The most anticipated Jaguar of this year has finally been shown to the world at a reveal in London. The Jaguar XE will set the cat amongst the pigeons in a segment the British marque seeks to earn large sales growthfrom.

XE full details including engine

So far Jaguar has only released images of the top of the range XE S that is styled towards sporty intentions. The front end is distinctly Jaguar and the front headlight cluster appears to be a meaner example of the ones currently doing duty on the XF. The side features a chrome side outlet and 20-inch optional wheels are fitted. The boot lid has a visible rear spoiler lip and twin exhausts exit at the rear.

Three engine versions will be available at launch including two petrol and an economical diesel from the new Ingenium range. The 2-litre petrol starts off the range and will be available in two power choices that Jaguar will disclose closer to the launch at the Paris motor show. The Ingenium diesel motor is a 2-litre turbodiesel capable of just 3.7l/100km from the 120 kW and 380 Nm derivative. Jaguar says it will offer more powerful versions of the diesel as well. The range topping XE S gets a 3-litre supercharged V6 that puts out 250 kW and 450 Nm of torque. It’s capable of rocketing the XE to 96kph in 4.9 seconds.

Jaguar is pulling in the technology that it used to create the latest Range Rover chassis over 400kg lighter for the XE range. Around 75% of the chassis is made from aluminium but Jaguar has not gone into details regarding how much weight has actually been saved as a result, saving exact details for the launch event at Paris. Jaguar has also chosen to go the electric steering route in order to make the Jaguar more efficient, we’ll have to wait and see the result on its handling as a result.

The interior for the XE has been updated and looks a much more modern example of the XF we drove a while ago. It comes with a crystal clear head-up display showing things like speed and navigational directions. The entertainment system has been updated to an eight-inch touchscreen version that has all the usual abilities plus Smartphone integration that allows you to control functions such as the door locks and climate control from your phone, from anywhere.

Safety systems on the XE include autonomous emergency braking system, providing highly accurate measurements of speed and distance of objects ahead, and can initiate full braking to avoid or mitigate a collision. The stereo camera performs traffic sign recognition and lane departure warning functions too. The XE also offers systems such as adaptive cruise control, closing vehicle sensing, blind spot monitoring, semi-automated parallel and bay parking, and reverse traffic detection.

The Jaguar XE will begin sales in 2015, set to take on the likes of the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4 and Lexus ES.