chicagotribune.com's view

When Jaguar took the wraps off its X-Type sedan at the New York Auto Show in April, the media greeted it with mixed emotions.

Some went ooh and aah. Others went ho and hum.

When pointed directly at the assembled press, the grille and bonnet leaper (chrome Jaguar hood ornament) told the heritage. The oohers and aahers jumped into action.

When the turntable moved, the ho-humers took over. What looked like a Jaguar appeared to spring from the Buick styling studio.

When unveiling the car in New York, Mike O’Driscoll, then president of Jaguar North America (now president of the consolidated Aston Martin/Jaguar/Land Rover North America Operations) said: “We’re changing the way a new generation of buyers will look at Jaguar, a sport sedan that offers performance, style and luxury more accessible than ever, yet as aspirational as always” aimed at “a generation of potential buyers who may never before have considered owning a Jaguar.”

Much was made of this being the first Jaguar for the masses, starting at $29,950–with all-wheel-drive no less.

Now, after having tested the ’02 X-Type in Chicagoland, our opinion is unchanged, the front end leaves no doubt as to the Jaguar lineage, the rest of the car suggests a little hanky-panky with a Buick Regal or Century.

And that $29,950 BMW/Audi/Mercedes slayer is the advertised price leader that comes with a 2.5-liter, 194-horsepower V-6 and 5-speed manual. Add automatic, as most will, at $1,275 and you break the psychological $30,000 barrier at $31,225.

Jaguar boasts you can join the family for $29,950, but to get the full Jaguar treatment you have to opt for the 3-liter, 231-h.p. V-6 and 5-speed automatic version that starts at $35,950.

The X-Type tested came with the 3-liter with 5-speed manual. The 5-speed automatic, more in keeping with the Jaguar image, is a no-cost option once you choose the more powerful V-6.

The 5-speed, first manual for Jaguar since the 1994 XJS, allows Jaguar to boast $29,950 and help lure BMW enthusiasts, who favor manuals.

The 5-speed shifts smoothly, though 1-2-3-4-5 arranged in circular fashion around the shift lever is a bit disconcerting at first. Jaguar estimates that 15 percent of sales worldwide will be manuals. Have to suspect most will be in Europe.

While bearing the Jaguar name, X-Type owes some of its heritage to parent Ford, which says the European Mondeo, the car that spawned the disappointing and now discontinued Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique, shares about 18 percent of its parts and components with the X-Type.

“These were you-don’t-see, you’d-never-know parts like the gas tank, floor pan, things like that. The ride, handling, suspension tuning and smell are 100 percent Jaguar,” said spokesman Jeremy Barnes.

Can’t fault parts and component sharing, a cost-cutting move that contributed to that $29,950 price leader. And parts sharing isn’t unique to X-Type, a s evidenced by the Jaguar S-Type and Lincoln LS sedans, which share platforms as well as some components, without spoiling the Jaguar look or character, though there may be some who beg to differ. Ride, handling, suspension tuning and smell are not shared and that makes the S-Type a personal choice over LS.

Couldn’t fault the ride and handling in our test car, which benefitted from the optional $2,000 sports package that adds firmer sports suspension; 17-inch performance radials for optimum cornering; and dynamic stability control, the computer-controlled sensor system that detects slippage and applies anti-lock brakes to the offending wheel or limits engine fuel flow to keep you in control of the car.

And it helps to have AWD. Very good grip and swift reaction times without the typical Jaguar weighty feel in the wheel each time you want to change directions. Secure up-and-down movement as well. AWD for Snow Belt security and dry performance.

The 3-liter has go d response to pedal input. Some will argue that if a 3-liter, 231-h.p., V-6 is fine, a slightly more muscular V-6 would be better. Keep in mind that this is the entry-level Jaguar. Beef up the engine and you beef up the price.

Besides, with the precise steering and handling from AWD, the quick reaction to wheel input gives you the perception that the 3-liter has more muscle than it’s blessed with. The mileage rating is 18 m.p.g. city/28 m.p.g. highway. With automatic it’s 18/25.

As noted, base price on the Jaguar tested is $35,950. Standard equipment includes dual-stage front air bags (occupancy sensing front bags so if no one is in the seat, the bag won’t deploy), front seat side-impact air bags, side curtain air bags front and rear, ABS, automatic climate control, power windows, AM/FM stereo with cassette, power driver’s seat, tilt/telescoping steering column, remote entry, speed-sensitive power steering, 16-inch radial tires, heated windshield washer jets, power/heated mirrors, fog lamps, power locks, Connolly leather trimmed seats and speed control.

But once you start adding optional equipment you run the risk of breaking $40,000, as our test car did, and topping the $43,655 base price of a S-Type. Options are packaged for “ease of ordering based on expected popularity,” Jaguar says.

Those packages mean it is “easy” to add $2,500 for the premium package to get such items as power glass sunroof, power passenger seat and reverse parking sonar assist to signal that you are backing too close to an object; and $2,200 for a navigation system that will be seldom used; and $2,000 for the sport package that brings you the optimum suspension along with gray-stained bird’s eye maple wood trim; and $1,200 to get the best Alpine sound system with CD player; and $1,200 for a winter package to get heated seats and headlamp washers; and $675 for high-intensity discharge headlamps; and $550 for the metallic paint.

When ordering the sport and winter packages together, Jaguar knocks $600 off the sticker because dynamic stability control is in both. Still, by the time the packages were added, we had a $46,000 luxury car with manual transmission.

And that’s before tax.

And that’s without adding JaguarNet ($1,500 and includes phone and requires the $2,500 premium package), an emergency communication system similar to OnStar at General Motors, or voice-activated controls, a dealer-installed accessory, which also requires the $2,500 premium package, to provide voice control of the audio, climate, navigation or optional telephone systems.

Lot of money to enter the Jaguar family. Cheaper to buy a used S-Type and a new Chevrolet Blazer, don’t you think?

Jaguar hopes an entry-level sedan will help it double sales worldwide by ’03 or ’04 to 200,000 units. About 12,000 X-Types will be shipped to the U.S. this year, about 42,000 annually after that.