Test drive Audi A4, Jaguar XE and Volvo S60. Noble assembly
Competition in the premium D-segment reduces all car choice debates to a discussion of nuances. The more interesting it is to find out which of the manufacturers pays more attention to details and pleasant trifles.
Prices for a premium sedan of the junior segment only start at $ 32, but the cost of a real purchase will be even higher - it all depends on the configuration and the selected power unit. Most likely, the client will choose both four-wheel drive and the engine is more powerful than the initial one, so you need to focus on at least $ 748.
The Jaguar XE is the most expensive in this trio - a car with a 250-horsepower engine only starts at $ 42. Audi is more democratic, and a test car with a 547 hp diesel engine. with. in general, it easily fits into 190 million, even taking into account additional equipment. The Volvo S3 is somewhere in between, but it has fewer engines and options. But the choice in the end will be made rather emotionally, and not by the type of power plant or the presence of a newfangled security system.
It is difficult to be a fan of a car brand and remain an adequate censor of it. My long-term love for Volvo was sobered by the merger of the Swedish brand with the Chinese corporation Geely. If before that I was thrilled with all the innovations in the Swedish Volvo models, not really delving into what was unique there, then after the Chinese partnership everything has changed, and this is for the better - now my assessment of the Volvo S60 sedan can claim to be objective.
On the road, the Volvo S60 looks much more advantageous than its competitors, and it's a matter of proportions. The difference is especially noticeable when the equally boring front and back Audi A4 or the Jaguar XE pretending to be excessively sporty are standing next to each other. The car turned out to be low, with a wide hood. Such introductory letters make her visually stable, and this is the first point in the piggy bank of her safety, even if only emotional so far.
The second car gets from behind the wheel: the S60 rides stably, without rolls, confidently following a given trajectory. And also - very smoothly and with due dignity. At first, the solid turning radius is a little embarrassing, but you get used to it almost instantly, starting to take into account the solid dimensions.
The trunk of the Russian version of the Volvo S60 slightly differs from the European model in the smaller direction, because we always have a "dock" under the floor. The compartment was low by sedan standards, but still very large. The wide engine compartment, on the other hand, is completely occupied by units, there is no free space at all. According to the patterns of premium brands, the washer fluid hoses are extended to the wipers, and the nozzles are located directly on them and are triggered when the brushes are in the upper position. An excellent solution for Moscow slush.
While the Germans continue to turn their nose up and refuse to recognize Volvo as a full-fledged competitor, the Swedes have long gone to the premium level in terms of finishing materials, its performance, stuffing security systems and ride comfort. The interior of the tested S60 was in a dark brown color, and in contrast to the light gray body color, the perforated leather of the chocolate shade looks very rich.
The seats are adjustable in all possible positions, including separate adjustment of the front of the driver's cushion. It was done so well that you start to wonder at the lack of electrical adjustment of the steering wheel - a simple mechanical lever is hidden under the hub.
The wheelbase has been added 60 cm compared to the previous Volvo S10, but tall people in the back are still not as comfortable as in the front. With my 183 cm in height, I would not want to sit behind myself. However, there will definitely be enough space for children even in voluminous car seats. The wide leather armrest in the middle resembles a tabletop with a small plastic recess, 2 cm deep, in which children calmly display toys. Rear passengers got touch-sensitive climate control and part of a large panoramic sunroof.
You can drive this car in one of four chassis modes, but with a 250-horsepower engine, you can safely drive in "comfort" mode - the sedan will still move quickly. The suspension in the "dynamics" is compressed, vertical vibrations appear, but the car remains smooth, soft, without the slightest hint of aggression. The eight-speed gearbox works imperceptibly, and it is easy to believe in the declared 6,4 seconds to "hundreds" even taking into account the absolute softness of acceleration. And personally, it suits me perfectly, because the balance in this car is maintained perfectly and is felt in everything.
Do not expect an objective opinion about the updated XE from someone who admires the old-school Jaguar XJs of the late eighties and early nineties in 2020. Although, if I were a real "oldfag", I would have to be skeptical about all the metamorphoses that are now taking place with the British brand. But I love these changes. And I especially like what the British are doing with the interior.
Inside, the restyled XE is a real high-tech celebration. Instead of the dashboard, there is a display with virtual scales, and instead of a climate control button unit, there is a touchscreen with temperature control knobs in the style of a futuristic i-Pace. Fresh multimedia also pleases. Not ideal yet, but not the sluggish system that annoyed Jaguar owners so much. In addition, our XE has an optional rearview mirror that can display a widescreen picture from the rearview camera. And there is also a new three-spoke steering wheel with comfortable "live" buttons on the spokes.
But there is one thing that I will never get used to and will not forgive the interior designers of Jaguar. We are talking about replacing the proprietary "washer" of the machine with a modernized joystick selector. Alas, the salon has lost its main feature. Approximately the same sensations will arise if you imagine the singer Madonna without the famous gap between the teeth or Valery Leontyev without a perm. Not that, right?
