I don’t know much about art but I know what I like
YOU will be shocked to the very heart of your bottom to learn that, according to one of my more arty colleagues, I have an under developed sense of humour. Sorry?
This is because I went to see Johnny English and I liked it. No, I loved it – I haven’t laughed so much since Mitterand shuffled off.
This is very naughty because a spoof Archbishop of Canterbury, mooning with the words Jesus is Coming – Look Busy across his naked surplus might be titillating to small boys, but it’s not art. It says nothing.
Well I’m afraid it did. Just like MI7 agent Johnny getting dumped on by ten squatting French chefs; just like the idea of a Gallic enemy wanting to subjugate the British monarchy and just like the hapless Atkinson tap dancing on the wrong coffin at an interment, it spoke volumes about the very basis of British humour. Anything goes. Especially pants, downwards.
Of course it’s not high art. The only thing Johnny English challenges is the spillage resistance of popcorn buckets. On Newsnight Review the collected uglies and issue-chewers gurned their way to unanimous condemnation. I knew then it would be better than sex.
Because it’s not art, it’s honest. On the other hand Tracey Emin is an unmade bed and 200 naked bodies lying around on the floor outside the Saatchi gallery just a student party. Mind you, it’s got to be better than actually getting inside to see a pickled shark, a maggoty fly-blown cow’s head and a challenging display of… sump oil.
For goodness sake, pop round to my place where, for a modest fee, I will put on an exhibition of potted herring, the remains of Sunday’s joint, if I can get it out of the dog, and a world renowned half-empty can of WD 40.
Actually all you will find hanging on the walls is pictures of Labradors and a conceptual view of dawn over the Liverpool waterfront, featuring a challenging coffee mug stain. Very English.
Englishness is something which has become difficult to define. It could be coming second in everything except wars, it could be a stiff upper lip, it could be warm beer, but then that could also be the Belgians. Norman Tebbit wanted it identified by the ‘Cricket Test.’ Exactly what does an encyclopaedic knowledge of cigarette lighters prove?
In the film it’s an Aston Martin.
Excellent – a resounding huzzah for the boys at Newport Pagnall. Could anything be more British than a £97,000 DB7? Obviously not. Except that Aston is owned by Ford.
A Roller perhaps? The Germans, and anyway who can cut a dash driving a gentleman’s’ club reading room around? Bentley? Oh dear, actung – made by Volkswagen in Cheshire. What about a Range Rover? Sorry, Henry again.
It seems that to build the epitome of British cars, you have to be owned by Johnny Foreigner.
Which is why I have no problem commending to the house, Ford’s Jaguar S Type R.
Let me just say at the outset that this is not a fast car. It’s a very fast car. If 0-60mph in five seconds is not enough for you, try naked skydiving. And while I realise 155mph is all but academic on the road, it’s like having more money than you need – better than having less. And not only does the Type R at maximum excitement sound like a low level Tornado attack, it also handles like one.
To buy a Type R will take a fortune in excess of £47,000. But for that you do get a lot.
There’s the image, for instance. The R on it’s bottom doesn’t stand for Rally it’s for Regina.
Just look inside: it’s a well tailored shirt, Oxford shoes, Simpsons in the Strand. Even the seats are upholstered in roast beef.
Of course in the 21st century you won’t get away with oil coachlights and an 18th century safety package so there are electric toys galore and traction control for those moments when the stiff upper lip is in danger of quivering.
Which is all very reassuring in a world where the only pink you will find on an atlas is Vimto stains.
It would have been nice to have seen Johnny in a Jag but perhaps they will give one to that nice Mr Bond. As for an underdeveloped sense of humour: My mate Dave worships exhaust pipes. He’s a catholic converter.
I don’t know much about art but I know what I like
YOU will be shocked to the very heart of your bottom to learn that, according to one of my more arty colleagues, I have an under developed sense of humour. Sorry?
This is because I went to see Johnny English and I liked it. No, I loved it – I haven’t laughed so much since Mitterand shuffled off.
This is very naughty because a spoof Archbishop of Canterbury, mooning with the words Jesus is Coming – Look Busy across his naked surplus might be titillating to small boys, but it’s not art. It says nothing.
