Mario James, Gleaner Writer
The 2.5 litre 2006 Jaguar X-type, available from Kingston Industrial Garage on Spanish Town Road for $4.9 million.-Contributed
Jaguar has always got a special place in my psyche. I met by better half during my tenure with a '72 XJ6 (some would say because of my ownership of that car!) There has always been a mystique, a balance, a correctness with this marque.
Early fascination
My fascination with Jaguars started during a country run with my dad. We were coming in from Hanover and it was raining. Our chariot was a 1969 Hillman Hunter, a car that for the life of me was the fastest in the world (oh to be young and innocent!). Our family sedan had all of 1700 cc, and Dear old Dad was a demon driver.
We were coming down from Ewarton, motoring towards Bog Walk and we were absolutely flying in the wet, cutting Minxes and Bugs and lesser family sedans to bits. I, as co-driver, was egging on the Jamaican version of Stirling Moss and watching the speedometer needle climb into the stratosphere. We were cresting 90 mph and going towards the magic ton when this spectral white, spoke-rimmed apparition came out of nowhere and waltzed around the Hunter, the downpour sheeting off its body as if it were magnetically repelled. In no time it was a memory.
"Daddy, a wha dat?"
"That was a Jaguar, son."
"Daddy, fe him engine bigga dan yourn?"
"Yes sah. By a bunch."
We continued the rest of the way in silence. I guess it was in order to honour the death of his Moss-like image.
The car to have
Fast forward some 30 years later, and here I am, in the waiting room of KIG/John Crook, waiting to test drive a 2.5 litre 2006 Jaguar X-type. The first time I will ever drive a brand new Jag. The Ford dealership currently offers two Jaguar models; the X and the S-type. The X-type is based on the running gear of the Ford Mondeo, a commuter car sold in England. Based on this fact alone, yours truly wanted to drive the S-type, a car whose DNA is incontrovertibly Jaguar's. But as usual, fate ntervened and this tester was given the X-type to potter around in. My first new Jag, and I get a hybrid. Only 20 per cent of this car has Coventry origins. Ten per cent has been sourced from the Ford parts bin, and the rest has been subcontracted to various third party manufacturers.
Oooh, but it does look the part. No Mondeo could ever look like this. While it does not have the old world lines of the S, it draws from another stablemate, the XJ6. Four headlights adorn its front end, its smallish grille reminiscent of the last of the Series III models from the mid-80s. The sculptedbonnet and lovely waistline are both cribbed from that same car. The rear fenders still have those classic "women's hipsunder silk" lines so effectively penned by Lyons himself, more than 40 years ago.
The interior has traditional Jaguar touches. Chrome door releases, lovely leather, and real wood. Even Mercedes has gone the way of burled plastic applique in its entry level sedans, and here is a manufacturer that still follows the old traditions. Everything that is round has a chrome ring around it, giving a nice understated ambience that is only let down by the commuter car switchgear and venting. The steering wheel is covered in leather, and the shift knob borders on tactile overload. It is just the right shape, and is beautifully finished. The action of the storage space lid on the centre console (we Jaguarphiles call it the Ski-slope) is a little coarse, not really becoming for a car of this stature.
But overall, it is a nice interior. Just doesn't have a lot of 'wow factor'. It does have quite a lot of features though, like the channel in the roof that provides hot air to the rear windscreen and the defrost mode that does all windows in the car. The intermittent wiper control is a thing of beauty; Jaguar drivers no longer have to take their hands of the steering wheel to grasp the stalk to adjust the pause between wipes. Just extend the pinky finger to the projection supplied on the control and add pressure. It is touches like this that give a car character and make this one so, British.
The Jaguar drive
Driving the car though, definitely lived up to the Jag rep. The X-type has an engine designed by Jaguar engineers, and it doesn't disappoint. Available in 2.5 and 3.0 litre flavours, these all aluminium engines produce 194 and 231 hp respectively, with torque figures of 180 and 209 lb/ft. These figures translate into 0-60 times of 8.5 and 7.1 seconds, with a sporty growl coming from it's elliptical tail pipes. While these times won't exactly set the world on fire, its push from 3,000 rpm is worthy of the leaping cat, and its all-wheel drive system with 60/40 power split between front and rear wheels transforms the package.
It is surefooted in the wet, with brakes that feel like the car has run up into a wall. The steering is light, yet balanced. Suspension, while soft, still allows swift motoring in the twisties. The engine is smooth and refined under rein, but roars when asked, the power coming on in spades! While not equipped with a sequential type automatic, the slush-box does have four speeds, and under full throttle adds to the excitement. When it is time for the change-up to occur, the transmission computer talks to the engine management, with the result that ignition timing is retarded for a split second while fuel flow is throttled down. This makes for the most seamless, smooth transitions from one gear to the next. In actuality, it feels as if the Jag had a manual gearbox, and the gear lever was being controlled by Alain Prost, so smooth were the shifts and well timed the momentary power reduction.
Will the X-Type live up to the immense Jag street cred? It is hard to say, but this car is already Jaguars biggest seller, with more than twenty thousand units sold in the first year of its production. There are enough genes in Jag DNA to go around, and I daresay, enough of them have found their way into the Jaguar X-type!
