Jaguar X-Type 3.0 Sovereign Estate
Consider for a moment the qualities that differentiate the Jaguar X-TYPE from the rest of the pack. Tough isnt it? Virtually every attribute of the X-TYPE is replicated in one form or another by its premium rivals save for one area. None of its rivals can quite match the Jaguars intimate, clubby feel and its at its best when absolutely rammed with standard equipment. The top of the range 3.
0-litre Sovereign offers the sort of aristocratic feel good factor that eludes Jaguars German rivals.
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The veneers for the fascia and door trims are finished in a way that makes sense in a home grown product but which just appears a little contrived in a German car. Dont ask me why, thats just the way it is. The seats are trimmed in piped leather and feature a memory function for the drivers chair. Elsewhere there are numerous features designed to make life easy.
An advanced touch screen DVD navigation system is fitted as standard and its incredibly simple to use. Unlike many systems, this one is quick to recalculate routes on the fly and conceals a lot of advanced functions behind its apparently straightforward user interface. The Sovereigns stereo system is also a real piece of work, featuring no fewer than ten speakers dotted about the cabin linked to an Alpine head unit. Most functions can be marshalled without your hands leaving the walnut and leather steering wheel thanks to the Sovereigns JaguarVoice system.
Simply tell the system what you want it to do and after it learns your voice patterns it complies. Its like Knight Rider but without the black plastic disaster interior. Building a luxurious compact executive car is fraught with pitfalls. Firstly, it has to be spot-on perfect first time in terms of styling and prestige, the most important aspects of new car appeal.
That prestige will in turn stem from a favourable press reaction, after all nobody wants to be seen in a car universally derided as a dynamic duffer. Fortunately, the X-TYPE seems to have covered its bases in an unexpectedly comprehensive manner.
"Its without doubt a classier act for those that arent particularly interested in cornering at ten-tenths."
Fire up that 3.0-litre engine and youll be greeted with a muted growl before it settles to a distant rumble. Drop the shifter into drive and youll initially feel that this is going to be a sporting drive, tilting at a 3-Series. Indeed, although the suspension is admirably supple in its absorption of ridges and ruts, theres not a great deal of body roll, the X-TYPE feeling taut and eager.
When coupled with the automatic box its easy to forget that 40% of the drive is directed to the front wheels. The steering takes a little getting used to. Gone is the usual Jaguar steering feel, that remote, oily slickness that distanced drivers from the road. In its place is a ZF Servotronic variabe-ratio system that seamlessly reduces the amount of assistance as speed builds.
Its a great system for motorway cruising, with just the right amount of feel around the straight ahead point, but get a bit enthusiastic into the corners and the tardy turn-in and odd feeling that you need to turn the wheel far more than is at first expected will take some getting used to. Likewise, the gearbox, even when switched into sport mode, cant really keep up with the demands of being pitched through a series of twisty bits. Still, thats what Jaguar makes the X-TYPE Sport Premium for. The chubby windscreen pillars restrict visibility through tighter bends, but otherwise the Jaguar is a genuinely impressive packaging job.
For a British car it adopts a groundbreaking competence in ergonomics, with all switches, minor controls and access points being intuitive to operate. Rear legroom isnt the best, especially if there are long-legged drivers up front, but thats par for the course in this class. Get a bit brutal with the right hand pedal and youll despatch 60mph in 6.6 seconds, the X-TYPE launching off the line without drama whilst making a strident high-pitched yelp as the gearbox hangs onto each gear, peak power arriving at a stratospheric 6800rpm.
The 231bhp engine will punch the car up to 146mph, although this sort of driving wont get you near Jaguars combined fuel consumption figure of 27mpg. Despite its stiff, no-nonsense chassis feel and tight suspension, the luxury accoutrements and unwilling steering and transmission of the Sovereign dont encourage press-on driving, all of which makes the Sport Premium variants far more satisfying. Nevertheless, if you appreciate the more refined appeal of the Sovereign, its without doubt a classier act for those that arent particularly interested in cornering at ten-tenths. The Jaguar X-TYPE 3.
0 Sovereign estate might seem a bit of a stretch for £31,000 but judged in context its good value for money. Equipping a less powerful Mercedes C320 to this sort of specification would cost far more and you wouldnt get the all-weather security of four-wheel drive or the sense of occasion every time you dropped behind the wheel. Itll never be as technically sexy as the leading German offerings, but if you appreciate a compact executive car that really does come rammed with features, the Sovereign is massively appealing. Try one before you go German.
You might just surprise yourself.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Jaguar X-TYPE 3.0 Sovereign Estate
PRICE: £30,995 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 16
CO2 EMISSIONS: 244g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 6.6s / Max Speed 146mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 18.7mpg / (extra urban) 36.4mpg / (combined) 27.0mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS WILL IT FIT IN MY GARAGE?: Length/width/height 4670/1790/1390mm