Well I’m afraid it did. Just like MI7 agent Johnny getting dumped on by ten squatting French chefs; just like the idea of a Gallic enemy wanting to subjugate the British monarchy and just like the hapless Atkinson tap dancing on the wrong coffin at an interment, it spoke volumes about the very basis of British humour. Anything goes. Especially pants, downwards.
Of course it’s not high art. The only thing Johnny English challenges is the spillage resistance of popcorn buckets. On Newsnight Review the collected uglies and issue-chewers gurned their way to unanimous condemnation. I knew then it would be better than sex.
Because it’s not art, it’s honest. On the other hand Tracey Emin is an unmade bed and 200 naked bodies lying around on the floor outside the Saatchi gallery just a student party. Mind you, it’s got to be better than actually getting inside to see a pickled shark, a maggoty fly-blown cow’s head and a challenging display of… sump oil.
For goodness sake, pop round to my place where, for a modest fee, I will put on an exhibition of potted herring, the remains of Sunday’s joint, if I can get it out of the dog, and a world renowned half-empty can of WD 40.
Actually all you will find hanging on the walls is pictures of Labradors and a conceptual view of dawn over the Liverpool waterfront, featuring a challenging coffee mug stain. Very English.
Englishness is something which has become difficult to define. It could be coming second in everything except wars, it could be a stiff upper lip, it could be warm beer, but then that could also be the Belgians. Norman Tebbit wanted it identified by the ‘Cricket Test.’ Exactly what does an encyclopaedic knowledge of cigarette lighters prove?
In the film it’s an Aston Martin.
Excellent – a resounding huzzah for the boys at Newport Pagnall. Could anything be more British than a £97,000 DB7? Obviously not. Except that Aston is owned by Ford.
A Roller perhaps? The Germans, and anyway who can cut a dash driving a gentleman’s’ club reading room around? Bentley? Oh dear, actung – made by Volkswagen in Cheshire. What about a Range Rover? Sorry, Henry again.
It seems that to build the epitome of British cars, you have to be owned by Johnny Foreigner.
Which is why I have no problem commending to the house, Ford’s Jaguar S Type R.
Let me just say at the outset that this is not a fast car. It’s a very fast car. If 0-60mph in five seconds is not enough for you, try naked skydiving. And while I realise 155mph is all but academic on the road, it’s like having more money than you need – better than having less. And not only does the Type R at maximum excitement sound like a low level Tornado attack, it also handles like one.
To buy a Type R will take a fortune in excess of £47,000. But for that you do get a lot.
There’s the image, for instance. The R on it’s bottom doesn’t stand for Rally it’s for Regina.
Just look inside: it’s a well tailored shirt, Oxford shoes, Simpsons in the Strand. Even the seats are upholstered in roast beef.
Of course in the 21st century you won’t get away with oil coachlights and an 18th century safety package so there are electric toys galore and traction control for those moments when the stiff upper lip is in danger of quivering.
Which is all very reassuring in a world where the only pink you will find on an atlas is Vimto stains.
It would have been nice to have seen Johnny in a Jag but perhaps they will give one to that nice Mr Bond. As for an underdeveloped sense of humour: My mate Dave worships exhaust pipes. He’s a catholic converter.
I don’t know much about art but I know what I like
YOU will be shocked to the very heart of your bottom to learn that, according to one of my more arty colleagues, I have an under developed sense of humour. Sorry?
This is because I went to see Johnny English and I liked it. No, I loved it – I haven’t laughed so much since Mitterand shuffled off.
This is very naughty because a spoof Archbishop of Canterbury, mooning with the words Jesus is Coming – Look Busy across his naked surplus might be titillating to small boys, but it’s not art. It says nothing.
Well I’m afraid it did. Just like MI7 agent Johnny getting dumped on by ten squatting French chefs; just like the idea of a Gallic enemy wanting to subjugate the British monarchy and just like the hapless Atkinson tap dancing on the wrong coffin at an interment, it spoke volumes about the very basis of British humour. Anything goes. Especially pants, downwards.