By the way, the recent modernization of XE has also affected the technical stuffing. The sedan's engine range was cut for the sake of production optimization. The main loss is the supercharged "sixes". There will be no more of them, but overall the loss is small. Because the two-liter petrol "four" of the Ingenium family is offered in two variants of boosting 249 and 300 horsepower.
I had a conditionally "initial" version, and I must say that even he endows the younger Jaguar with a very reckless character. A little frustrating is the setting of the gas pedal, which is still too damped. But her reactions can be easily brought back to normal by selecting the Dynamic mode in the mechatronics settings. And nothing to say about the chassis.
The restyled XE, like the previous car, is exemplary in cornering and excellent traction control. By the ability to prescribe sharp turns and hairpins, this Jaguar can plug even the standard of the segment - the Bavarian "three-ruble note". And you can throw a stone at me if you don't agree. I will not give up this statement anyway.
As for the convenience of the trunk or the space for the rear passengers, then I have nothing special to say. They are, and for me, as a person not burdened with family concerns, this is enough. Of course, I sat back, stepping over the threshold and bowing to the lowered roof, but this sedan fulfills all the basic needs of the passenger, and how far you can go in the back seat is not interesting to me - in any case, I will go in this car in the driver's seat.
We have already written about the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class, so now I have chosen the Audi A4 as a reference for our Anglo-Swedish duel. Of course, I know that very soon an updated version of the sedan from Ingolstadt will appear in Russia, but the fact is that the pre-styling model is not one iota inferior to competitors, and even surpasses them in some way.
If you ask me what exactly I liked about this car the most, then I will name the chassis without much hesitation. Even taking into account the fact that the A4 can hardly be called the most comfortable car in the class in terms of smoothness. Suspension settings allow you to ignore the bumps of medium and small caliber, and nothing more.
But when it comes to cornering behavior, Audi will pleasantly surprise even the experienced driver. The sedan has extremely neutral handling and obediently follows any turn of the steering wheel. The rolls are certainly present, but this does not prevent the car from clearly following a given trajectory. If sport is still not enough, then Drive Select can be switched to dynamic mode and go even more boldly into corners. With a clean and understandable steering effort, the car gives you a sense of total control over the situation.
The brakes work unusually - the deceleration efficiency here is regulated not by the depth of pressing, but by the effort on the pedals, as is usually the case on sports cars. At first it seems strange, then you get used to it and you start to have fun. Because it is possible to dose this very effort with surgical precision.
But the all-wheel drive system took some getting used to. It seems that in A4 it is focused on a different type of driver, for whom the main thing is reliability and safety. I like the way the torque is distributed on all-wheel drive BMW or Porsche, when the rear wheels are set in motion by default, and the front axle is activated only during intensive starts and critical driving modes. By the way, on the Jaguar XE, all-wheel drive is also tuned with a clear priority in favor of the rear axle.
At Audi, it's exactly the opposite. The moment is transmitted mainly to the front wheels, and the rear ones are connected only when the electronics asks for it. If the car is capable of sliding on the packed snow, it does so reluctantly. And even with the stabilization system turned off, it tries with all its might to return the driver to the right path. That is, to make the ride more trajectory and, therefore, efficient. If you think about it, then this is correct and good, but personally I am closer to the more adventurous settings for the same 3-Series.
And of course, Audi is still about quality interior finishes and incredible attention to detail and nuance. Take, for example, the climate control washers. It would seem, what can you surprise with here? But when you turn the knobs of the air conditioner, it seems that you are not adjusting the temperature in the cabin, but are selecting the code for the safe in the bank safe. And so it is here in everything. All buttons and switches (fortunately, not touch-sensitive yet) I want to touch and press once again. Now such a desire does not arise in every modern car.
| Body type | Sedan | Sedan | Sedan |
| dimensions (length, width, height), mm | 4726/1842/1427 | 4678/1967/1416 | 4761/1850/1431 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2820 | 2835 | 2872 |
| Ground clearance, mm | 140 | 125 | 142 |
| Cargo space, l | 480 | 410 | 442 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1650 | 1664 | 1606 |
| engine's type | Diesel R4, turbocharged | Gasoline R4, turbocharged | Gasoline R4, turbocharged |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 1968 | 1997 | 1969 |
| Power, l. with. at rpm | 190 at 3800-4200 | 249 at 5500 | 249 at 5500 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm at rpm | 400 at 1750-3000 | 365 at 1300-4500 | 350 at 1500-4500 |
| Transmission, drive | RCP7, full | AKP8, full | AKP8, full |
| Max. speed km / h | 241 | 250 | 240 |
| Acceleration 0-100 km / h, s | 7,7 | 6,5 | 6,4 |
| Fuel consumption (sms. cycle), l | 4,5 | 6,8 | 7,3 |
| Price from, $. | 37 228 | 36 678 | 36 285 |
