Well I had always wanted to, so I went to test drive a used 2002 X-Type 2.5 with Sport package and 5-speed manual. It was a beautiful car on the outside.
I expected it to have about equal power to my SVT, what with only about 6 hp less but VVT and maybe 200 lbs extra AWD hardware.
Um, no. The salesman was a BIG guy, so that wasn't helping but the car was quite sluggish. The gear shift is too far back so I would bash my elbow on the center armrest. The clutch takeup was OK but the 1-2 shift was impossible get smooth.
The ride was about the same as my SVT - that is, plenty of road noise, and the steering felt the same, or maybe a bit more like the Mazda 6 (a tad lighter).
One wheel bumps were handled quite harshly and the body was solid (more than my SVT) but not nearly as good as any A4 I've driven.
So definitely a rough riding Jaguar, with wimpy power.
The interior center stack looks quite cheap with flat black plastic and ugly LCD readouts.
Switchgear very Lincoln-like (1/2 step up on Ford). The power lumbar switch looked the same as our power sunroof switch.
Control layout and ergonomically, the car is the same as the SVT. Nice steering column that tilts and telescopes.
The seats were thin and hard, not comfortable. They have this lip at the bottom edge that digs into the back of your leg.
No engine sound (sounds like a gagged Duratec) and no exhaust sound.
I'll pass - for the price of an X-Type you can have an RX-8 and change! And the RX-8 was the only car that pasted a smile across my face the way the SVT did back in 1999.
Maybe a 3.0 Sport would have been better, but I was honestly disappointed after wanting so much to be impressed.
Kerry
