BUY, LEASE OR FINANCE A JAGUAR XE FROM OSV: http://bit.ly/2uX2UPu

Jaguar has lightly updated the look of this XE to give it what the brand hopes is a 'more assertive' appearance, with smarter front and rear bumpers, advanced all-LED headlights and tail-lights with distinctive LED signatures.

The cabin's much improved too, with the twin 'Touch Pro Duo' infotainment system centre-dash screens from bigger Jaguar models making an appearance on upper-spec XE models, along with a 12.3-inch interactive driver display to replace conventional dials in the instrument binnacle.

The interior now feels more up-market too, thanks to extensive use of soft-touch materials, premium veneers and new door trims that improve usability and practicality. Jaguar claims that every aspect of the cabin has been enhanced for increased convenience, improved stowage and better passenger comfort. The first-in-segment ClearSight interior rear view mirror improves safety and convenience by ensuring the driver has an unobstructed view of the road behind. Using a wide-angle rear-facing camera, the system feeds images to a high-definition screen within the frameless rear view mirror; unhindered by tall rear passengers, poor light or rain on the rear screen. A revised steering wheel, shared with the all-electric I-PACE, features hidden-until-lit graphics and capacitive switches for intuitive, tactile control of key functions. As before, space in the rear is fairly tight. And there's a 450-litre boot. The rear seats can be optionally heated and offer a 40:20:40 split-fold and a through-loading feature.

Market and Model
Jaguar's taken a scythe to the XE range, slimming it down to the models that sold in reasonable numbers the first time round and deleting versions that didn't. As before, there's only a single saloon body shape and the brand's 8-speed ZF auto gearbox is now mandatory. D180 prices start at around £35,000. XE buyers will be choosing between three levels of trim - 'S', 'SE' or, as here, 'HSE'. Whichever you prefer, your dealer will then give you the option of specifying your car with an optional sporty 'R-Dynamic' pack for around £1,600 more.

To give you a perspective on the value proposition, let's take as an example what will probably be the line-up's strongest seller, a D180 'S'-spec variant fitted with that 'R-Dynamic' pack, a car that at the launch of this revised XE line-up would set you back just over £36,000. Jaguar's keen to point out this version's list price to be £670 less than a directly comparable D180 'R-Sport' variant in the pre-facelifted range, despite the fact that over £1,100-worth of extra equipment has been added to this revised design. That's a customer saving of £1,770.

Cost of Ownership
As before, it helps the XE's cause that its structure is relatively light weight, thanks to the fact that over 75% of the structure of the car is fashioned from aluminium. The efficient 180PS Ingenium diesel, badged D180, is the engine most XE buyers will choose and it delivers combined fuel consumption of up to 57.6mpg (WLTP-rated, converted to NEDC2). The XE D180 RWD model has been optimised for certification as RDE2-compliant in a segment-first move by the brand.

Summary
Bold, innovative, forward-thinking and able to level with the class best, this XE has proved to be the most credible Jaguar sports saloon we've seen since the Sixties. It chases bigger sales but unlike some of its predecessors, hasn't diluted crucial elements of brand credibility. On the contrary, it's a model company founder Sir William Lyons might have been proud of. He sought to make cars that made their owners feel 'alive' and the objective of this one is exactly that.

Failings are few. Yes, buyers will lack a little when it comes to boot space and some may find selected areas of the styling approach to be slightly conservative. There's nothing wrong with the fundamentals of this design though and the aluminium underpinnings that lie beneath that taut bodywork are pretty sophisticated. Potential business buyers will also note that in important areas like safety, connectivity and residual values, this car is difficult to better in its class, plus they'll also struggle to improve upon this model's diesel efficiency figures, thanks to Jaguar's impressively clean and frugal Ingenium technology. Yes, there's tough competition in the BMW 3 Series-sector. But this improved XE looks better set to size up to it.