First Drive Review
Besides its use in the alphanumeric names that have helped to distinguish a number of Jaguar automobiles since World War II, X is often employed to tell the observer that he or she is about to encounter something mysterious, and in that sense this newest of Jaguars seems aptly named. For example, we can imagine Jaguar faithful mystified by the notion of a Jag sedan that owes more than a little to a garden variety front-wheel-drive Ford. That would be the Mondeo, a middle-class, mid-size sedan formerly available here as the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.
Can such a car be consistent with Jaguar's glorious victories at Le Mans? Is there even the slightest hint of kinship with Formula 1 racing? Well, no. And we can imagine Jaguar purists rending their garments and praying to departed founder William Lyons: "Do not, Sir William, allow this heresy!"
The truth is far less mysterious, far more pragmatic. In the hard world of today, where costs are more important than concept, the X-type looks like a canny blend of cost efficiencies, attractive design, and savvy marketing. And if it succeeds, it'll double Jaguar's annual sales volume almost overnight.
So if we can get you to stop rending those garments for just a sec, let's take some of the unknown out of the X.
For openers, you probably want to know just how much Mondeo is beneath that Jaguar sheetmetal. The answer depends on how you're keeping score. For example, according to Jaguar the basic unit body has only a half-dozen small panels in common with the Mondeo. (This would be the new-and-improved second-generation Mondeo, by the way.) The Jag does share the Mondeo's Duratec V-6 engine architecture, but the X-type employs the version of the engine in the S-type, with beefier blocks, upgraded cylinder heads and intake plumbing, and variable cam timing. The uplevel X-type gets a 231-hp, 3.0-liter version, and the smaller, 2.5-liter base edition makes 194 horsepower.
The X-type's basic layout -- most of the mass of the transverse engine rides ahead of the front-axle centerline -- is essentially front-wheel drive, yielding a pronounced 60/40 forward weight bias, and we strongly suspect there will eventually be a more affordable front-drive version of the car. But at the outset, the X-type will feature all-wheel drive as standard equipment, as well as a standard five-speed manual transmission with both engines. The optional gearbox will be a five-speed automatic controlled by Jaguar's hard-to-love J-gate shifter. The engineers claim the latest iteration of this quirky device will be easier to manipulate. We'll see.
At 106.7 inches, the X-type's wheelbase is shorter than the Mondeo's. It's also shorter than those of the BMW 3-series and new Mercedes C-class, two cars that define the entry-level luxury market in Europe that Jaguar hopes to challenge. However, although it's a little smaller than the new Mondeo, the X-type is bigger than either the Bimmer or the Benz. Its more generous dimensions -- 7.9 inches longer than the 3-series, 5.6 inches longer than the C-class -- and transverse engine combine to make this smallest of Jaguar sedans feel roomier than the top-of-the-line XJ8. Jaguar is also proud of the new car's 16-cubic-foot trunk, and that, too, tops the XJ's capacity, all the more impressive considering the standard full-size spare.
The all-wheel-drive system is simple and full-time, operating through a viscous-coupled center differential. The front-to-rear torque split is fixed at 40-60, and the differentials are open at both ends -- no limited slip.
All-wheel drive is a first for a Jaguar, and so are the X-type's curtain airbags, which top off a comprehensive list of passive safety features. There's also gizmology galore, including an update on the S-type's voice-command system that extends to the new DVD-based satellite navigation system. The fundamental controls for the multimedia features -- navigation, audio, phone, climate, and, outside North America, TV -- are operated on a seven-inch touch-screen LCD display, and the system can also recognize 137 voice commands (120 in North America) in 10 languages, should you suddenly start talking in tongues. This car will also mark the launch of the new Jaguar Net, a communications system similar to the GM OnStar network.
