Jaguar is getting smaller and more affordable. When we say smaller, we are referring to the new 2.0 litre 157bhp V6 engined model in the X-Type range which gives the leaping cat front-wheel-drive for the first time, writes Andrew Hamilton.
It has just gone on sale on the Irish market at ex-works price €42,685 - that's £33,617 in old money and a hefty sum either way to a lot of us.
We extensively previewed this junior Jag last December, only then we refered to it as a 2.1 litre. The actual engine capacity is 2,099cc but Jaguar for reasons best known to itself prefers the 2.0 litre appellation. A full road test will appear next week.
For now, we can say that it meets the typical expectations of a Jaguar owner . . . exterior grace, wood leather interior, sportiness, luxury, heritage and refinement.
Jaguar is a very traditional company and front-wheel-drive is a huge break with tradition. The bigger-engined siblings in the X-Type are all-wheel-drive - otherwise it's rear-wheel-drive all the way. This new arrival is based on the shortened chassis and suspension of the latest Ford Mondeo. This is no bad thing, seeing that the Mondeo chassis is one of the best in the world.
Gerard O'Farrell, managing director of Jaguar Cars Ireland, thinks that such matters are academic to most customers. "It seems to excite the motoring press much more," he says. "People buying Jaguar are interested in its quaility and refinement and performance and, if the marque lives up to these requirements, they are happy." He expects that the 2.0 litre will account for around 60 to 70 cars of the 150 X-Type sales which are projected for this year. "This compares with the 74 X-Type cars we sold last year since the launch in June."
The 2.0 litre, he thinks, will make Jaguar an appealing option in the compact executive segment where the main players are the BMW 3-series (318i and 320i), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (C180 and C200), the Audi A4 and the Lexus IS200.