Of course it’s not high art. The only thing Johnny English challenges is the spillage resistance of popcorn buckets. On Newsnight Review the collected uglies and issue-chewers gurned their way to unanimous condemnation. I knew then it would be better than sex.
Because it’s not art, it’s honest. On the other hand Tracey Emin is an unmade bed and 200 naked bodies lying around on the floor outside the Saatchi gallery just a student party. Mind you, it’s got to be better than actually getting inside to see a pickled shark, a maggoty fly-blown cow’s head and a challenging display of… sump oil.
For goodness sake, pop round to my place where, for a modest fee, I will put on an exhibition of potted herring, the remains of Sunday’s joint, if I can get it out of the dog, and a world renowned half-empty can of WD 40.
Actually all you will find hanging on the walls is pictures of Labradors and a conceptual view of dawn over the Liverpool waterfront, featuring a challenging coffee mug stain. Very English.
Englishness is something which has become difficult to define. It could be coming second in everything except wars, it could be a stiff upper lip, it could be warm beer, but then that could also be the Belgians. Norman Tebbit wanted it identified by the ‘Cricket Test.’ Exactly what does an encyclopaedic knowledge of cigarette lighters prove?
In the film it’s an Aston Martin.
Excellent – a resounding huzzah for the boys at Newport Pagnall. Could anything be more British than a £97,000 DB7? Obviously not. Except that Aston is owned by Ford.
A Roller perhaps? The Germans, and anyway who can cut a dash driving a gentleman’s’ club reading room around? Bentley? Oh dear, actung – made by Volkswagen in Cheshire. What about a Range Rover? Sorry, Henry again.
It seems that to build the epitome of British cars, you have to be owned by Johnny Foreigner.
Which is why I have no problem commending to the house, Ford’s Jaguar S Type R.
Let me just say at the outset that this is not a fast car. It’s a very fast car. If 0-60mph in five seconds is not enough for you, try naked skydiving. And while I realise 155mph is all but academic on the road, it’s like having more money than you need – better than having less. And not only does the Type R at maximum excitement sound like a low level Tornado attack, it also handles like one.
To buy a Type R will take a fortune in excess of £47,000. But for that you do get a lot.
There’s the image, for instance. The R on it’s bottom doesn’t stand for Rally it’s for Regina.
Just look inside: it’s a well tailored shirt, Oxford shoes, Simpsons in the Strand. Even the seats are upholstered in roast beef.
Of course in the 21st century you won’t get away with oil coachlights and an 18th century safety package so there are electric toys galore and traction control for those moments when the stiff upper lip is in danger of quivering.
Which is all very reassuring in a world where the only pink you will find on an atlas is Vimto stains.
It would have been nice to have seen Johnny in a Jag but perhaps they will give one to that nice Mr Bond. As for an underdeveloped sense of humour: My mate Dave worships exhaust pipes. He’s a catholic converter.
Fast Cat with a great growl
FOR almost a year Jaguar has been teasing us with pictures and details of its new XK sports car.
There has been so much advanced detail and hype about the new Big Cat that I wondered if the car could possibly live up to my expectations.
I shouldn’t have worried. It is an absolute cracker and promises to do as much for Jaguar as the legendary E-Type.
Designed by Scot Ian Callum, the new XK features many styling cues which makes sure everyone will know it’s a Jaguar from any angle.
The new XK is built from aluminium at Jag’s Castle Bromwich factory in Birmingham and is something that Britain can be proud of.
It is fantastic to look at and pictures don’t really do the car justice. You have to see it in the metal and admire its gorgeous looks and touch the superb materials which blend together to create the best production sports car ever made by Jaguar.
Designer Ian Callum is proud of this new car and he has every reason to be. You can tell by the way he smiles when he talks about the XK that he is happy with the end result and no wonder.
The XK moves Jaguar forward in terms of engineering sophistication and yet it still retains everything that makes a Jaguar so special.
Available in either coupe or convertible form the new XK looks stunning in both although I admit to liking the more aggressive lines and rump of the coupe.
