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ROAD TEST - Jaguar Estate

On sale Spring 2004

What is the premium car segment coming to? Front wheel drive, diesels and now a wagon! The Jaguar X type estate goes on sale in Spring 2004 , following hard on the heels of the first Jaguar diesel introduced last year. The X type now becomes the first production estate car the British luxury marque has produced and all indications point to Jaguar retaining its image among established buyers says Managing Director, Mike Wright. But why an estate? In the compact premium sector, 34% of buyers have estates and 50% have diesels. Jaguar needed to increase its sales to this sector.

Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum says that in order to create the estate, the exterior of the X type has been changed from the B pillars backwards. The rear end is attractively shaped and structured with the Jaguar signature across it. It has been designed to meet the needs of a new generation of estate car buyers. Those that want style, dynamic qualities and an exciting driving experience. Research shows that they are younger than the average saloon buyer and are more likely to participate in active sports, hence the need for maximum usable load volume which Jaguar says is greater than that of the BMW 3 series touring and the Mercedes C class estate and an astonishing 20 percent bigger than the Audi A4 Avant, from 445 litres to 1,415 litres when seats are laid flat, with headrests still in place.

There are three versions of the X type estate – Classic, SE and Sport. The Classic provides a younger exterior look than the luxury focused SE, which features a more traditional chrome enhanced appearance. Sport models are distinguished by a body coloured grille and an absence of chrome and have larger wheels and lower profile tyres.

The interior has new wood, such as carbon fibre, new alcantara material and high quality carpeting. Roof rails are black or silver and there is a scuff plate at the front of the boot in chrome.

Other luxurious Jaguar qualities include items such as the tailgate latches, which are quieter, i.e. you get a quality clunk, not a clang! The split tailgate glass opens separately by remote control and under the boot floor there is a useful storage space.

The engine range comprises 2 litre diesel, 2 litre V6 petrol, 2.5 litre petrol and 3 litre V6 petrol. The two larger V6 petrol engines feature Jaguar’s Traction 4 all wheel drive which made it an ideal choice for the extra grip needed on the launch route, the snowy ski slopes of Annecy in France, particularly when climbing the icy mountain roads to Le Mont Revard, facing Mont Blanc, which reaches 1,550 metres at its highest point. I found that the 3 litre AWD model provided outstanding grip and grunt.

The 5 speed manual transmission powered by a 3 litre petrol engine will accelerate from 0-60mph in 6.9 seconds and goes on to a top speed of 144mph says Jaguar.

The 2 litre diesel engine has a combined fuel consumption of 48.7mpg. CO2 emissions are 154g/km.

Prices will start at £21,165 for the entry level estate topping out at £28,770 for the 3 litre SE.

Sue Cooke