Jaguar XE S | Spotted

Remember when Jaguar also had a six-cylinder 3 Series rival? Now it's £10k

By Matt Bird / Wednesday, 30 September 2026 / Loading comments

A lot of British car magazines would have struggled for front pages over the years without new baby Jag speculation. Sometimes it felt like barely a month would pass without another set of grainy spy images splashed across the cover, a breathless editorial and noncommittal PR quote that would be construed as something that it wasn’t. Then there actually was a new baby Jag, in 2015, and that really was something very exciting indeed.

Because the XE immediately banished all bad memories of the X-Type. There was only six years between the last Xs and the first XEs, though they could hardly have been more different: rear-wheel drive now, handsome and confident to look at, with a cool and contemporary interior.

The XE was the ideal foil for the BMW 3 Series in a way that the X-Type never could have been. It still wasn’t the obvious choice, but it didn’t have to rely on buyers supporting the home team for sales - it was genuinely very good. As well as the design and dynamics, there was a wide variety of powertrains, mostly all hooked up to the impressive ZF eight-speeder.

To really rival the BMW, however, the XE needed a six-cylinder - and got it from launch. Once more any association with the X didn’t last long, a supercharger bringing another 100-odd horsepower and performance in a different league. The 3.0-litre XE S was everything you’d want a small Jag saloon to be: fast, great to listen to, engaging to drive and obviously a whole lot more efficient than having a V8 in there.

Trouble was that all the six-cylinder alternatives, be they the BMW 340i, Audi S4 or Mercedes C43, were all very good as well. The same engine was also offered in the larger XF S, and so the supercharged XE never sold in enormous quantities. This one is the only example we can find on PH (there are dozens of the Germans, of course), and handily it’s also the cheapest we’ve seen at £10,990.

It’s one of the later XEs that benefitted from 380hp, which should be enough for a five-second dash to 62mph (as well as almost 35mpg on the old NEDC test). There are a fair few miles under its smart wheels (and mismatched tyres) at 90,000, but the condition would suggest it’s been gentle use: there isn’t much bolster wear, the plastics are good and the paint looks better than average.

Oh sure, the interior leather has gone shiny and the headlights are cloudy, but that’s nothing a day in the garage couldn’t sort. Fundamentally it looks in pretty good nick; more important is the claim of a full service history and all the standard kit, including heated seats and a sunroof. Nav is included also, though the less said about JLR infotainment of the time, the better. Factor in a head unit replacement and away you go.

Last time we wrote about a 3.0-litre XE it was more than twice the money with a quarter of the miles. It would be fair to say that the Jag hasn’t enjoyed the best reliability record (shock), but the powertrain problems are well known by now. And you’d have to hope that in almost 10 years and 100,000 miles of driving a few flaws will have been addressed. Without a new baby Jag coming anytime soon, there’s surely no better opportunity to try the best.

SPECIFICATION | JAGUAR XE S

Engine: 2,995cc, supercharged V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 380@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 332@4,500rpm
MPG: 34.9
CO2: 194g/km
First registered: 2017
Recorded mileage: 90,327
Price new: £48,045 (2018)
Yours for: £10,990