Jaguar X-Type - WikiHQ

The Jaguar X-Type is a front-engine, all-wheel/front-wheel drive compact executive car manufactured and marketed by Jaguar Cars from 2001 to 2009 under the internal designation X400, for a single generation, in sedan/saloon and wagon/estate body styles. In addition to offering Jaguar's first station wagon/estate in series production, the X-type would ultimately introduce its first diesel engine, four-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive configuration.

The X-Type was developed during the period when Jaguar was owned by Ford as a division of its Premier Automotive Group (PAG) (1999–2010) — and marked Jaguar's entry into the critical compact executive segment. The programme aimed to double the marque's worldwide sales — requiring expansion of engineering resources, factory capacity, marketing capability, sales support and service. launched in 2001 to compete in the compact executive class dominated by the rear-wheel drive BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, despite Ford/Jaguar having no directly competitive platform. The four door saloon launched in 2001, and the five door estate followed in January 2004, with production of both ending in July 2009. The estate offered a Cd of 0.32 in standard form and 0.33 in Sport trim.

Engines included either of two V6 petrol engines: 2.5 litre or 3.0 litre. In 2002, an entry level 2.1 litre V6 front wheel drive model was added. All three engines were available with either five-speed automatic or five-speed manual gearboxes. The X-Type grille was slightly modified for both the 2004 and 2006 model years. The base petrol engine was a Jaguar-tweaked Ford Duratec V6 derived from the 2.5-litre that served in the Ford Mondeo, and the 3.0-litre V6 is essentially an adaptation of the engine from the Jaguar S-Type and Lincoln LS. Both saloon and estate configurations were manufactured at the Halewood Assembly Facility near Liverpool, renovated at a cost of $450 million. Later trim configurations would introduce carbon fibre dash panels and Alcantara seat surfaces. All interior wood was genuine, manufactured with veneers for the rest of the Jaguar line-up at Browns Lane's Veneer Manufacturing Centre, including the door trim pieces on higher models, increasing the development and production costs.

The design used a tailgate with independently-opening, strut-supported rear window, and went on sale internationally during 2008, with United Kingdom sales from March.

The facelift featured revised front and rear fascias, new door mirrors with integrated turn indicator repeaters, the choice of a 2.2 litre diesel with particulate filter, and a new six speed automatic transmission with Jaguar Sequential Shift. The range continued to offer the 2.0 litre diesel, and two V6 petrol engines; 2.5 and 3.0 litre. In some European markets, the petrol engines were no longer marketed and in the UK the petrol range was gradually trimmed until only a single petrol model remained available for the final model year.

Special editions

In 2004, the Spirit limited model based on the 2.5 litre V6, featured the 'Sports Collection' pack with new spoilers and rear valance. It was followed in 2005 by the XS limited edition, which continued the sports theme, but available with a wider range of engines.

Engines

{|class="wikitable"

!Model!!Years!!Displacement !! Bore x Stroke !!Power at rpm!!Torque at rpm!!Transmission

|2.1-litre V6 petrol||2001–2007|| V6|| ||||||5-speed manual

|2.1-litre V6 petrol||2007–2008|| V6|||| at 6,800|| at 4,100||5-speed manual, 5-speed automatic

|2.5-litre V6 petrol||2001–2009|| V6|| || at 6,800|| at 3,000||5-speed manual, 5-speed automatic

|3.0-litre V6 petrol||2001–2009|| V6 || || at 6,800 ||| at 3,000||5-speed manual, 5-speed automatic

|2.0-litre diesel||2003–2007|| I4|| || at 3,800|| at 1,800||5-speed manual

|2.0-litre diesel ||2003–2007|| I4|| || at 3,500|| at 1,800||6-speed manual

|2.2-litre diesel||2007–2009|| I4|| || at 3,500|| at 1,800||6-speed manual

|2.2-litre diesel DPF||2007–2009|| I4|| || at 3,500|| at 1,800||6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic

Safety and security

Euro NCAP's crash test found that the doors could still be opened after a frontal impact and that the car offered good protection for children sitting in the back during crashes, however they also found that the airbag failed to prevent the driver's head from hitting the steering wheel and described its pedestrian impact performance as "dire", noting that seventeen of the eighteen impact locations they tested on the car offered no protection for a pedestrian from injury.

{|class="wikitable"

!Euro NCAP 2002 X-Type!!Points!!Rating

|Adult Occupant:

|26 out of 36

|Pedestrian Impact:

|2 out of 36

{| class="wikitable"

!ANCAP 2010 X-Type!!Points||Rating

|Overall Score:

|26.40 out of 37

|Offset Impact:

|10.40 out of 16

|Side Impact:

|14.10 out of 16

|Pole Impact:

|2 out of 2

|Bonus Points:

|0 out of 3

{| class="wikitable"

!NHTSA 2004 X-Type!!Rating

|Frontal Driver:

|Frontal Passenger:

|Side Driver:

|Side Passenger:

|Rollover 4WD:

| (10.5%)

The X-Type was tested by Thatcham's  New Vehicle Security Ratings (NVSR) organisation.

