Jaguar X-Type arrives as a new all-wheel-drive compact sedan
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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DIJON, France -- Rain coats a narrow road winding through Burgundy, the French region renowned for tart mustards and young wines, where on this route hillside vineyards gleam with the fresh green sprigs of spring.
The wet pavement retards local traffic as drivers try to maintain traction on slick asphalt, but not the vehicle used for our test because it simply refuses to slip.
A computerized mechanism applies the forceful power of a six-cylinder engine to all four wheels.
This device normally divides the engine's torque with forty percent sent to front wheels and sixty percent to the rear ones, but in slippery conditions a viscous coupling automatically transfers more force to whichever set of wheels -- front or rear -- can hold a better traction bite.
Then factor into this physics equation the car's weight distribution biased toward front wheels by sixty percent -- which is a reverse of the torque split.
The result: There's uncanny balance with the vehicle in motion, so much so that wet pavement and tight road curves fail to upset it.
What car can charge down a soppy course at high speed and hug all curves seemingly without slipping and skidding?
It's the new X-Type, a luxury sports sedan of compact dimensions from Britain's classy coachmaker, Jaguar.
While some automotive wags have already christened the new car as a "Baby Jag," a quick clip on serpentine roads in Burgundy reveals there's nothing diminutive about the performance of the X-Type: It's strong and forceful at high speed, agile like an athlete when steered around a twisty route, plush in cockpit appointments and elegantly styled in the Jaguar tradition of fine automobiles.
Sleek skin drapes over a sensuous form that projects the familiar slink of a Jaguar prow with signature round headlamps offset by a twin-port grille rimmed in chrome.
Sheetmetal sections reveal smooth and contemporary contours yet hint at classic shapes from earlier Jaguars as lines sweep rearward across a long hood and low roof to the definitive rounded rump.
However, the X-Type breaks the Jaguar mold of a low-cast tail because this one hikes high to forge a wedge-shaped profile and craft the rare Jaguar asset of a surprisingly spacious trunk. It's large enough to hold a couple of sets of golf clubs.
A generous cockpit in the X-Type adds twin front bucket seats and a rear bench for two or three, plus extensive touches of luxury and sophisticated electronic controls for comfort, navigation and safety.
Two different aluminum-block V6 engines breathe life into the new Jag.
In particular, the price-leading entry edition -- X-Type 2.5 -- contains a 2.5-liter six with dual overhead cams and continuously variable valve timing.
It produces 194 hp at 6800 rpm and torque of 180 lb-ft at 3000 rpm.
A second twin-cam aluminum V6 displaces 3.0-liters and drops into the X-Type 3.0, with as much as 231 hp at 6800 rpm and the torque pushed to 209 lb-ft at 3000 rpm.
To illustrate Jaguar's intent to promote the X-Type as a sporty performance car, a manual five-speed transmission is available with either engine.
A five-speed automatic, rigged with Jaguar's J-pattern gate for automatic as well as clutch-less manual shifts, is also offered. It's an option for the 2.5-liter plant but serves as the standard on the 3.0 six.
Assembled in England at Jaguar's refurbished Halewood plant, the X-Type reaches North American markets this summer as only the second entirely new product from Jaguar since its acquisition by Ford Motor Company in 1989.
It follows by two years the S-Type mid-size sedan oriented around a rear-drive platform developed jointly between Jaguar and Ford.
Like the S-Type, the new X-Type is a direct result of synergies forged between Jaguar and Ford. Origins of the platform trace to Ford's worldly mid-size sedan, the Mondeo, although an analysis of X-Type components indicates only 20 percent of its final content is derived from Mondeo.
Instead, the developmental engineers at Jaguar aimed at producing a new sports sedan in the affordable luxury compact segment that possesses the traditional elegance of a Jaguar but quality traits of some impressive competitors out of Germany. Benchmark goals for the X-Type included BMW for agile handling and performance, Audi for fine craftsmanship and Mercedes for ultimate dependability.
What's behind the unique name?
Historically, Jaguar has employed alphabetical letters like X and S to define engines and products, first using an X in 1948 to describe engines in the XF, XG and XJ series. Later, products were dubbed with names like S-Type and E-Type. In the present lineup, the XJ represents Jaguar's full-size luxury sedans, the XK denotes sporty mid-size coupes and convertibles, and the S-Type applies to mid-size sedans.
The X-Type signifies new strides for Jaguar as its first all-wheel-drive car, the first compact and the first Jaguar with its MSRP nipping below $30,000.
A price-leading X-Type 2.5 with manual shifter lists for $29,950, plus a delivery fee of $645 and the automatic transmission optional for $1,275. The X-Type 3.0 with either automatic transmission or manual totals to $35,950.
Packaged equipment adds content in themed categories, such as the Premium Package for $2,500, Sport Package for $2,000 and a Weather Package at $1,200. Further, stand-alone options range from an in-dash navigation system for $2,200 to JaguarNet communications ($1,500), an Alpine premium audio system with six-disc CD changer ($1,200), Xenon headlamps ($675) and metallic paint ($550).
Yet the base model contains an extensive array of standard gear, including the all-wheel-drive Traction-4 system, variable-ratio road-speed sensitive power steering and anti-lock brakes tied to electronic brake distribution. Safety elements apply frontal and side-impact air bags plus side curtains covering front and back windows.
Inside, the X-Type cockpit shows eight-way controls for the driver's seat and four-way power movement for the front passenger's seat, along with electric windows and an automatic climate system, soft Connolly leather on seats and steering wheel plus handsome bird's-eye maple wood trim.
The Premium Package adds an electrochromic rearview mirror, rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlamps, reverse park control, a message center and trip computer. A Sport Package brings sport-style seats, 17-inch alloy wheels and a rear spoiler plus a sport-tuned suspension and Jaguar's Dynamic Stability Control system.
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| 2002 JAGUAR X-TYPE VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Compact sport luxury sedan
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| Model Options: |
Compact sport luxury sedan
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| Wheelbase: |
106.7 inches
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| Overall Length: |
183.9 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.5-L V6
DOHC 3.0-L V6
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| Transmission: |
Manual/5, Auto/5
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| Drive: |
AWD
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| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS/EBD
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 2 (side)
+ 2 (side curtain)
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| Gas Mileage: |
2.5-L M/5: 19/29 mpg
2.5-L A/5: 19/29 mpg
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| MSRP Price: |
$ 29,950 to $ 45,175 |
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