Genesis G80 vs Jaguar XE

What's the difference?

Remember those extra-long Australian luxury sedans like the Ford Fairlane and Holden Statesman/Caprice?

The patriotic choice in an era where that mattered and further protected by tariffs on imports that made them barely any more expensive than a base mid-sized Euro like a BMW 318i, they dominated the top end of the market with their sheer size outside, vast space inside and big-six or V8 grunt.

Like they used to say, there is no substitute for cubic inches.

Well, the spirit of these beloved local social-climbing classics lives on in just one modern car in 2025, the Genesis G80. Over three generations since 2008, it has been Hyundai’s tilt at the premium establishment, in much the same way as the Fairlane and Caprice were, and Toyota’s Lexus luxury brand still is.

We take a dive into the latest petrol-powered range-topper version, the 3.5T All-Wheel Drive (AWD) Sport Luxury (SL), which gives off more than its fair share of vintage HSV Grange vibes.

Mercedes-Benz has the C-Class, BMW has the 3 Series, Audi has the A4 and Jaguar has the one people in Australia seem to forget – the XE.

Yep, the default setting we seem to have when it comes to buying a prestige car is as strong as buying the same brand of milk every week.

There’s a decent choice of milk, but it can sometimes seem that there are only three brands and we tend to zero in on the same one again and again. Same with prestige cars.

But all milk is the same, I hear you say. And I’m inclined to agree, and that’s the difference, cars vary greatly despite them having the same purpose.

The latest version of Jaguar XE has arrived in Australia and while it’s very similar in size and shape to its German rivals there are some big differences, and some compelling reasons to add it to your shopping list.

I promise, there are no more mentions of milk.