When Jaguar first released the X-Type it was their attempt to propel the brand into the mainstream, previous models had out priced people by a long way but the X-Type was aimed at the premium Mondeo customer. The customer who would by a top spec Mondeo had the disposable income for the X-Type or so Jaguar thought.
Coming in a range of options including the estate model, which is the only estate in the Jaguar range. The X-Type was first developed and produced in 2001 using a modified version of the Ford CD132, which incidentally was the same basis of the Ford Mondeo.
The first incarnation was released to the UK in 2008 with a projected sales target of 100,000 per year and it already had the reputation having won AutoWeek’s Editors Choice Award as the Most Significant Car at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show.
The car suffered at the hands of critics when it was first released, Top Gear described it as:
Imagine if Paul Smith started supplying £25 suits to Tesco? The label wouldn’t be enough to make it cool. And nor is the Jaguar badge here.”
But Jaguar promises the 2012 version will be an improvement in its bid to serve as a main competitor for the BMW 3-Series.
It will include a three litre V6 turbo diesel engine or you can opt for a hybrid version which includes a V6 diesel and a 47 HP electric motor which in turn will be integrated with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.
Whatever the outcome the Jaguar X-Type has a lot of ground to make up with reviewers but on the other side the public found it appealing, some even describing it as “something unique and a “superb, effortless cruiser with an affordable price tag.”
Interested in having an X-Type of your own, this executive saloon is perfect for the businessman who wants to impress his clients with the Jaguar tag but not break the bank. Take look at Leasebam who can look through local dealers to find the best leasing price for an X-Type.
