used in other Jags and Land Rovers (and a bunch of other things), and while there's no mention of a manual, it may be okay because that autobox is pretty fantastic.
As for the "Ingenium" 2.0-liter gasoline and diesel four-cylinder engines, there's no word on power for either of them yet. But Jaguar does say that the diesel will get 75 MPG on the European cycle.
Jaguar says the XE is the lightest, stiffest and most aerodynamic sedan they've ever built. It also happens to be the first Jaguar ever with electric steering. They claim it will have "the lowest cost of ownership" of any Jag, ever, and be the most environmentally friendly.
The car will also have "indicative pricing", whatever that means, from £27,000. I think that should translate to the high-$30k, low-$40k range in U.S. dollars.
The full specs should come out next month at the Paris Motor Show. It sounds good so far.