The Jaguar X Type saloon was the company’s attempt to gain some mid range customers from BMW and Audi and it was a partial success with decent handling and a comfortable ride being its major assets.
The Jaguar X type has a refined look and combines comfort and good handling. The model received a facelift in 2008 which resulted in bigger bumpers and a more aggressive appearance. The interior was also tweaked, but it still remains behind the best upmarket models. The original X Type was available in a 2.5 litre or 3.0 litre 6 cylinder engine.
There is also a front wheel drive 2.1 litre V6 petrol version with 157 brake horsepower, but this has proved to be less economical for fuel than the four cylinder equivalent. The diesel engines give the best performance and the 2.2 litre diesel is powerful but has a better fuel economy. This was offered in 2008 with an automatic gearbox and the six speed transmission is really smooth.
The X Type is smooth, but agile with a comfortable ride and good control over the body. The steering is responsive, but not as sharp as the BMW 3 series. There is the option for four wheel drive in the 2.5 litre and 3.0 litre models. It rounds corners easily but if you are expecting thrills you will be disappointed. Later models of the Jaguar X Type have a wider range of equipment than the early ones, but all have alloy wheels, air con and a wealth of safety features.
These include six airbags and electronic stability control. The Jaguar X Type rated four stars in Euro NCAP crash safety tests. We would now expect a new car to rate five stars but the last model of the X Type was produced in 2009. The most up to date models of the X Type have touch screen satellite GPS, bluetooth connectivity and from 2008 models were equipped with part leather seats.
Inside the cabin of the X Type, legroom and headrooom is restricted for rear passengers. Front windows are electric but in the rear there are manual winding handles. There is little noise from wind or road and air conditioning is fitted to all models. Some models have manual air con but later ones have automatic climate control.
The boot is good with 452 litres of luggage space, although it is shallow. The estate version is better for a large family. There are a few cubbies in the cabin, but door bins are also shallow making storage quite poor. Diesel engines always hold their resale value better than petrol engines and this appears to be the case with the Jaguar.
My Car Mats offer boot mats for both the X type Saloon and the X Type Estate. These two patterns are compatible for all Jaguar X Type models. A good mat in the storage space of your car will help to prevent any unnecessary damage that could be caused by transporting dirty or heavy items. Loading unwieldy packages can also cause dents and scrapes in the boot of a car and our top quality car mats can help to stop this from happening.