Jaguar X-Type

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Not to be confused with Jaguar XJ.
Jaguar X-TYPE
2004-05 Jaguar X-Type sedan (US)
Manufacturer Jaguar Cars
Parent company Ford Motor Company (2001-2008)
Tata Motors (2008-)
Production 2001–present
Assembly Halewood, England, UK
Class Compact executive car
Body style(s) 4-door saloon
5-door estate
Layout Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Platform Ford CD132 platform
Engine(s) 2.1 L AJ V6
2.5 L AJ V6
3.0 L AJ V6
2.0 L Diesel I4
2.2 L Diesel I4
Transmission(s) 5-speed automatic
5-speed manual
6-speed manual
Wheelbase 106.7 in (2710 mm)
Length Sedan: 4672 mm (183.9 in)
2002-08 Wagon: 185.5 in (4712 mm)
2009- Wagon: 4716 mm (185.7 in)
Width Bodywork: 70.4 in (1788 mm)
2002-08 Overall: 78.8 in (2002 mm)
2009- Overall: 2000 mm (78.7 in)
Height 2009- Sedan: 54.8 in (1392 mm)
Wagon: 58.4 in (1483 mm)
2009- Sedan: 1430 mm (56.3 in)
Fuel capacity 16 US gal (61 L; 13 imp gal)
Related Ford Mondeo

The X-Type is a compact executive car which has been produced by the British luxury car manufacturer Jaguar since 2001. It is the smallest of the current range of Jaguar saloons, and alongside the 1998 S-Type it was intended to spearhead the company’s efforts in emulating the sales of German rivals Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. It is produced at Jaguar Land Rover’s Halewood facility in Liverpool,[1] alongside the Land Rover Freelander/LR2.

Contents

[edit] Model history (2001–2009)

[edit] Overview

Codenamed X400, the X-Type was Jaguar’s attempt to compete in the compact executive car segment. Jaguar and parent company, at the time, Ford envisaged the ‘baby Jag’ as Jaguar's first compact 4-door. The X-Type was one of the last to be styled under the supervision of Geoff Lawson, with the principal designer credited as Wayne Burgess.[2]

Neither Jaguar nor Ford had a suitable small rear-wheel drive platform to base the X-Type on, and the decision was made to base the X-Type on a modified version of the Ford CD132 platform, the basis for the 2000 Ford Mondeo. In order to distinguish it from its rivals and its Ford origins, the X-Type was initially offered as all-wheel drive only and mated to a 2.5 litre and 3.0 litre V6 petrol engine. In 2003, the X-Type was offered in front-wheel drive with the introduction of Jaguar’s first four-cylinder diesel engines, and with the smaller 2.0-litre petrol V6.

In 2004, a further body style was added with the introduction of a estate version, making it the second-ever Jaguar estate car. In North America, the estate was officially known as the "Sportwagon”.

In 2007, the X-Type was facelifted and sports a different front grille, front bumper, rear bootlid, and rear bumper, to give the car a more dynamic and contemporary look. The new grille echoes the grille on the 2008 XF, and the facelifted 2008 XJ.

[edit] Limited editions

[edit] 2.5 AWD Spirit Limited Edition

Introduced in 2005 featuring the 'Sports Collection' which comprised a new front lower spoiler, black mesh finish for both upper and lower grille openings , lowered side sills and a new, lower rear valance , more pronounced rear boot spoiler and new exhaust tailpipe finishers. In addition to the Jaguar Sports Collection treatment, the 2.5 AWD Spirit Limited Editions featured a unique 'Spirit' badge on the right hand side of the boot plinth, below the 2.5 engine badge. A planned 450 Spirit Limited Edition cars in a choice of four different colour combinations; Platinum, Quartz, Ebony and Jaguar Racing Green.

