Review of the new Jaguar X-Type Estate Range

We're getting used to the X-TYPE rewriting the Jaguar history books. The first all-wheel drive Jaguar, the first front-wheel drive, the first diesel-engined and the first estate Jaguar production car - the X-TYPE has to be one of the most significant cars to ever wear the growler emblem. But hang on a minute - aren't estate cars meant to be going the way of the dinosaur? That might have been the case a few years ago but now the sector is booming and the latest face-lifted X-TYPE wants a piece of the action.

It wasn't long ago that industry commentators were writing off the estate car sector as mini-MPV people carriers eroded sales at the bottom end and big MPVs and ever more sophisticated 4x4s stole sales from bigger estates. One niche, however, escaped the attentions of these vehicles fairly successfully - that for premium compact estates. Cars like the Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon, the Lexus IS Sportcross and the Audi A4 Avant offered sleek looks but little extra in the way of additional carrying capacity and the established leaders in the sector, the BMW 3 Series Touring and the Mercedes C-Class estate continued to make hay.

During this time, Jaguar had to stand back and watch these rivals carve up the market between them, armed only with a development programme and a whole heap of market research that indicated that estate buyers were now typically younger than saloon buyers and that they were looking for something that reflected their active lifestyle requirements. Just as the image of the cloth-capped granddad behind the wheel of an estate car is now old hat (if you'll excuse the pun), so is the stereotype of an estate car being a dull, boxy alternative. Increasingly, these younger buyers were opting for the estate versions because many felt the styling was better than that of the saloon.

"For a 'first time effort' the X-TYPE Estate is little short of remarkable"

Although it takes a little adjusting to, you can see the appeal in the sleek shape of the X-TYPE Estate, priced from £22,900 and offered with 2.0 and 2.2-litre diesels or a 3.0-litre petrol V6. Of course, it's based on the saloon car's floorpan, but 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. A large part of the challenge in making a good estate is to retain a modicum of torsional rigidity in the chassis and Jaguar have succeeded in this regard, the X-TYPE Estate being impressively stiff in the body. What's more, overall weight has only increased by 65kg as a result, model for model.

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 one or two estate cars down the years, but nevertheless you have to tip your titfer to the designers. 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.