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Review: Jaguar X-Type
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October 23, 2001: 4:57 p.m. ET
Testing Jag's new low-priced entry against the legend.
By Jerry Edgerton
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NEW YORK (CNNmoney) - Right near Macy's Manhattan store, Jaguar put up a huge billboard touting "Jaguar X-Type $29,950." This marketing of an entry-level luxury car for about $30,000 sounded to me like a tactic borrowed from the big retailers, where almost everything is always on sale. I had been seeing the billboard for months ahead of the car's introduction. So I was eager to find out: Does this discount-pricing strategy get you a discount Jag?
It certainly looks unmistakably like a Jaguar, with the high, arching roof line and round headlights that have been signature features of the S-type (previously the least expensive Jag at $44,250). Inside, the creamy leather and handsome wood dash sure feel like Jaguar luxury. The standard all-wheel drive - new for Jaguar - helps provide crisp handling and superior traction in bad weather. But the new Jag loses points to some of the luxury competition in the $30,000 to $40,000 price range. (Selecting the bigger 3.0-liter V6 engine and some options will move the X-type up to the high $30s.) The ride isn't as smooth or quiet as a Lexus ES 300. The performance-minded affluent young buyers who go for the BMW 3-series aren't likely to be won over to the X-type. And the Mercedes C-class, beautifully redesigned for 2001, stacks up well against the Jag, too. But if you always wanted a Jaguar but just couldn't afford one, the X-Type may be just the car you've been waiting for.
Styling
Parked on a city street or alongside a mountain road, my metallic light-blue test car was visually stunning. Despite that same arching roof line, the much-smaller X-type has less of a retro look than the S-type. The horizontal grille, in fact, makes the front end look more like the $57,000-and-up Jaguar XJ sedans (not that there's anything wrong with that). The famous leaping Jaguar hood ornament completes the picture. My only styling quibble is with the chrome strip above the rear license plate. The look seems to have been borrowed from corporate sibling Lincoln (both are owned by Ford Motor Co.). Corporate loyalty aside, if you are selling Jaguars, you don't need details from Lincoln Town Cars.
Inside, the swooping curve of the upper dash with its brown color contrasting to the light cream of the seats worked perfectly to give a luxury feel. The dark maple wood on the dash and the gearshift knob completed the posh picture.
Power
The two engines you can choose from in the X-type also trace their lineage to the V6 block used in the S-Type. I drove the 2.5-liter, 194-horsepower standard engine. While it had plenty of passing power on the highway, I would have liked the extra punch of the 3.0-liter, 231-horsepower optional power plant when dashing up hills. For gas mileage, the smaller engine is rated by the Environmental Protection Agency at 19 mpg in city driving, 26 on the highway; for the bigger engine it's 18 mpg city, 25 mpg highway. That's not bad, but the need for premium fuel will push up your gas bills a bit.
To help keep that price under $30,000, the base model comes with a manual transmission. Adding an automatic, which I drove, costs $1,275. My test car shifted up through the gears perfectly well, but at the least sign of an uphill stretch went into a bumpy downshift. While the problem may be less noticeable with the bigger engine, I found the sloppy downshifting annoying in a luxury car. On the other hand, if you want to do it yourself, the Jaguar "J-gate" shifter, which comes with the automatic transmission, lets you change gears manually when you wish, and it works very well.
Handling
Jaguar gets a wheel up on the competition with the Xtype's standard all-wheel drive. (The BMW 3-series and Audi A4 offer AWD, but only as an option). The system normally sends 60% of the power to the rear wheels and 40% to the front but that ratio changes as conditions demand. That is reassuring in bad weather, and it also contributes to crisp handling. The X-type moved effortlessly along curving back roads without any slip through the tighter turns. Combined with the shifter that let me choose the gears, the X-type was a lot of fun on a twisting road - something you couldn't say for the bigger Jag sedans.
Ride and comfort
Cruising along in the X-type felt just fine as long as the road was smooth. But any bump or seam came through more clearly to my seat than I usually expect in a luxury car - even one with suspension tuned for sporty handling. The seats, while beautiful to look at, were not as comfortable as those in some competitors. The driver's power seat didn't deliver the fine calibration of seating positions that you get in, say, the Mercedes C-class. As a result, I am not sure I would enjoy a long drive in an X-type. In the rear seat, leg room seemed a little cramped (three inches less than in a Honda Accord).
In the trivial-but-pleasing category, I loved seeing the Jaguar logo come up on the dashboard screen that goes with the navigation system whenever I started the car. And the display of the radio buttons on that screen complete with the AM or FM frequency made tuning really easy.
Safety
As usual with models this new, crash tests are not yet available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. However, the X-type carries the full complement of safety equipment. To avoid possible injury to passengers, dual-stage front airbags match the force of their inflation to the severity of the impact. The car also has side-impact airbags for the driver and front passenger and so-called "side-curtain airbags" that protect the head and torso in both the front and rear. The added traction from the standard all-wheel drive should help avoid collisions in the first place.
Bottom line
Despite the much-hyped under-$30,000 base price, the X-type with automatic transmission and some other options is going to be priced in the low $30s - about the same as the competition. For the more powerful 3.0-liter engine, where automatic is standard, you start at $36,595. That's head-to-head with the Mercedes C320, a very tempting alternative. I love the looks and the luxury feel of the new X-type. And if you have always wanted a Jaguar, the price is right. If you just want a great entry-level luxury sedan, there are better choices. 
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