Jaguar X-Type 2.0 Diesel

...I refer to is my Jaguar aka 'The Big Cat'. However, if there are any women who want to send me pervy notes, please don't let me stop you!

~ Background ~

I do around 25,000 miles in my car every year, which entitles me to a company car. My previous model, a Vauxhall Zafira 2.2 Elegance, had served me very well over the previous 3 years but it was really starting to show the signs of a lot of miles in a short time. I ...
...Volvo V50, and finally the Jaguar X-type 2.0D S Estate. All three cars had features that really stood out, but it was the Jaguar that managed to edge it although it was a close run thing.

Being on the road a lot, and having a young child, there are certain things that I need from a car. I do some seriously long journeys so comfort is paramount, as are safety and reliability. Needless to say, it has to provide good handling on smaller ... more

Now before I start getting pervy notes from blokes, I have to point out that I'm male, and more importantly the Big Pussy I refer to is my Jaguar aka 'The Big Cat'. However, if there are any women who want to send me pervy notes, please don't let me stop you!

~ Background ~

I do around 25,000 miles in my car every year, which entitles me to a company car. My previous model, a Vauxhall Zafira 2.2 Elegance, had served me very well over the previous 3 years but it was really starting to show the signs of a lot of miles in a short time. I was fortunate enough early this year to have finally got a long awaited promotion, which meant I could have a look at something a little more interesting. Having said that, the car is still primarily a tool of my trade and so it needed to meet some strict criteria before I decided which car I was going to have for the next 3 years.

Part of the deal we have with our agency is that we get extended test drives on 3 choices from the car list. The cars I chose were the new Audi A4, a Volvo V50, and finally the Jaguar X-type 2.0D S Estate. All three cars had features that really stood out, but it was the Jaguar that managed to edge it although it was a close run thing.

Being on the road a lot, and having a young child, there are certain things that I need from a car. I do some seriously long journeys so comfort is paramount, as are safety and reliability. Needless to say, it has to provide good handling on smaller roads and be responsive on motorways. Since I spend half my working life sat inside a car, the looks and feel of the interior tend to be a lot more important than the exterior, though I freely admit there are some cars I wouldn't be seen dead in.

~ Comfort ~

In the relatively short time I've had it, this car has proved to be extremely comfortable. It's been pretty thoroughly tested, having just travelled 1200 miles in 3 days. On each occasion I got out of the car without any aches, pains or even the slightest signs of tension. The seats are firm but not too firm, not like that big saggy sofa but still a lot better than your average office chair. The suspension provides a very smooth ride, whilst being firm enough to provide a sporty feel on minor roads.

~ Reliability ~

So far, so good! I was a little concerned that I stalled it a few times on the drive and once under a barrier on the toll road (nearly needed a change of underwear that time), but I soon realised it was more down to the fact I just wasn't used to driving a diesel. Once I'd realised it just needs a little more welly to set off, I was fine and haven't seen any problems since.

~ Performance and handling ~

This car really does handle like it's on rails. Whilst it's obviously been made for motorway driving, it copes superbly on small country roads. I must admit I had my doubts about diesels, but I've found the engine very responsive both in low and high gears. This car really excels when accelerating in third gear, there is a lot more power produced by the 2-litre turbodiesel engine than you would at first expect. This is a big, heavy car but still manages to produce enough grunt to be quite exhilarating. Official figures state an acceleration rate of 0-60 mph in 10.2 seconds with a top speed of 123mph, though I'd have to say they might be selling themselves a bit short there.
The manual gearbox is nicely set out, the gears easy to find and not too close together (a major problem for me with the Volvo V50). Being a diesel, it provides plenty of torque in low gears although I would say first and second seem a little 'short', though this may be because I'm so used to petrol engines.

~ Safety ~

Safety has also been well catered for by the Jaguar designers. This car has airbags just about everywhere. Both driver and front passenger are protected by front and side airbags, whilst all passengers are also protected by side curtain airbags. The airbag function is also aided by an occupancy sensing system.
Now fitted as standard to many cars, the Jaguar also features Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

~ Features ~

The Jaguar offers plenty of features to play around with and make it just that little cut above the average estate car. The temperature in the car is maintained by automatic climate control with pollen filter fitted as standard. Having tried out a few different models with either air-conditioning or climate control, I would have to say this is one of the easiest systems to use, and definitely the one which actually manages to control the environment without giving you third degree burns or freezing off your wedding tackle. After a couple of icy mornings I can also vouch for the effectiveness of the defrost setting and the heated rear window. Both wing mirrors are also heated in addition to being power adjustable. Front and rear windows are both electric, with a one-touch open/close and anti-trap mechanism. The steering column is manually adjustable for both tilt and reach.