[edit] Engines

Petrol Engines
Displacement Cyl Power Years
2.0 L V6 157 PS (155 hp/115 kW) (2003 – 2007)
2.5 L V6 196 PS (193 hp/144 kW) (2001 – 2007)
3.0 L V6 231 PS (228 hp/170 kW) (2001 – 2008)[clarification needed]
Diesel Engines
Displacement Cyl Power Years
2.0 L I4 130 PS (128 hp/96 kW) (2003 – 2008)
2.2 L I4 155 PS (153 hp/114 kW) (2003 – 2008)

2002-03 Jaguar X-Type sedan (North America)

2006-08 Jaguar X-Type sedan (North America)

2009 Jaguar X-Type wagon

Jaguar X-Type Estate (North America)

[edit] Sales and future

The X-Type has been Jaguar's bestselling model since its introduction; nonetheless, it was largely a financial disaster for the marque.[citation needed] Despite the X-Type competing in the growing compact executive sector, sales never met expectations of 100,000 annually, peaking at 50,000 in 2003.[citation needed] In the United States, the car's primary market, sales dropped from 21,542 in 2004 to 10,941 in 2005.[citation needed] In the same year, Audi sold 48,922 A4s, BMW sold 106,950 3-series and Mercedes-Benz sold 60,658 C-classes.[citation needed]

Ford's use of the platform of the Ford Mondeo front-drive compact car for a Jaguar sports sedan was not a success. Many compared it to the Cadillac Cimarron, even though reviews were not largely negative. Its humble origins did little to appeal to the buyers of high-priced imports. Consumers also thought it was absurd to pay considerably more for a rebadged Mondeo despite more standard equipment, and Ford should have developed a compact model specifically for Jaguar instead. [3] [4] A common misconception in North America is that the X-Type is somehow directly related to the Ford Taurus, but X-Type shares nothing with the Taurus. It emerged in early 2008 that despite management denials at the time, the slow-selling X-Type “was essentially designed in Detroit and presented as close to a fait accompli to reluctant designers and engineers at Jaguar's Whitley design centre."[5]

The current facelifted model was expected to continue through to the 2010 model year in its remaining markets, and not to be directly replaced. On 15 July 2009 Jaguar Land Rover announced that it will cease production of the X-Type at the end of 2009, with the loss of 300 jobs, and have a three-week shut down, at their plant in Halewood where it is built, between September and December.[1][6][7]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Jaguar to end X-Type production and axe jobs". business.timesonline.co.uk. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/engineering/article6714420.ece. Retrieved on 2009-07-15. 
  2. ^ Jaguar Expands the 2005 X-Type Range with three new models, MediaFord.com, 1 August 2004, [1], accessed 3 Aug 2008
  3. ^ "Complete List - The 50 Worst Cars of All". TIME. http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/completelist/0,,1658545,00.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-06. 
  4. ^ "2001 Jaguar X-Type - The 50 Worst Cars of All". TIME. http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1658545_1658544_1658539,00.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-06. 
  5. ^ Jaguar ‘entirely relaxed’ about Tata takeover, FT.com, 28 January 2008, [2]. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  6. ^ "Jaguar cuts 300 jobs as it stops X-Type production at Halewood". Telegraph.co.uk (Telegraph Media Group). 2009-07-15. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/5833608/Jaguar-cuts-300-jobs-as-it-stops-X-Type-production-at-Halewood.html. Retrieved on 2009-07-15. 
  7. ^ "Jaguar announces 300 job losses/End of X-Type". BBC News. 2009-07-15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8151485.stm. Retrieved on 2009-07-15. 

[edit] External links

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« previous — Jaguar Cars road and race car timeline, 1980s–present
Type 1980s 1990s 2000s
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Sports car XJ-S XJ-S HE XJS XK8 / XKR XK / XKR
Compact exec X-Type
Executive car S-Type XF
Luxury XJ6 S3 XJ6 (XJ40) XJ6 XJ8 / XJR XJ8 / XJR
XJ12 S3 XJ12 XJ12
Halo model 15 XJ220
Racing XJRs C R1/2/3/4/5 XKR GT3
Ownership British Leyland Independent Ford Tata Motors
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