SOMETIMES a change in power happens in the blink of an eye. Travelling in an UberX – that overthrower of the traditional taxi monopoly – to collect this Jaguar XE 25t Portfolio, the driver noted the dealership destination and then proceeded to show interest only in the car-maker’s F-Pace.

That medium SUV – Jaguar’s first – has only been on sale for a couple of years, and it still sells in relatively small numbers, but last year it outsold the XE by about 60 per cent. The F-Pace will be joined by an E-Pace sibling in March too, pumping up the brand’s SUV line-up further.

The people, including this UberX driver, have spoken.

Yet there has also been a change of power under the bonnet of the XE sedan. It is a case of Ford EcoBoost petrol out, and Jaguar’s new Ingenium engine family – the diesel arriving from launch in 2015 and the petrol following in 2017 – in. Is there now a reason to choose this 25t Portfolio not only over competitors, but over a populist medium SUV as well?