Competing with the Germans has always been difficult in the compact executive segment. For years now, BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz have been the brands that most people associate with prestige and success in the class. Everyone else plays bit parts with varying degrees of success.
Take Jaguar with their X-Type for example. It never ceases to amaze me how fantastic this car is to drive and every time I step into one I am reminded of the fact. But it seems that it hasn’t caught the mass imagination like it should have. Sure they sell a few and owners are delighted with what they get, but it is still hard for some people to get used to a Jaguar competing in such an accessible segment, when for years they were reserved for the super-rich.
But Jaguar has had to change to survive and they continue to do so. Not only have they downsized their cars, but also they have produced an estate and then a diesel or two. The first diesel unit put into a Jaguar was a 2.0-litre unit planted into the X-Type. Now with a 2.7-litre offered in the XJ, the diesel line-up is rounded up by the addition of a second diesel option to the X-Type, in the form of a 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel.
The new 154bhp engine comes from within the family. This 2.2-litre unit has already been offered in the Ford Mondeo and in that car it is a cracker. So how does it fair in the Jag? With torque peaking on overboost at 400Nm, the new unit offers a combination of pretty rapid acceleration and good cruising ability. From experience with the 2.0litre, Jaguar is pretty good at insulating their cars and the same is true with the more powerful diesel. Open the bonnet and you know it’s a diesel, but slam down the lid and the noise almost disappears. We were driving the estate model, which is a fairly handsome beast, especially at the rear, but the jury is still out about the front of the X-type. Trying to appeal to a younger market with a nose that resembles their XJ was always going to be risky. Expect styling changes soon.
The X-Type is an agile car to drive and with the plentiful torque of this new diesel, performance is rapid. The throttle pedal response is developed to give a consistent and linear feel. If you stand on the gas, the engine will temporarily produce an 11 percent increase in torque – which allows for safe overtaking. Although this unit is only a four-cylinder you would be forgiven for thinking there were more under there, because the response is so smooth.100km/h is reached in 8.9 seconds and the top speed quoted at 220km/h, but we think that is quite a conservative estimate. Inside the X-Type feels pretty good, with good seats and easy to operate controls. It just doesn’t feel as neatly put together as the new 3-Series or an Audi A4, but the cabin is much less dreary than both. Sadly there seems to be no joy if you are looking for an automatic in the X-Type diesel, as this is still not available.
The new 2.2-litre diesel is a nice addition to the Jaguar X-Type range, but with sales fairly slow in Ireland for the model, is seems unlikely that it will create too many waves here. While the X-Type is now an incredible second-hand buy, if you are after a diesel executive then the educated money now seems to be heading towards the BMW 320d. Lexus will be offering a diesel version of the new IS later in the year too and Alfa Romeo’s brilliant new 159 will be offered with a 200bhp 2.4-litre JTD too. As ever the Jag is a nice outside bet, but if buying new we’d pick the Beemer.
INFO
Jaguar X-Type Diesel
Engine 2198cc V6 ,152bhp, 366Nm torque
Boot Capacity 445-litres
Acceleration 0-100km/h 9.3secs
Top Speed 215 km/h
Price €46,000 EST
Transmission Six-speed manual, front wheel drive
Economy 6.2 l/100km / 45.6mpg
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