A NEW Jaguar for the price of a new Ford? Dealers selling the Blue Oval cars must be wondering if their bosses are thinking straight. For Jaguar — whose parent company is Ford — has just launched its new 2.2-litre X-Type diesel priced from £22,995, only just above the £22,670 that Ford charges for the 2.2-litre diesel Mondeo Ghia X. Also new is the 2.7-litre diesel- engined, range-topping XJ limousine, from a less Ford-threatening £44,000.
Of course, Jaguar would rather see its X-Type 2.2 diesel competing with the likes of the BMW 3 Series diesels (£22,900 to £24,400), the two-litre Audis (£21,700 to £23,000) and the equivalent diesel offerings from Mercedes (£22,200 to £24,990). However, decades after the other prestige carmakers realised the value of diesels, Jaguar is racing to catch up in a market so crowded that the 2.2- diesel X-Type will also have to compete against similarly priced 2.2 diesels such as the Peugeot 607 and Vauxhall Signum.
Two years ago, Jaguar did not have a single diesel engine in its line-up. Now it has four and sells as many diesels as it does petrol-engined cars. It has been an astounding turnaround. Phil Popham, the Jaguar UK managing director, said: “I think most car manufacturers underestimated the strength and speed of diesel-car sales growth. We expect that our new 2.2-litre diesel in the X-Type and the new 2.7-litre diesel in the XJ will see UK sales account for between 65 per cent and 70 per cent against petrol versions.”
Certainly, the X-Type 2.2 diesel feels great. The leather smells of Jaguar, the car oozes prestige, but under the bonnet is the same engine to be found in the Mondeo ST diesel. The packaging is what makes this car different. Driving the estate version, priced from £24,000, the ride is so smooth, and the sound-deadening so effective, that it is impossible to tell that you are in an estate.
You need the speedo to tell you that you are travelling faster than you would believe. Top speed is a claimed 134mph and 0 to 60 comes up in a shade under nine seconds, not bad for a diesel estate, two words that only five years ago would have conjured images of smoking, labouring trucks barely capable of reaching 60mph flat out.
Advertisement
It is the 2.7-litre diesel XJ that really shows that Jaguar diesels have come of age. Having spent tens of thousands of hours developing it, Jaguar has gone all out to trick you into thinking it is petrol. From idle to motorway speeds, it is impossible to tell that this is a diesel-engined car. Only the rev counter, which goes to a maximum of 6,000rpm, gives the game away.
Then there is double glazing so effective at eradicating noise that it is reduced to almost nothing. The windows are all round and are a laminated sandwich design of glass and sound-deadening film. To isolate the possibility of diesel clatter further, there are airtight seals between the bonnet and the engine compartment, while the engine sits on electronically controlled engine mounts that constantly adjust to cancel vibrations from the engine and stop them reaching the passenger compartment.
On clear motorway stretches and on winding country roads in Portugal, on smooth roads and crumbling back roads cracked and melting in 100F heat, the XJ totally insulates you from the outside world.
Its all-aluminium construction means that, at 1,660kg, it is a lot lighter than its rivals, which makes for extraordinary acceleration of 0 to 60 in under eight seconds and a top speed of 141mph. More importantly, it also means ferocious braking and excellent performance through corners.
For those seeking the traditional Jaguar virtues of space, grace and pace — along with 35mpg fuel economy — the XJ diesel can only help Jaguar to win more converts.
Advertisement
IN DETAIL
CAR: Jaguar XJD
ENGINE: 2.7-litre, V6 twin turbodiesel producing 204bhp at 4,000rpm and 321lb ft of torque at 1,900rpm
TRANSMISSION: Six-speed automatic
PERFORMANCE: 0 to 60mph in 8 seconds, top speed 141mph
ECONOMY: 35mpg combined
CO2 EMISSIONS: 214g/km
PRICE: From £43,995