2002 Jaguar X-Type

When Ford Motor Company purchased Britain's ailing Jaguar Cars a decade ago, one unspoken goal was patently obvious. Ford management knew that Lincoln scarcely had the cachet to overtake Cadillac, let alone battle BMW and Mercedes-Benz for prestige sales.

Sport trim loads the new Jag with options, including a 17-inch tire/wheel package.

Much has changed. With Ford's help, the company has reinvented itself. Jaguar quality and customer satisfaction, once laughingstocks, now top the J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) lists. Along the way, born-again big XJ sedans, the capable and stylish midsize S-Type four-door and sleek XK8 Grand Tourers in coupe and convertible guises have helped to double Jag's U.S. sales.


Those numbers are set to double yet again. The new X-Type, a sprightly small saloon entry introduced in March at the Geneva Motor Show, is poised to pounce on BMW's 3 Series and Mercedes' C-Class. Attractively styled, precise in handling, nimble, quick and affordable, it's sure to worry rivals from Germany.

The X-Type's underpinnings include a MacPherson strut front suspension with Bilstein shocks and a quick-ratio variable rack-and-pinion steering system.

The key question whirling about the X-Type was whether this newcomer, so important to Jaguar's expansion plans, could offer enough of what ex-Jaguar U.S. CEO Mike Dale liked to call "Jaguarness," despite some shared componentry with the lower-priced—albeit very capable—European Ford Mondeo sedan. We've put some miles on several X-Type sedan variants and the answer is clear. The X is every inch a "propre" Jaguar, offering, in smaller form, all the sporty characteristics you'd expect from the marque without being cheapened in any noticeable way to meet its affordable price point.


Making time on twisty, off-cambered country roads in Wales, we were very impressed with the X-Type's cat-quick steering and nimble road manners. The car's front MacPherson struts feature a clever two-bearing top mount for added sensitivity. High-performance Bilstein shocks (twin-tube type in front) and a multilink rear represent state-of-the-art suspension development. The no-compromise ZF speed-sensitive Servotronic II variable rack-and-pinion steering needs just 2.6 turns lock to lock. Jaguar engineers boast it's the best steering they've ever had on any model. We'd agree.