For the image conscious, both driver and passenger sun-visors contain illuminated vanity mirrors. And finally, what car would be complete without the double front cupholder and the armrest which opens to provide extra storage space for CD's and the like. The glovebox is also more than ample in size.

Audio in the car is provided by a Jaguar Alpine Surround system. This comprises a single CD player and radio, and is controlled both on the main panel and on the steering wheel itself. I'm pretty fussy about sound quality as I music is the one thing that keeps me sane on long journeys, and I've found this system gives excellent quality and plenty of power.

~ Security ~

Having had both of my previous cars broken into, I was looking for something that was a little more secure this time around. Remote central double locking, a two-stage unlock and perimeter sensing alarm, together with an intrusion sensing capability make me feel a lot happier when I'm parking my pride and joy in a less than pleasant area.

~ Space ~

After a Zafira, anything which isn't red with more than one deck would feel smaller but there is plenty of legroom for all the passengers in the Jaguar. Headspace is also more than adequate, I'm around 6 feet tall but I don't feel remotely cramped. Moving around to the boot, it's pretty obvious that a fair bit of time went into the design of this estate. The spare wheel is nicely stowed away under a space saver tray, which fits all those extra little things that normally clutter up the boot. According to Jaguar, this leaves you a boot space of 16 cubic feet with the seats up, and 50 cubic feet with the seats forward. I'm not going to crawl around with a tape measure just to argue with them, so all I'll say is the boot space itself is more than ample and lacks those awkward lumps and bumps which makes so many cars impractical.

~ Looks - exterior ~

OK, I admit it. As much as I said that looks were way down my list of priorities, I've always had a fondness for the style of a Jaguar. In some ways the looks are quite old-fashioned, a real return to that look of a beast ready to pounce. This was also Jaguars first foray into Estate cars, but they've done a really good job of marrying the classic front with a spacious rear. Out of the three cars I tried, this was the only one that had the neighbours coming over to take a closer look. I chose standard black, partly because it's my favourite colour anyway, and partly because I was too tight to pay the extra £500 for metallic. It really doesn't need it though, and the combination with the 17inch alloy wheels is breathtaking.

The snarling big cat logo is much in evidence too, on the radiator grille, on each alloy wheel and also on the rear chrome signature blade. It may be heavily based on a Mondeo, but you're left in no doubt this is a Jaguar.

~ Looks - interior ~

Whilst there is a range of interiors, I went for a warm charcoal with grey stained birds eye maple fascias. Combined with the leather gearknob, leather four spoke steering wheel and the combination leather/sport cloth seats and you have a truly beautiful interior. The dashboard itself is well set out, stylish and very easy to learn quickly, matched by the controls on the steering wheel itself. These controls cover audio, cruise control (optional), telephone including Bluetooth (both optional) and voice control (optional). I only paid extra for the cruise control, as it's a great way to prevent speeding past speed cams, so some of the buttons on the steering wheel are non-functional.

~ Fuel consumption ~

For a large car, I've been very impressed with this engine. I'd have to say that so far I would have to largely agree with the official figures of:
Urban - mpg (l/100km) 36.4 (7.8)
Extra Urban - mpg (l/100km) 60.0 (4.7)
Combined - mpg (l/100km) 48.5 (5.8)

CO2 emissions are also very good at 154g/km. The car is Euro IV compliant, which is vital as company car drivers get an absolute hammering from the taxman based on emission levels.

~ Overall ~

I'm really pleased that I chose this car. Not only does it provide me with quality performance and comfort on long journeys, it's efficient and therefore relatively inexpensive to run for such a big car. It meets all of the requirements I had for a company car, together with looking pretty stylish too. On top of that, there's something quite satisfying about the look people give you when you tell them you drive a Jaguar, or maybe that's because I've just had so many sniggers about my previous choices!
 

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