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Review of the new Jaguar X-Type Estate 2.0D

SUMMARY

THE NEW ECONOMY

JAGUAR X-TYPE ESTATE 2.0D

(7.3 out of 10)

REVIEW DATE: 22 Nov 2007

Jaguar's X-TYPE Estate is at its most convincing in diesel form. Andy Enright reports.

JAGUAR X-TYPE ESTATE 2.0D NEW CAR ROAD TEST

After sampling all of the engines available to Jaguar X-TYPE Estate buyers, it's virtually impossible to come away with any conclusion but that the humble 2.0-litre diesel engine is the best of the bunch. It shouldn't really scan like this. Jaguar's big claim for the X-TYPE was initially that the car was all-wheel drive, yet this diesel X-TYPE is only offered in relatively heretic front wheel drive form. Is there something worrying in the fact that the best car in the X-TYPE line up ditches so many Jaguar traditions?

An average fuel consumption figure of 48.7mpg makes the 2.0D X-TYPE estate diesel a great long range car and the 244lb/ft of torque on offer is well in excess of what even the 3.0-litre petrol model can generate. It's just a shame that this engine isn't offered with an all wheel drive chassis as it would make a fantastically practical all weather car. It would be hard to think of many better value choices for the annual ski drive vacation!

Value is a theme that crops up frequently when discussing the X-TYPE Estate's market positioning and the diesel version offers a compelling argument when compared to the German premium brands. With prices starting at £22,900, the X-TYPE 2.0D Estate is competitively priced against it's major rivals and some would say that it needs to be when the sector's Teutonic contingent are considerably newer than the Jag.

"Value is a theme that crops up frequently when discussing this car's market positioning"

Ian Callum, the man responsible for drawing the Aston Martin DB9, did a very good job with the X-TYPE Estate's lines. Although it's based on the saloon car's floorpan, from the door pillars back, all the body panels are different and with an entire new roof and a revised rear subframe, the Estate is so much more than a saloon with a glazed box on the back. The big challenge was to integrate the top line of the front door with the more elevated profile required for an estate as the natural line sweeps downwards. Look closely at the Estate and you can see where this piece of visual artifice has been wrought, the window line at the top of the front door sloping infinitesimally downhill and that of the leading edge of the rear door canting upwards. It's a very deft piece of workmanship and one that utterly disappears when you step back a few feet from the car.

Even if Jaguar had a long history of producing estate cars, you'd have to say the X-TYPE Estate is an impressive achievement. For a 'first time effort' it's little short of remarkable. Of course, the company has benefited form all of the technical expertise of the Ford empire, an outfit known to have built on or two estate cars down the years, but nevertheless you have to tip your titfer to the Browns Lane crew. The split fold rear seats allow for one, two or all three rear passengers to be accommodated comfortably and when folded flat, there's a whopping 1415 litres of cubic capacity to clog with lifestyle accoutrements.

The luggage bay is covered by a retractable tonneau and optional cargo nets prevent smaller objects from being battered during spirited cornering. Chromed spring-loaded D-rings and tie-down straps will take car of larger objects. The best bit about the rear luggage bay is the underfloor secure area which yields two deep storage sections with a 12v power supply system so that you can discreetly charge a mobile phone or a laptop computer. The rear window can be opened separately to the hatchback so that smaller items can be popped inside without lifting the tailgate and it's even possible to program the key fob so that you can open the rear window remotely.

Though the X-TYPE looks ostensibly similar to the way it was when originally launched, it has in fact changed quite a lot in recent years. When this car was first launched, its interior set new standards of quality and, indeed, modernity for Jaguar. What's particularly impressive is the way that Jaguar have managed to blend traditional touches like wood veneers and chrome cappings with modern must-haves such as multi-function LCD screens, airbags and multi-speaker audio systems. That's a tall order, and the X-TYPE manages it better than most. The cabin certainly feels more special than many of its rivals, and has premium product design cues all over it.

Owners familiar with earlier X-TYPEs will notice revised frontal styling that includes a redesigned '3D' bright mesh grille, complete with Jaguar 'growler' emblem. There are restyled front bumper covers, a bright 'splitter' in the lower air intakes and a neat roof-mounted Antenna Pod to replace the previous aerial. What Jaguar hopes is a 'lower, sportier profile' is also underlined by cleaner, more modern side mouldings. There are revised door mirrors too, which now incorporate the indicators (probably making them fearsomely expensive to replace). Revised alloy wheels and a wider range of colour options complete the improvements.

The overall package gels together very well and the idea of a rather rakish Jaguar 'shooting brake' will appeal to the sort of badge conscious upwardly mobile thirtysomethings this car is aimed directly at. A Jaguar estate may take many a little getting used to but the X-TYPE makes the acclimatisation process very agreeable indeed.