2007 Jaguar X-TYPE Sportwagon
Expert Review

Jaguar is offering the first station wagon in its colorful history to increase volume and help it make much-needed profits for Ford, its parent company.

Well, why not a wagon? Porsche added its successful Cayenne sport-utility vehicle not long ago after making nothing but sports cars since about 1948, and Cayenne sales topped those of the iconic Porsche 911 sports car in 2004. There's been a shift in the luxury market from sports cars and sedans to sport-utility and "crossover" vehicles that combine attributes of cars and small SUVs.

The wagon is part of Jaguar's entry X-Type sedan line, which also adds two new trim levels. It's meant to primarily meet needs of growing young families for good utility, along with stylishness and sporty driving.

More Youthful Image
An increasing number of wagons are being offered, but often are marketed as crossover vehicles because many automakers feel the words "station wagon" convey a stodgy image. It's no surprise that the new Jaguar wagon thus is called a "Sportwagon."

The Sportwagon should fit nicely into the crossover market with its standard all-wheel drive, good cargo capacity and Jaguar's sleek styling and posh interior. Jaguar says some think of it as being a producer of "older person's cars," but the Sportwagon is clearly youth-oriented.

The Sportwagon actually looks better than the X-Type sedan because it's bigger and its elongated roof gives it more flowing, elegant styling typical of Jaguar. It shares the S-Type sedan's 106.7-inch wheelbase, but is 185.5 inches long, compared with 183.9 inches for the sedan. The wagon also is about 2 inches higher, at 58.4 inches, and its hoodline has a more muscular appearance.

The $36,330 Sportwagon has been sold in Europe for about a year. It drew stares at a recent Jaguar media introduction in ritzy Palm Springs, Calif. People couldn't believe they were looking at a Jaguar station wagon. Was it a custom job...or what?

Demanding Driving
Driving the Sportwagon for several hours on slippery two-lane mountain roads in cold temperatures, rain and fog outside Palm Springs showed that the X-Type's permanent all-wheel drive allows it to handle demanding conditions in stride and comfort. And it looked right at home when being driven or when parked in ritzy downtown Palm Springs.

The X-Type has racked up sales of nearly 100,000 units as of January 2005 after debuting here as a 2002 model. Still, Jaguar sales are lagging and the automaker has closed one of its three British plants to bring production more in line with demand. It's also abandoned costly Formula One Grand Prix racing because such racing isn't effective as a sales tool in America, one of Jaguar's largest markets.

Jaguar has problems that include an American-British currency situation that puts it at a price disadvantage in this country.

"Still, Jaguar can't use the currency situation as an excuse because it's to be expected when you sell cars throughout the world," said Tom Scarpello, Jaguar Northern American marketing vice president.

More Competition
Jaguar once had a good portion of the European sports-luxury car market to itself, but is suffering because there are many new rivals. In fact, luxury market competition in America "has almost become ridiculous," said David Cole, chairman of Michigan's Center for Automotive Research.

"Lexus, Acura and Infiniti luxury cars weren't even here less than 20 years ago, and BMW and Mercedes-Benz are stronger— not to mention a revived Cadillac," Cole said. "Also, while the luxury market has been growing, there are a relatively limited number of luxury vehicle buyers, compared with purchasers of mass-market vehicles."

Technically Advanced
Scarpello said Jaguar may change its marketing strategy because it feels Americans don't recognize that it's technically advanced. For instance, its top-line XJ sedans have aircraft-style aluminum construction to save weight for better handling, acceleration and fuel economy.

On top of that, Jaguar's old pre-Ford-ownership reputation for spotty quality still lingers — although it has scored well in customer satisfaction surveys for several years.

More new models are in the works. For one thing, the sexy-but-dated XK sports car will be replaced for 2006 by a new car using Jaguar's bonded aluminum XJ chassis. It will have a more sculpted look than the current curvaceous model.

Not a Makeshift Wagon
The Sportwagon isn't just an X-Type sedan with a wagon rear end added to it. It's redesigned from the center roof pillars back with new rear doors, roof, body structure and additional rear quarter windows.

The Sportwagon has a conventional tailgate with an independently opening rear window and 70-30 split-folding rear seat that flips forward without the need to remove headrests.

The completely carpeted and trimmed cargo area is long, but somewhat shallow. Maximum cargo volume with both rear seatbacks folded forward is pretty good, at 50 cubic feet.

Fun to Drive
The variable-ratio steering is quick, with good road feel, and handling is sharp. The ride is supple and there is good high-speed stability with full loads. However, the Sportwagon wears low-profile tires, which led one section of freeway near Palm Springs to bring out a jerky ride and excessive tire noise.

Some wagons have rather noisy interiors because their back end is fully open. But the Sportwagon is remarkably quiet. Construction is solid, with no squeaks or rattles found with some wagons.

Roomy
Four tall adults have comfortable space in the upscale interior, which has easily read gauges and acceptably sized climate and sound system controls. However, the small front console cupholders won't hold larger beverage containers.

A low, wide cargo opening facilitates loading or unloading in a hurry, and roof rails are standard. There's a small storage area below the load floor with a 12-volt power supply to charge a concealed laptop. Four spring-loaded chrome finished D-rings in the rear compartment provide a secure luggage tie-down facility. A retractable luggage cover is easily detachable for maximum load volume.

Power for the Sportwagon and X-Type sedans comes from a 3.0-liter V6. It kicks out 227-horsepower with dual overhead camshafts and 24 valves. Acceleration is quick (0-60 mph in 7.1 seconds for the Sportwagon with an automatic transmission). And the engine's horsepower tops that of rival BMW, Mercedes and Audi station wagons. However, a slightly larger engine — maybe 3.2 or 3.3 liters — with more torque would be welcome.

But smaller engines are generally more economical. The Sportwagon delivers an estimated 18 mpg in the city and 24 on highways. The X-Type sedan with the same engine provides 18 in the city and 25-28 on highways.

The 3.0-liter V6 is hooked to a responsive 5-speed automatic or "no-cost optional" 5-speed manual in the Sportwagon. However, the automatic sometimes "hunts" to find the right gear to get the best performance from the V6.

As for the other X-Type models, the 2.5 sedan is being phased out, leaving the newly standard $34,330 X-Type sedan as the base trim level. It's well equipped with comfort and convenience items, anti-lock brakes, front and side-curtain airbags, automatic temperature control, a power sunroof and a split-folding rear seat. The wagon shares those features.

Besides the Sportwagon, Jaguar has expanded the X-Type line with a more aggressively styled $37,280 Sport version with items including spoilers, a unique grille, sport seats and a sport suspension with high-performance tires. There's also a plusher new $38,080 VDP version with such items as burl walnut veneer trim, heated power seats with special leather and unique wheels.

Jaguar is concentrating on making the X-Type line more appealing, and the Sportwagon should go a long way toward helping it attain that objective.