Jaguar

Jaguar S-Type XS 2.7 V6 diesel auto

Model tested: Jaguar S-Type XS 2.7 V6 diesel auto
Price as tested: £33,017
Range price: £29,097 - £45,102
Insurance group as tested: 14E
Insurance group range: 14E – 19E
Date tested: December 2007
Road tester: Stuart MilneAuto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 81%

The Jaguar S-Type has been on the UK’s roads since 1999 and has found favour with motorists looking for classic car looks with modern car sensibilities.

Revised in 2002 and again in 2004 to address reliability niggles and to compete with its quickly-improving rivals, the current car is unlike anything else on sale.

Some argue the Jaguar S-Type looks are slightly contrived to create a direct link with the original S-Type from the 1960s, but others love its retro charm. Its 2004 facelift gave the mid-sized Jag some deeper front bumpers, which while at odds with the olde-worlde image, keep the car looking contemporary. The Jaguar S-Type has a genuine feline quality, from its four round headlights and oval grille through its curvy flanks through to its rear haunches.

8/10
2. Looks inside
There’s no doubting you’re sitting inside a Jaguar; it has a real sense of occasion, with leather covering most surfaces and a set of clear but classy-looking dials – much like an expensive chronograph watch. Jaguar’s trademark ‘J’ shaped gear gate sits ahead of a chrome push-button handbrake. The centre console sits in a curved recess and houses controls for the climate control and audio systems. The Jag’s leather seats look great and proved very comfortable too. Critics say the S-Type’s interior is old fashioned, so drivers seeking a modern, Germanic cabin should look elsewhere.

8/10

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