Powered by Jag’s tasty and smooth 4.2-litre V8 which delivers 300bhp the XK can reach 60mph in just under six seconds and goes on to an electronically limited top speed of 155mph.
And thanks to attention to detail the new Jag sounds great when it is producing this type of performance. A small fortune was spent developing an engine ‘noise’ that was right for this car and the engineers came up with the goods and this Cat has a growl that is worthy of its looks.
And as if to prove the detail that has gone into this car, the engine note changes again when the new six-speed automatic gearbox is shifted into sports mode.
The twin exhausts produce a great melody you can enjoy to the full in the cabriolet and the sound attracts plenty of attention from admiring pedestrians if you blip the throttle when going through town.
Inside the cabin lives up to the exterior looks. The materials are all superb and there is the usual blend of leather and wood. You can opt for the traditional Jag wood finish or a lighter poplar colour which will probably go down well in Florida and California or, for the first time in a long time, you can specify a metal finish for a sportier younger look.
I asked Ian Callum why he had opted to retain the small rear seats which can really only be used by small children and he revealed that almost all current XK8 drivers wanted to keep them although most just used them as parcel shelves.
There is much more room inside this cabin than in the old XK8 and the controls and fascia offer a perfect blend of old and new.
In the centre is a multi-mode full colour touch screen which controls a number of functions including audio and telephone systems as well as sat-nav.
The other controls are more traditional although the parking brake is now electronic and operated by a small switch in front of the centre consule.
Jaguar has dumped the traditional J-gate selector and introduced paddle shifts mounted on the steering column. Of course you don’t need to use them if you don’t want to and can opt to just keep the car in automatic mode, but you would be missing out on some great fun.
The new six-speed sequential box is superb and produces seamless fast changes in both manual and automatic modes and when you use the paddles it even blips the throttle to improve the speed of shifts and produce that glorious noise.
The new XK bristles with technology under its expensive aluminium skin and there is much to enjoy.
There is a new version of Jaguar’s active suspension system to help keep you on the straight and narrow, lights which help you see round corners at night and a cruise control system which uses microwave radar to keep you at a safe distance from the car you are following.
The ride and handling is excellent in both models and the cabriolet feels every bit as rigid as the coupe.
Jag stuck with a cloth hood which takes 18 seconds to stow-away electronically because Ian Callum believes a folding metal hood would have destroyed the car’s looks.
The XK now features keyless entry and ignition and the sound system is a rival for anything I have heard. The seats are heated and adjust electronically and the steering wheel feels great in your hands.
The XK lacks for nothing in the way of equipment, safety features and dynamic aids and it has everything you would expect in a luxury car. The boot will also take golf clubs or a couple of decent sized expensive suitcases.
On sale in March priced at £58,995 for the coupe and £64,995 for the convertible, the new XK is also attractively priced in this class.
If you want even more performance you can opt to wait until the end of this year when a supercharged version will be introduced.
The new XK is a true-Brit capable of taking on the opposition from Mercedes, BMW and Lexus and beating them. It is the most desirable car the marque has produced in over 40 years and could change the company’s fortunes.
It deserves to succeed because it is very, very good and it may just have replaced the E-Type in my affections.
Cat back on the prowl
Jaguar‘S iconic XJ is back for 2003 – and how.
The all-new luxury saloon – the seventh generation XJ – is the most advanced production car ever made by the Coventry and Birmingham-based firm.
Thanks to an aluminium rather than steel body, the dream machine is bigger, lighter, stronger, faster and more economical than its predecessor.
When Jaguar wheeled the cars out to the world’s motoring Press, I put the XJ6 and a 4.2 supercharged version through their paces. The verdict? They’re both winners.
While I expected a lot of the 4.2-litre, I was more intrigued by what sort of package the cheaper, less powerful XJ6 would offer.
I’m pleased to say it’s one hell of a car which oozes all the pre-requisites demanded of an XJ – elegance, style, comfort and spirited performance.
As well as enticing established XJ owners, Jaguar also hopes the improvements made will tempt buyers of rival luxury makes. With the improved comfort levels, top notch performance and competitive pricing – the range starts from £39,000 – Jaguar looks set to shift huge numbers of the new XJ.
