ALL IN ONE READY TO

ALL IN ONE READY TO TEST: The XE’s front face, seen here with the smart chrome-grilled Portfolio option, is bold, purposeful and dynamic 18 j THE PERFORMANCE ISSUE

A NORMAL DAY AT JAGUAR’S TESTING SITE MIGHT SEE 200 VEHICLE TECHNICIANS VISIT. TODAY IT PLAYS HOST TO OUR EXCLUSIVE XE PHOTOSHOOT Not just anyone can visit Jaguar Land Rover’s massive, but massivelysecret Gaydon vehicle testing facility. The 670-acre (2.71 sq km) Warwickshire site, set deep within the beautiful English countryside, needs various passes and special nods and checks from the right security guards before anyone is allowed access to where some of the world’s best vehicles are tested on some of the world’s best – and worst – road surfaces to check they’re up to being badged a Jaguar or Land Rover. According to proving ground engineer Dave Hudson, a day in the life of the former Royal Air Force base-turnedtesting site might normally see up to 200 vehicle technicians and engineers visit its various specialist areas, from the 80-metre diameter steering circle (see previous pages) to the four-lane, 3.7-mile (6km) high-speed circuit. Today, on a quiet summer Sunday, it’s playing host to our exclusive photoshoot of the new Jaguar XE using two of only four photo-ready pre-production XE models currently available anywhere on the planet (124 less-finished camouflaged ones are being put through their paces all over the world, whether speed trials at the Nurburgring or heat testing in Death Valley). Indeed, due to the super-early access, some of the cars’ details – like parts of the front and rear lights – aren’t yet exactly what you’ll be able to buy in the showrooms from next spring. But as they’re piloted around the track by our professional test drivers, before pulling up a few metres away to prepare for another shooting angle, both undoubt edly look stunning, whether in chrome-grilled Portfolio trim on the Ammonite Grey car or the sportier black-mesh fronted Italian Racing Red S model. The secret behind the XE’s great proportions is that the compact sports saloon is based on an all-new lightweight aluminium vehicle architecture conceived by both engineers and designers to get the best balance of form and function. As exterior designer Adam Hatton tells J-Magazine: “It’s a dream for any designer. In layman’s terms it means you get a say in where the ‘hard points’ of the car are positioned.”