2017 Jaguar XE Diesel: Real-World Fuel Economy
CARS.COM — Buying a diesel-powered 2017 Jaguar XE 20d might not be a bad way to go if fuel efficiency is at the top of your list considering we crushed the XE’s EPA highway rating in testing. The diesel engine is a first for Jaguar in the U.S. after offering diesel engines abroad for some time, and now the high-efficiency option makes its debut in Jag’s smallest and newest sedan. Our XE 20d R-Sport test car with all-wheel drive is EPA-rated at 30/40/34 mpg city/highway/combined.
Related: 2017 Jaguar XE Review: First Drive
After 187.9 miles of mostly highway driving from Chicago to Long Beach, Ind., and back, I refilled the tank with just $11.45 of diesel fuel (4.092 gallons) and calculated 45.9 mpg for the trip. The onboard trip computer registered 46.7 mpg. An average of the two reveals 46.3 mpg for the journey that saw an average speed of 46 mph, per the onboard trip computer.
That’s 6.3 mpg better than the advertised highway rating, and I didn’t use any special driving techniques or economy modes to hit that mark. I simply set the cruise control to around 70 mph and watched the instant fuel economy hover around 45-48 mpg during both legs of the trip. The 46.3 mpg is even more impressive when you consider our test car’s all-wheel drive; rear-wheel drive is standard and has higher ratings of 32/42/36 mpg. An XE 20d starts at $37,395 with destination charge and our R-Sport test car with all-wheel drive and options was around $60,000.
Not quite as impressive is the overall refinement of the 180-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter diesel engine that makes a staggering 318 pounds-feet of torque. Even with an eight-speed automatic transmission that typically provides quick starts, there’s still a noticeable amount of acceleration lag from a standstill. The engine comes to life at higher engine speeds and makes for effortless passing on the highway.
Jaguar’s diesel four-cylinder doesn’t feel as smooth or quiet as the diesel in the BMW 328d, and the auto stop-start feature in the Jag is a great way to make passengers think the engine died — it shakes the whole car when it refires after shutting down at stops to save fuel; the feature can be turned off. Saving fuel is what the XE diesel does best, however, and the rewarding miles per gallon may be enough for some to live with a slightly clattery engine.