Let’s look at the car in a bit more detail.
It’s longer, taller and wider than its predecessor, but being aluminium it’s an incredible 40 per cent lighter. Constructed using techniques borrowed from the aerospace industry, the body is also 60 per cent stiffer and air suspension is standard across the range.
As a result both the three-litre, 240bhp XJ6 and the supercharged 4.2-litre V8 version, which produces 400bhp, provide exhilarating drives.
Other options in the range are the 3.5 V8 with 262 bhp and a 300bhp 4.2 V8. All feature a six speed automatic gearbox.
The £58,500 supercharged 4.2 is awesome. It flies from start to 60mph in five seconds and has a limited top speed of 155mph.
As well as speed – there is lots of pulling power available whatever the circumstances – the 4.2 has balance, agility, superb handling and a firm, sporty ride.
The interior of my test vehicle was quality all the way. Technologically all XJs are wonderful with an array of controls and instruments at your disposal. Being a shortish driver I particularly liked the electrically adjustable foot pedals, which are standard on every model.
In terms of materials my XJR boasted red and black leather seats, a warm charcoal upper fascia, flint carpets, grey stained birds eye maple veneer fascia and door trims.
The XJ6 may have less power but it is a true star in the range. Acceleration time from 0-60mph increases to 7.8 seconds but there is still plenty of power and performance to make the car a fun, confidence-inspiring drive. The test car came with the firmer sports suspension but even so, it was a delight to drive along bumpy roads.
Despite being the starter model in Jaguar’s new flagship range, there are plenty of standard features on the XJ6. These include rear park distance control, leather upholstery, electrically adjustable driver and front passenger seats/footpedals/steering wheel, electronic park brake and CATS (Computer Active Technology Suspension).
Jaguar has every right to be purring about its new range of Big Cats.
Cream of the big cats
ONE person’s dream car is another’s nightmare, so which of these is this to you?
Jaguar has returned to motor racing with mixed fortunes, but it was not always like that.
In its glory days Jaguar was a name synonymous with sporting success and the company’s cars won Le Mans five times in the 1950s.
Most successful of all was the D-Type roadster, which won three years running, from 1955.
One of the few remaining models fetched more than half a million pounds a few years ago and will be worth several times that now.
Although its 3.5-litre engine gave it impressive performance on the race track, it was the use of immensely powerful disc brakes that enabled it to out-gun the opposition.
Whose dream car? Nostalgia buffs with a hefty wad, hell-bent on buying one of the most sought-after slices of automotive history.
Whose nightmare? Those who believe that history belongs in books and would rather buy a brand new Ferrari and a round-the-world cruise for the same money, with enough left over to retire on.
Near purrfect drive from new Jag
LUXURY car marque Jaguar is affectionately known around the world as the Big Cat. This nickname has never been more apt because Jag’s new S-Type diesel is damn near purrfect.
The engine is so smooth and refined I had to be convinced by bosses from the Coventry and Birmingham car-builder that they hadn’t slipped a petrol engine into a diesel-badged bodyshell.
But they swore to me that it wasn’t the case, which means I’ve just driven something of a motoring masterpiece.
Jaguar’s first diesel, in the X-Type, is proving to be a big hit. Now the car company is on to what deserves to be a surefire winner with an oil-burning S-Type.
The new version of the premium executive saloon, which goes on sale in June, has been fitted with a twin turbo V6 diesel engine and quite frankly the result is astonishing.
I road-tested the automatic version of the 2.7-litre turbodiesel and it was a jaw-dropper.
Jump into the luxurious cabin, close the door, turn the key and you hear just a gentle purring from under the bonnet.
Stand outside the car with the engine running and you’ll hear not a big, rattling din, but a slight ticking over sound.
Plant your foot down on the accelerator and there’s nothing but a hushed whirring that in no way indicates the power at your disposal.
And this is no toothless Big Cat – it eats up the Tarmac at an incredible rate.
The engine can generate a maximum of 206bhp and fires the S-Type from start to 60mph in a very sprightly 8.2 seconds. There’s also lots of torque – or pulling power – more so, in fact, than the petrol S-Type 4.2-litre.
