Car reviews

Introduction

The Jaguar X-Type is as good to drive as any other Jaguar and for the first time Jaguar have created an estate model to accompany the saloon. Both of them are equally good with excellent handling and a comfortable ride. It comes loaded with equipment which comes at a high spec level which is as you would expect from Jaguar, but at a price that will surprise many.

Exterior & Interior

The X-type was based on the Ford Mondeo, but thankfully it was well refined by Jaguar, especially the interior. The exterior is still modeled in the old style of the XJ series which doesn't appeal to younger drivers that much, but older Jaguar lovers will be pleased with the XJ looks and the affordability of the X-type. The interior is stylish and well built with a wide range of trim levels with the higher ones giving you the typical leather and wood interior found in Jaguars of old. The front is spacious with plenty of room for the driver and passenger, but the back is a different story. The seats feel cramped and there isn't enough leg room with the sloping roof on the saloon restricting head room.

The boot isn't very big either with the saloons boot being awkwardly shaped and it is difficult to get bulky items into it. The boot in the estate is a massive disappointment as well even though it has a large opening tailgate that makes loading more practical as it is only 3 litres bigger than the saloons boot at 445 litres. There is no shortage of equipment in the X-type even with the basic trim levels but if you do want more the best options is the SE which adds more luxury or the Sport trim which supplies you with bigger alloys and sharpens up the suspension giving you a sharper drive.

Drive

The estate and saloon drive as well as each despite the estate being larger and one would assume more unwieldy. The X-Type offers the kind of ride people have come to expect from Jaguar with the comfort being extremely good and the handling sure footed and agile. There is minimum body roll in the corners with the car having loads of grip and responsive steering. Even at motorway speeds the ride is smooth, comfortable and fun with its clean handling. The sports tuned suspension in the sports model does not lose any of its comfort by its sharpening up of everything. The engines are very refined, quiet and smooth with wind and road noise being suppressed, although at motorway speeds the wind noise is noticeable.

Faults & Repairs

The X-type has performed well in reliability surveys compared to previous Jaguars coming in at the top of the list for reliability (probably because it shared parts from the Ford Mondeo). There have been some problems mainly with the suspension and transmission and when things do go wrong they can costs a small fortune to put right.