At the time of its initial release, the Jaguar X-Type was a very significant and important offering by the British company, it marked a distinct attempt by the luxury car manufacturer to muscle into the highly lucrative and competitive mid-sized executive car sector and an area of sales that its parent company, Ford, dominated with the highly accomplished and best selling Mondeo. Using the Mondeo platform, the X-Type would incorporate all-wheel-drive versions into its line-up, putting it squarely in competition with the much-respected Subaru Legacy but would trade on its more prestigious and refined history to offer what would be touted as a luxury driving experience at an affordable price.
Blending the best of old and new styles in one modern package, the X-Type was pitched to appeal to a younger wave of executives and high-flying salespeople, those who had always aspired to own a Jaguar but had been put off by a staid old-world image and a lackluster reputation for reliability. Now 21-years-old, the miniature executive sedan still presents itself as a wonderful used bargain, and here are 8 reasons why you should buy a Jaguar X-Type and 2 reasons why it's best avoided.
10 It's Better Than Its Reputation
Due to Ford's ownership of Jaguar at the time of its release, the X-Type was dubbed as a Mondeo parts-bin special and viewed as a re-skinned version of the parent company's own very popular mid-sized executive machine.
The X-Type was far better than most gave it credit for and went on to impress motoring journalists with its capable chassis and powerful engines as its unique character pushed any thoughts of it being a simple Mondeo clone from their minds.
9 Cut Price Luxury Motoring
Thanks to the hefty depreciation suffered by most aging Jaguars, the X-Type has now sunk to a level that many would view as being cheap, with a number of early cars being available for circa $1500 which is an absolute steal.
In the United Kingdom, where the most polluting vehicles pay higher yearly tax rates, some high-mileage 2.1-liter examples have been seen to sell for less than $800, with tired diesel-engined examples going for even less than that again.
8 Excellent AWD System
From the off, the X-Type was offered with Jaguar's own Traction 4 all-wheel-drive system, giving the small executive superb road-holding manners and the ability to venture out in weather that would stop the majority of other cars in their tracks.
Proven to be as good as both Subaru's AWD or even Audi's Quattro system on ice and snow, the X-Type made a name for itself as being the winter weapon of choice for those that a luxurious vehicle with a sporting British past.
7 Good Enough For Royalty
What really set the X-Type apart from the other hum-drum automobiles on the road and elevated its presence was the fact that the Queen of England chose to drive a wagon version for many years, and it served as her daily hack.
Finished in Gleaming British Racing Green, naturally, the 3.0-liter V6 model came in up-market Sovereign trim and was used whenever the royal stayed at Windsor, with the only modification being a dog cage for the Corgis.
6 Lovely V6 Engines
The entry models made do with a 2.1-liter generating 155 hp that gave it a 0-60 mph time of 8.8 seconds, while moving up to the 2.5-liter V6 would net 191hp and a sprint to 60 mph in an improved 7.8 seconds in all guises.
More impressively, the 3.0-liter V6 was tuned to deliver 228hp and was capable of launching the X-type to 60mph in a fairly impressive 6.9 seconds in a manual transmission car and 7.5 in an automatic-equipped vehicle.
5 A Sleeper AWD Wagon
Stuffed to the roofline with leather upholstery, the X-Type 3.0-liter AWD wagon makes for a fantastic sleeper as no one truly expects an old Jaguar to have as much under the hood as this one has, or go as well as this one does, especially when it's raining.
A sports exhaust, better air-induction set-up and a remap will only free up a sparse few more horsepower, but it's the way in which the power is now delivered that is impressive, with huge dollops of torque being on offer low down the rev range.
4 Frugal Diesel Power
Those who prefer to get their kicks from diesel pumps will be glad to know that not only are the two diesel engines very reliable, but the 150hp 2.2-liter four-cylinder unit in later cars will turn in a respectable 8.5 second 0-60 time and return 50mpg.
A quick remap will turn the diesel X-Type into an eye-brow-raising torque monster, with power increased to 190hp and 308 lb-ft of torque the 0-60 mph time drops into the high-sevens, putting it almost on par with the more gasoline-thirsty 3.0-liter V6.
3 A Traditional Yet Modern Jaguar
Almost looking like a shrunk-down version of the limousine-like Jaguar XJ, the X-Type retained much of the bigger car's styling whilst bringing the interior firmly into the new millennium with a touchscreen satellite navigation system and digital controls.
This use of new technologies was blended into the traditional offering of wood, leather, and suede, as the X-Type kept one foot firmly planted in the past in an attempt to appeal to both old and young buyers from all classes.
2 Stay Away: Build Quality Was Shocking
Despite best promises, the Jaguar X-Type was thrown together in such a way that an Alfa Romeo from the eighties would seem like a more solid buy. Inside and out, the Jaguar was a head-shaking exercise in poor quality control.
By only using 20% of shared parts from a Ford Mondeo, Jaguar ensured that at least 80% of the X-Type was likely to go wrong or break, with all of that lovely new technology failing as costly electrical faults plagued the vehicle throughout its lifecycle.
1 Stay Away: They're A Constant Headache
Living up to its Jaguar heritage, an X-Type will keep any buyer on their toes as the dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree, couple this to the wallet-melting fuel economy from the gasoline cars and most days will result in resentment for the car.
On the plus side, as owners literally dump their luxury motors in favor of cars that work, or last, the spares market seems to be rife with supply, you'll make friends with the tow-truck guy and all those mechanical skills will be put to good use nearly every weekend.