So you have heard all the hype, read all the press releases, presumably elsewhere, but did you realise you can now configure the new Jaguar XE. We love these online tools because even if you don’t have the money, no where near the money, you can have a great time imagining what your next Jaguar XE will never look like. And if you do want one then you are going to have to work hard to buy an XE, Jaguar’s BMW 3 Series rival is an expensive affair, the entry level SE costs £29,775 which is something that makes us want to choke on our morning cup of tea. This entry level model can not be specified with a leather interior, you would expect leather at this price. It does come with a good amount of standard kit, but as always optional extra’s always bump up the price. Consider this, a detachable tow bar costs around £600 GBP, yikes. What would you need a tow bar for, protection? The engine range consists of two turbocharged diesels and one petrol unit a 2.0-litre, 200bhp turbocharged unit. The top spec XE S use’s the tried and trusted 3.0 V6 340PS Supercharged petrol engine. Maybe the expense can be accounted for what you can’t see, the XE is rear-wheel-drive, that’s to be expected of a Jag. But it also features a range of innovations: an aluminium-intensive monocoque; double wishbone and Integral Link suspension, in other words that’s the meat required for the sandwich which means, potentially, superb driving characteristics. Jaguar’s new inhouse designed and built 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel is expected to lead the sales march for the XE, the unit pumps out 161bhp and has 280Ib ft of torque, in manual mode it can reach 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds, or 7.7 seconds if selected with an automatic transmission. The XE will not just take on the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 or Mercedes C Class, it will take on the ghost that still haunts Jaguar, the X-Type. In comparison the entry level BMW 3 Series 1.6d ES saloon costs £25k that’s around £4k less than Jag’s entry level effort. Only time and economics will decide if the XE is a success or vanquished as the X-Type was. The Jaguar XE is available in five trim levels: SE, Prestige, R-Sport, Portfolio and S, standard kit list already includes Sat Nav and Jaguar’s new InControl infotainment system, but customers can add a range of exciting technologies such as a Laser Head-Up Display.