Journalists’ opinion on what the new Jaguar XE is like is one thing, whereas that of regular people looking to buy the car is quite different. Needs and preferences vary from person to person and you can sometimes be surprised by the faults they pick or points they praise.

WhatCar had some of its readers over to preview the XE, all of which said they were looking at it as a possible new car. First impressions for them seem to be strong, with lots of appreciation going to the styling, low emissions and interior quality.

The only slight quibbles seemed to be the mildly cramped interior which gives the sensation of impeding on headroom. This is a direct result of the way the car’s (sloping coupe) roof is designed – it looks great but it makes six-footers slightly uncomfortable.

One of the taller readers said it actually limited his field of view while in the driver’s seat – we can’t say now, but the seating position may also not be as low as that of its rival, the BMW 3-Series; we’ll have to check this when we get a chance to see the car in the metal.

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