Combine the power and torque and a six-speed automatic gearbox, which is a delight to use, and you’ve got a car with plenty of flexibility and refinement throughout the rev range.
The drive is what you would expect from Jaguar: relaxed when cruising and rapid in more testing conditions.
Steering is pin-sharp, handling unflappable and the ride is very, very comfortable even on the most suspension-testing road surfaces.
The only slight quibble I had with the diesel S-Type was the relatively low economy levels – 36mpg combined with the auto. But Jaguar insist you’ll probably be able to squeeze more than 40mpg out of it in many driving conditions.
The addition of a diesel engine to the S-Type line up isn’t the only change that’s been made for 2004 – there have been some styling changes, too.
The exterior has been given a cleaner, leaner, more muscular look. Inside changes include a new instrument panel.
Jaguar hopes the changes, in particular the addition of the diesel, will attract more younger buyers to the marque. I think drivers of all ages will be clamouring to snap up this fine feline.
Open and shuttered case for safety
A CLEVER new shutter display on Jaguar’s latest concept car allows front seat passengers to watch videos while the driver views navigation information on the same screen
For car designers, the explosion of in-car multimedia capabilities has profound safety implications, since it is essential that the driver is not distracted by moving video images.
At the same time, in-car LCD displays have a host of potential applications for both drivers and passengers, from the display of navigation information and text messages to DVD movies or video games.
Car audio and mobile multimedia specialist Alpine has developed an innovative solution to this increasingly important problem, revealed in Jaguar’s sleek new concept vehicle, the R-D6.
The system, called shutter display, is a front console-mounted LCD display with an adjustable field of view.
In normal use, both front seat occupants can see crystal clear images on the display. But activating the system makes the display appear black to the driver, while the passenger can continue to enjoy full screen video. When the satellite navigation system is active the screen can even be split, with directions visible to the driver while the part of the screen carrying moving video is still obscured.
The system operates using a specially designed polarising LCD panel, only 2mm thick, which sits in front of a normal display.
“Shutter display is going to open up a new era of in-car multimedia,” says Nick Bailey, Alpine’s UK marketing manager. “Designers can now give the front seat passenger access to a full range of video services without compromising safety or driver information.”
The company expects the system to appear on production cars within 18 months.
Jag races up the quality charts
Jaguar IS climbing the quality ladder as far as American motorists are concerned, according to a report released in the USA this week.
The latest Initial Quality Study from J.D. Power and Associates ranks Jaguar number two for quality of its new cars amongst all manufacturer and best European manufacturer ahead of its German and Scandinavian rivals.
This major achievement for Jaguar was led by the X-Type saloon, which improved 37 points in the study, a 35 per cent leap over last year’s results. The J.D. Power Study ranks new vehicle quality after 90 days in the hands of customers.
In addition, Jaguar’s Halewood plant, where the X-TYPE is manufactured, received J.D. Power’s Gold Award for European plant performance. This state of the art facility – once Ford Motor Company’s lowest rated plant in the world – is now considered to be a centre of excellence.
“Jaguar has achieved the Number Two ranking in the industry out of 36 brands and is once again the highest ranked European nameplate in the Initial Quality Study,” says Bibiana Boerio, Managing Director of Jaguar Cars.
“This is a terrific testament to the efforts of the whole Jaguar team. Improving our quality has been a passion for everyone at Jaguar and we are once again delighted with these outstanding results. I like to think that this is the voice of real customers telling us about the quality of their Jaguar vehicles.”
Lexus maintained its spot at the top of the ranking with a score of 81 problems per 100 vehicles, a 6.9-percent gain from last year. BMW and Audi rose into the top ten this year, displacing Honda and Mercury.
However, Jaguar’s second position put them ahead of arch-rivals BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi and a mere seven points behind winner Lexus.
The overall industry average of 118 problems per 100 vehicles represented a slight improvement over last year’s average of 119, according to the results of the study reported in Automotive News.
