New Jaguar XE and XF Black Editions are classy sports saloons

Jaguar’s two saloons are the latest to get the gloss black treatment, and from where we sit both XE and XF look classier than ever. Thankfully not everything has to be SUV shaped and these four-doors – plus the five-door XF estate – are anything but. 

The models to ask for in your local Jag showroom are the R-Dynamic Black versions. The XE edition is not new – it came out last year – but gets more upgrades in this latest form, while the XF equivalent joins the range for the first time. 

Common to them both are, you guessed, gloss black body bits like the sills and mirror housings. Black is also the colour for the front grille, window trim, air vents, badges, and – on the XF Sportbrake – the roof rails.

The wheels are gloss black 19-inchers – nicely set off by red brake calipers – and black privacy glass and black panoramic glass roof are part of the package too. With the body finished in the new Ostuni White the latest Jags make quite a statement, but for those who really want to stay on the dark side, Santorini Black is also among the available colours.

Jag interiors are still special and the R-Dynamic Black editions get a boost with new satin charcoal ash veneer for the XF or gloss grey ebony veneer for the smaller XE. Shiny alloy-look pedals are fitted and both cars benefit from added connectivity, with the promise of the phone-linking Apply CarPlay and Android Auto going wireless thanks to an over-the-air update at some point later this year. 

On both XE and XF, the R-Dynamic Black versions are available with either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and with 250 or 300PS (186/224kW) petrol motors or a 204PS (152kW) mild-hybrid diesel that fitted to either car can deliver more than 50mpg. 

Prices? The XE costs from £33,470 and the XF from £37,535, with the Sportbrake estate costing £1,800 on top of that. These classy, very premium-looking antidotes to SUV sameness are available to order now.