Last night at the Oscars, viewers saw him in Ermenegildo Zegna with his daughter as his red carpet “date,” but today, the world is watching Idris Elba in a Jaguar as he puts it through is paces on an epic 750 miles drive. Jaguar, along with the DJ and film-maker, has just launched a short film documenting Elba’s road trip from London to Berlin in the new Jaguar XE 2.0-litre i4 163PS diesel.
“I’ve long been a fan of Jaguar and its incredible sporting heritage. I like to push what I do and explore different areas of my expertise and that’s why this film project with Jaguar really appealed,” said Elba, a driving enthusiast who, despite extreme weather conditions, took on four countries in three days in what Jaguar claims is its most fuel-efficient car ever.
“The car was a real head turner and I made sure I pushed it hard all the way to Berlin – so the most surprising thing was the efficiency, averaging 65 mpg,” Elba explained. “I also loved the in-car tech as I’m a big fan of gadgets, and the XE was fully loaded in that respect too – I even planned my DJ set list as I drove.”
According to Jaguar, the XE’s lightweight construction, exceptional aerodynamics and state-of-the-art infotainment system make the sports saloon the most technologically advanced Jaguar to date.
The highlight of the trip? “Hammering it ’round Spa with the legendary Martin Brundle,” said Elba. Along the route, he stopped at F1 race circuit Spa Francorchamps, Belgium where he met with the Formula One racing legend, who showed him the XE’s capabilities by taking him for some high speed dynamic driving in the Jaguar XE S 3.0-litre petrol 340PS.
750 Miles (1200 KM) and three days later, the film and Elba’s epic ride, concluded with his arrival at an exclusive Jaguar XE launch party at Berlin’s Umspannwerk. After deftly delivering the sports saloon directly onto the stage in front of 200 excitable VIP guests, he treated the party to that aforementioned DJ set which he’d planned on route using the XE’s in-car RDIO app.
All images credit AP
