IF YOU’VE heard the old-school bark coming out of the back of a Jaguar F-Type V6 S, the thought of that engine in a stylish four-door sedan for $50K less probably sounds pretty appealing.

For the 2018 model year, Jaguar has extracted an extra 30kW at the top end from the XE S’s 3.0-litre supercharged V6, matching the S version of its sexier two-door sibling. Sadly, something has been lost in translation.

It’s a smooth, linear engine with plenty of power, but it doesn’t have that same sensual rasp as it does in the F-Type –maybe Jaguar reckons sedan buyers don’t want something that rowdy?

There’s plenty to like about the XE package, with handsome styling, a pleasant ride and balanced handling, but we suspect the engine that best exploits these attributes is the new 221kW/400Nm Ingenium 2.0-litre turbo four, which weighs almost 100kg less than the V6 S and can be had from just $70,200.