{| class="wikitable"

! X-Type !!Rating

|Theft of car:

|Theft from car:

Sales and reception

In November 2000, managing director Jonathan Browning said Jaguar's objective was to achieve annual sales of 100,000 with the car, partly by taking market share from established German rivals and partly by expanding the market segment in Jaguar's key markets. The X-Type was Jaguar's best selling model during almost all its production run, but sales did not meet projections, peaking at 50,000 in 2003. became a point of criticism. Notably, the Volkswagen Passat shared its platform with its compact executive class rival, the B5 Audi A4. The X-Type's limited powertrain choices affected its initial press reception. Initially, the X-Type was only available with six cylinder petrol engines, coupled to an all-wheel drive system, resulting in poor fuel economy, while its key German rivals, the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, and Mercedes C-Class were sold predominantly in two wheel drive form, with four cylinder petrol or diesel engines, a critical offering in the economy conscious European market. A four-cylinder diesel option (only available with front wheel drive) was not offered in the X-Type until two years after its launch.

Jeremy Clarkson, then of BBC's Top Gear, lauded the X-Type, especially the 4x4 and sport versions. In two episodes, he demonstrated its capabilities in the snow, declaring that it "laughs in the face of the weatherman, the police and the AA, with their advice to stay at home". With regards to the sharing of the Ford Mondeo platform, Clarkson states that this should not put you off, stating that "genetically you are 98% identical to a halibut, but it's the 2% that makes the difference".

Other car magazine and website reviews were largely positive for the X-Type, especially during its introduction. The X-Type used only 19% of Ford Mondeo's components, while a variety of Ford platforms, engines and components were being used by all models of the Ford Motor Company's luxury brands in that period, namely Aston Martin, Jaguar and Lincoln. In January 2008, Jaguar director of design Ian Callum said that the X-Type "was essentially designed in Detroit and presented as close as a fait accompli to reluctant designers and engineers at Jaguar's Whitley design centre."

Noted automotive designer Robert Cumberford called the X-Type's styling "an unimaginable pastiche of many past Jaguars" in the June 2001 issue of Car and Driver magazine. Overall, due to poor sales, Jaguar lost €4,690 per vehicle produced.

Reviews

The AA Likes: Elegant yet contemporary looks, silky smooth driving experience, petrol engines provide suitable soundtrack, high specification level as standard. Gripes: Non AWD models less fun to drive, smallish load area with all seats in place, rear seats do not fold completely flat, body-coloured grilles of Sport models spoil looks.
Auto Express 'Ride, handling and grip are good, finding a fine balance between comfort and sporting ability, cabin is unmistakably Jaguar.' 'Traditional look and feel ... it's not the most spacious car in its class.'
Auto Trader 'The Jaguar X-Type is the only luxury saloon in its class, according to its makers. And while owners of bona fide luxury cars may scoff, the X-Type has all the right ingredients: heritage, comfort and sartorial elegance.'
CAR 'A bit of traditional Jag dynamic sensations and half-decent value will tempt some, but no amount of exterior tweaking can hide why the X-type missed its target.'
Driving Good - Tempting prices, comfort & kit levels, dynamics. Not So Good - High running costs of petrol models, patchy reliability, old-fashioned styling.
Honest John Positives: Compact Jaguar, smart looks and roomy load bay, V6s are four-wheel drive, diesels are quite frugal. Negatives: Not recommended for towing, uneven tyre wear on AWD V6 cars.
Parker's Pros: Very comfortable and refined, sophisticated image, decent handling, decent boot space, good long distance cruiser. Cons: Traditional styling, cramped rear space, limited engine range, some cheap interior trim.
RAC 'This is a car that has layers, textures and subtleties to its talents, a Jaguar that needs no preamble. It's up there with the best in the class. Just don't expect a bargain.'
Verdict On Cars 'Average. Jag's supposed rival to the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class is fading fast. It's still a good car, but doubts as to whether it deserves the badge are growing.'
What Car? 'Low prices and a good drive make it a real alternative to a BMW 3 Series. [The Estate] drives just as well as the saloon version, but gives more practicality.'
Wise Buyer's 'X-Type is sporty to drive and very comfortable, plus it has that charismatic Jaguar badge. But it's up against some fine executive cars. It majors on value for money and performance.'
Time magazine (unrated) '[I]n its attempt to turn the front-drive compact car into an “all-wheel drive” sports sedan, Jaguar ran smack into the limits of platform engineering. The result was the English version of the Cadillac Cimarron, a tarted-up insult to a once-proud marque and a financial disaster for the company.'

Awards

The Jaguar X-Type won AutoWeeks Editors Choice Award as the Most Significant Car at the Geneva Motor Show of 2001.

Replacement

In January 2011, Jaguar said plans for successor for the X-Type were under consideration, to compete with models such as the BMW 3 Series, and to be positioned below the current XF.

The project, codenamed X760, was set to be launched in 2015. In March 2014, Jaguar confirmed that the X-Type's replacement would be named the Jaguar XE.

References

External links

– a "long read" about the X-Type