TESTED: Jaguar X-Type Sportwagon


WHAT IS IT? Compact five-seat station wagon with all-wheel drive.


HOW MUCH? $36,330 base; $38,020 as tested with stability control and braking assist ($525), heated front seats ($500) and destination charge ($665).


WHAT'S UNDER THE BONNET? 3-liter V-6 (227 horsepower); 5-speed automatic.


HOW THIRSTY? E.P.A. rating is 18 m.p.g. city, 24 highway. Observed mileage, 21 m.p.g. Premium fuel recommended.


ALTERNATIVES: BMW 325xi Sports Wagon $33,645; Audi A4 Avant 2.0T, $29,150; Mercedes-Benz C240 4Matic wagon $35,350; Volvo V50 T5 AWD, $30,080.

AFTER a week in Jaguar's first station wagon, I am still unsure why the British luxury car maker felt it suddenly had to offer one. The company line is that Audi, BMW and Mercedes all have wagons, so why not us?

More to the point, Ford, which owns Jaguar, seems to view the wagon as a last way to amortize costs and wring a few more sales from the X-Type, derived from the proleterian Ford Mondeo sold in Europe. When the X-Type came out three years ago, Ford predicted it would push Jaguar's global sales over 200,000 a year. When the division fell short, Ford fired workers and closed a renowned plant.

While the X-Type hasn't been a runaway hit, it outsells all other Jaguars combined. Last year's worldwide sales approached 66,000.

The new Sportwagon could add a few thousand more, for the car has considerable curb appeal. But while the styling captures the essence of Jaguar, the materials do not. The seats are hard and smallish. The leather is harsh, not supple. The controls feel unworthy of a luxury car. Elements of the gauges, switches and electronics seemed similar to those in the Ford Fiesta subcompact that I recently rented in Italy.

"They may be broadly similar in design to Ford items you observed," a Jaguar spokesman, James Thomas, said, but they are "completely unique." All right, but bits of the $38,000 wagon still looked liked those in a $15,000 rental car.

Too often, the Jag also functions like one. It seemed that some alarm was always chiming, some warning light was illuminated or some door - usually the liftgate - was ajar.

Everything behind the front-door pillars is distinct to the Sportwagon. The raised roofline provides extra headroom and storage, but it's still a tight squeeze for passengers and cargo. Exterior roof rails are standard.

Jaguar says the 3-liter 24-valve V-6 makes the Sportwagon the fastest car in its class (7.8 seconds to 60 m.p.h.), and the five-speed transmission interfaced well with the V-6.

But the throttle was abrupt in actual driving, and the handling, while competent, was hardly inspired. Standard all-wheel drive does give the car a bit of a competitive edge.

Jaguar says the Sportwagon costs $1,500 to $3,000 less than comparably equipped rivals, but the base price of $36,330 is high for the class. The Jag also lacks features standard on less pricey competitors: rear window wiper, stability control, panic-braking assistance, dual-zone climate control and self-dimming mirror.

The X-Type's future is uncertain. Ford won't redesign it before the 2010 model year, and it may be killed before then. It is unfortunate that the X-Type had such unrealistic projections thrust on it. "A business that makes nothing but money," Henry Ford once said, "is a poor business."

Pretty nice actually.  B)

QuotePretty nice actually.  B)

Thats one thing the X-Type has...very nice styling.

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Thats one thing the X-Type has...very nice styling.

That's about the only thing.  After driving one, I was very disappointed.

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Quote
Thats one thing the X-Type has...very nice styling.

That's about the only thing.  After driving one, I was very disappointed.

Does it really handle that badly? How cheap did the interior feel?
Oh and welcome to the forums Raza!    

Quote

Quote

Quote
Thats one thing the X-Type has...very nice styling.

That's about the only thing.  After driving one, I was very disappointed.

Does it really handle that badly? How cheap did the interior feel?
Oh and welcome to the forums Raza!  

The interior wasn't up to the quality of any of its competitors, the seating position ranks among the worst of any car I've ever driven, and it's just not fun.  It's not even economical compared to an Audi A4 2.0T quattro--and Audi's AWD system is better, and available with a manual, which is ridiculously rare to find in the Jag.