Jaguar X-TYPE ESTATE RANGE
The X-TYPE Estate Chalks Up Yet Another First For Jaguars Baby. Andy Enright Reports
Were getting used to the X-TYPE rewriting the
Jaguar history books. The first all-wheel drive Jaguar, the first front-wheel drive, the first diesel-engined and the first estate Jaguar production car the X-TYPE has to be one of the most significant cars to ever wear the growler emblem. But hang on a minute arent estate cars meant to be going the way of the dinosaur? That might have been the case a few years ago but now the sector is booming and Jaguar wants a piece of the action.
It wasnt long ago that industry commentators were writing off the estate car sector as
mini-MPV people carriers eroded sales at the bottom end and big MPVs and ever more sophisticated 4x4s stole sales from bigger estates. One niche, however, escaped the attentions of these vehicles fairly successfully that for premium compact estates. Cars like the
Alfa Romeo Sportwagon, the
Lexus IS200/300 Sportcross and the
Audi A4 Avant offered sleek looks but little extra in the way of additional carrying capacity and the established leaders in the sector, the
BMW 3 Series Touring and the Mercedes C-Class estate continued to make hay. During this time, Jaguar had to stand back and watch these rivals carve up the market between them, armed only with a development programme and a whole heap of market research that indicated that estate buyers were now typically younger than saloon buyers and that they were looking for something that reflected their active lifestyle requirements.
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Just as the image of the cloth-capped granddad behind the wheel of an estate car is now old hat (if youll excuse the pun), so is the stereotype of an estate car being a dull, boxy alternative. Increasingly these younger buyers were opting for the estate versions because many felt the styling was better than that of the saloon.
"For a first time effort the X-TYPE Estate is little short of remarkable"
Although it takes a little adjusting to, you can see the appeal in the sleek shape of the X-TYPE Estate, priced from £21,165 and offered with 2.5 or 3.0-litre petrol power, plus Euro IV-compatible 2.0 and 2.
2-litre diesels. Of course its based on the saloon cars floorpan, but from the door pillars back, all the body panels are different and with an entire new roof and a revised rear subframe, the Estate is so much more than a saloon with a glazed box on the back. A large part of the challenge in making a good estate is to retain a modicum of torsional rigidity in the chassis and
Jaguar have succeeded in this regard, the X-TYPE Estate being significantly stiffer in the body than a
BMW 3 Series Touring. Whats more, overall weight has only increased by 65kg as a result, model for model.
Even if Jaguar had a long history of producing estate cars, youd have to say the X-TYPE Estate is an impressive achievement. For a first time effort its little short of remarkable. Of course, the company has benefited form all of the technical expertise of the
Ford empire, an outfit known to have built one or two estate cars down the years, but nevertheless you have to tip your titfer to the Browns Lane crew. The split fold rear seats allow for one, two or all three rear passengers to be accommodated comfortably and when folded flat, theres a whopping 1415 litres of cubic capacity to clog with lifestyle accoutrements.
Compare this with the 1184 litre of the
Audi A4 Avant, the 1345 litre of the BMW 3 Series Touring and the 1384 litres of the Mercedes C-Class estate and youll appreciate that the Jaguar is no pretty pretender. Instead it offers genuinely extended capabilities over its saloon sibling. The luggage bay is covered by a retractable tonneau and optional cargo nets prevent smaller objects from being battered during spirited cornering. Chromed spring-loaded D-rings and tie-down straps will take car of larger objects.
The best bit about the rear luggage bay is the underfloor secure area which yields two deep storage sections with a 12v power supply system so that you can discreetly charge a mobile phone or a laptop computer. The rear window can be opened separately to the hatchback so that smaller items can be popped inside without lifting the tailgate and its even possible to program the key fob so that you can open the rear window remotely. The interior of the X-TYPE set standards of quality and, indeed, modernity for Jaguar, redressing many of the grumbles that were heard at the S-TYPE launch. The fascia retains the plank a long swathe of wood running the width of the dashboard but the major dials are housed in a modern binnacle rather than in individual recesses as in the XK8.
Whats particularly impressive is the way that Jaguar have managed to blend traditional touches like wood veneers and chrome cappings with modern must-haves such as multi-function LCD screens, airbags and multi-speaker audio systems. Thats a tall order, and the X-TYPE Estate manages it better than most. The cabin certainly feels more special than any of its rivals, and has premium product design cues all over it. The overall package gels together very well and the idea of a rather rakish Jaguar shooting brake will appeal to the sort of badge conscious upwardly mobile thirtysomethings this car is aimed directly at.
A Jaguar estate may take many a little getting used to but the X-TYPE makes the acclimatisation process very agreeable indeed.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Jaguar X-TYPE Estate range
PRICES: £21,165-£30,140 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 14-16
CO2 EMISSIONS: 149-244g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0D] 0-60mph 9.8s / Max Speed 123mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.5] (urban) 20.5mpg / (extra urban) 38.5mpg / (combined) 29mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, side curtain airbags (front/rear), ABS WILL IT FIT IN MY GARAGE?: Length/width/height 4730/1790/1390mm [est]
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