Toyota continued its dominance, having the top-rated vehicle in ten of 18 segments. The Lexus SC 430 was the highest-rated car in the study at 54 problems per 100 vehicles. The Lexus plant in Tahara, Japan, which builds the GS 300/430 and LS 430 was the top-rated factory for quality.
General Motors’ vehicles claimed top honours in five vehicle segments.
Hummer, the manufacturer of huge 4×4 SUV’s, which finished last in the 2004 study with a score of 173 problems per 100 vehicles, climbed into a tie for tenth place in the 2005 study. Hummer’s 2005 score of 110 problems per 100 vehicles equalled that of Korean car maker Hyundai.
The study asks owners to rate vehicle quality on 135 attributes.
Big cat scores with the X-factor
IT was dubbed the big cat for the common man, the Jaguar that gave you a fiver change from twenty grand.
And three years to the month since hitting the forecourts the X-Type 2.0 V6 makes an appealing used car buy.
Unlike its 2.5 and 3.0-litre-engined brothers, this 157bhp version is the company’s first front wheel drive car. Nor does it suffer as a result; it feels every bit as agile as the four-wheel drive models.
The 2.0 is a beautifully nimble saloon with refined and revvy V6 engine and magic carpet ride quality. And while most Jaguars have traditionally been self-shifters, the five-speed manual gearbox in these versions is neat and slick, even if the clutch can feel excessively sharp.
It’s really not worth splashing out the extra cash (£600-£800) for an automatic box.
Performance figures show the 2.0 hitting 60mph in 8.9 seconds, just a second slower than the 2.5 V6, having a 130mph top speed capability and average fuel consumption of 30.7mpg for five-speed manual versions.
Opting for Sport trim, which adds £2,500 to the new price, brings uprated suspension and tuned dampers, 17-inch alloys, colour coded exterior, rear spoiler and leather sports seats and steering wheel in addition to what is a generous standard spec anyway.
Despite being labelled the “baby,” the X-Type actually boasts the biggest boot in the entire Jaguar range, and interior space is pretty decent too, providing you don’t try and squeeze three adults across the back.
The doors feel solid, the electric seats are well made and chunky, the bird’s eye maple veneers in the cabin look classy and drivers can achieve a comfortable position thanks to reach and rake adjustable steering.
Standard kit includes electronic traction control, ABS with electronic brake distribution, electric height adjustment of driver’s seat, air-con, front, side and curtain airbags, fog lamps, sound system and seven-spoke alloy wheels.
Expect to pay a dealer around £12,200 for a 2002/02 plate model with manual transmission in standard trim, £14,200 for the same 2.0-litre V6 in upgraded SE spec or £15,600 for a 2003/03 Sport version.
These cars are real crackers and for those aspiring to a prestige compact executive saloon they represent a steal at the price.
FORECOURT FACTS
Model: Jaguar X-Type 2.0 V6.
Driving: Performs beautifully with precision handling, ample power and the front-wheel drive works really well.
Performance: Well up to scratch – 0-60 in 8.9 secs, top speed 130mph.
Economy: Not the baby Jag’s strongpoint – 30mpg is about the best you can hope for.
Safety: Front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with electronic brake distribution, electronic traction control.
Good points: Elegant style, smooth V6 engine, dynamic handling, decent interior space.
Bad points: Some interior parts, like indicator and light switches and ashtray mechanism, feel cheap; impossibly tight for three adults in the back.
Price guide: Expect to pay a dealer around £12,200 for a 2002/02 plate model with manual gearbox in standard trim, £14,200 for the same two-litre V6 in upgraded SE spec or £15,600 for a 2003/03 Sport version.
ALSO CONSIDER
Audi A4
HIGH on both image and quality, particularly in post-2001 second generation models, the A4 is a terrific all-rounder.
Classy looks and more than adequate interior space are complemented by a generous degree of standard kit.
Comes in saloon, estate or soft top and with a broad range of petrol and diesel engines.
BMW 3-Series
KING of the compact executives, the 3-Series sets the standard for the sector with its overall excellence and reliability.
Smooth and strong to drive with top notch dynamics and interior comfort, the Beemer holds it value extremely well.
Superb engines range means there’s no problem with high mileage.