Jaguar X-Type

Jaguar X-Type at a glance

Jaguar wanted the X-Type to win buyers from the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and to double its volume. The early target was 100,000 cars a year. The car is listed with the brand's other models in our Jaguar catalogue.

Generations and model history

The X-Type had a single generation. The saloon was designed by Simon Butterworth, Tadeusz Jelec and Wayne Burgess under Geoff Lawson, with styling cues borrowed from the larger XJ. The estate, which followed in January 2004, was Ian Callum's first Jaguar design.

At launch every X-Type had all-wheel drive with a viscous coupling and a default torque split of 60:40 between rear and front axles; the viscous coupling was deleted for the 2004 model year. Front-wheel drive versions arrived with the four-cylinder diesels in 2003. In Germany, ADAC lists the entry V6 as the 2.0 V6 from March 2002.

The facelift was revealed at the 2007 Motorexpo at Canary Wharf, London, and went on sale in the UK in March 2008. It brought new front and rear bumpers, door mirrors with integrated indicator repeaters, a 2.2-litre diesel with a particulate filter and a six-speed automatic gearbox. Saloon length grew from 4,672 to 4,716 mm. In July 2009 Jaguar confirmed that production would end, and the XE was confirmed as the eventual successor in March 2014.

Engines, transmissions and performance

All petrol engines are V6 units; the diesels are four-cylinders. Outputs below are from the Wikipedia engine table.

The 3.0 V6 makes its peak power at 6,800 rpm and is the quickest X-Type; the 2.2 diesel delivers its torque from 1,800 rpm and is the more relaxed choice for long distances. The automatic offered with the 2.2 DPF diesel had Jaguar Sequential Shift. ADAC's German price lists show the diesels with 96, 107 and 114 kW, which matches the later outputs above.

Dimensions, space and boot

Euro NCAP classed the X-Type as a large family car. The estate's reworked rear added about 68 kg (150 lb) over the saloon. We have not found a reliable saloon boot volume, so it is left out here. To check how the 4.7 m body fits your space, use the garage fit tool.

Fuel economy and running costs

Contemporary criticism focused on poor fuel economy of the all-wheel-drive petrol versions, which carry the weight and friction losses of the Traction 4 system. The front-wheel-drive diesels are the economical choice and also avoid the transfer case and rear differential of the AWD cars. Insurance groups and tax bands depend on the engine and the country; you can estimate the running cost of a given version with the fuel cost calculator.

Trims, equipment and prices

German list prices collected by ADAC show the span of the range. Before the facelift, the saloon started at EUR 27,450 for the 2.0D (Germany, 2003) and topped out at EUR 43,980 for the 3.0 V6 Executive AWD automatic (Germany, 2003-2007). The 2.0 V6 started at EUR 28,800 (Germany, 2002), the 2.5 V6 AWD at EUR 33,200 and the 3.0 V6 AWD at EUR 36,900 (Germany, 2003). German trim names included Classic and Executive.

Safety

Euro NCAP tested the X-Type in 2002. It scored 26 of 36 points for adult occupant protection but only 2 of 36 for pedestrian protection, a weak result even by the standards of the time. In Australia, ANCAP gave it 26.40 of 37 points in 2010. The NHTSA rated frontal and side protection in 2004.

Reliability and known issues

Wikipedia summarises the contemporary criticism: the close link with the Mondeo (about 19% of components were shared, mostly hidden parts such as the heating and ventilation units), the limited engine choice at launch, poor economy of the AWD petrols and patchy reliability. On the positive side, Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson praised the all-wheel-drive car's ability in snow. Commercially, the X-Type never reached its target: sales peaked at about 50,000 in 2003, US sales fell from 21,542 in 2004 to 10,941 in 2005, and Jaguar reportedly lost EUR 4,690 on every car it built.

For a used X-Type, the details matter more than the badge: the transfer case and rear differential on AWD cars, the particulate filter on 2008-2009 2.2 diesels and the service history are the first things to check.

Rivals

The X-Type was the only car in this group built on a front-wheel-drive platform, which gave it more cabin space for its size but less of the rear-drive balance of the BMW and Mercedes. Use the comparison tool to set it side by side with them.