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2005 Jaguar X-Type Wagon Road Test

This Could Be a Very Exclusive Wagon

It would be hard for Jaguar to have gotten off to a worse start if they were truly attempting to impress me with their upcoming X-Type wagon.

First of all, just like when the Ford owned Aston Martin Jaguar Land Rover division booked me a Range Rover and never told me they had moved their press car pick-up location from the professional service they had been using for years to a local dealer, the same folks neglected to tell me that Jaguar press cars were to be picked up at a different location than Land Rovers, on the other side of town.

Upon phoning the dealership on the Friday prior to my Monday pickup date, another thing happened similarly to the Land Rover experience; no one at the dealership had any idea about a press car program or who to talk to about it. Some time later a very courteous Jaguar receptionist found someone who knew about it and told me to have

My week test driving the new Jaguar X-Type wagon got off to a pretty shaky start. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, American Auto Press)

someone in my company come by and pick the car up on Monday. Great, we were getting somewhere.

When Monday came, Shawn and Alexandra (I was in Detroit driving Vipers, Ram SRT-10 pickups and other fun toys on Chryslers test track, poor pitiful me) went down to pick up the Jag and, after waiting for hours, couldnt do so as it was suffering from a broken power seat switch. What does a person expect on a car that only has just over 1,000 miles on the odometer? Is the ghost of Lucas, the electronics company that gave the British brand a bad name for reliability in years past, still alive at Jaguar?

With just over 1,000 miles on the odometer, electrical problems shouldnt be part of the equation. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, American Auto Press)

The automakers 25th finish out of 37 nameplates in J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) might suggest this.

Unfortunately, according to the service manager the dealership didnt have the part, and neither did any other dealer in the Canadian city that was providing the car. Canadian city? Yes, the X-Type Wagon has been out for half of 2004 in Canada as the U.S. wasnt going to offer it at first. A recent announcement by Jaguar Cars North America rescinds this decision, and therefore, to get you the real goods on the wagon as soon as possible an example was sourced from Canada. Anyway,

Three days to replace a minor power seat part in a model that has been on the market for two years? Not good enough Jaguar. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, American Auto Press)

back to the parts and service saga, I can only assume that there is no parts warehouse in the two million plus city as Jaguar had to have the component shipped in. Three days later the car was fixed, and ready to roll. Three days to replace a minor power seat part in a model that has been on the market for two years (speaking of the X-Type in general)? Thats not good enough Jaguar.

And its too bad that the public relations departments many fumbles, the cars questionable reliability and the relatively slow service to fix the problem marred my initial introduction, as the little wagon is very nice for the most part. It looks pretty good for a wagon, a bit generic

Aside from the PR department fumbles and electrical issues I experienced, the little Jaguar wagon is quite nice for the most part. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, American Auto Press)

from the rear view but its hard to find fault with the classic Jaguar front end styling, complete with a sculpted hood bending down to a monochromatic grille featuring a chromed leaper hood ornament on top, and those sexy double-bubble circular headlamps are as characteristic of Jaguar design as anything could be.

The same must be said of the interior, seriously upgraded since the Ford of Europe Mondeo (Contour and Mercury Mystique in these parts) derived sedan hit the North American market in 2001 as a 2002 model. I drove it then and was under-whelmed, but my wife Jennifer loved its light steering and general easy nature. I dont know what Jaguar has done, but maybe theyve listened to too many testosterone

The light steering and general easy nature of the earlier version X-Type has been replaced with a more substantial feel. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, American Auto Press)

induced critics. The steering is nowhere near as light anymore, which makes it more substantial feeling and more enjoyable for me, but Jennifer had very little good to say about the car she used to like above most others. Shes a harsh critic Jaguar, so dont be overly concerned.

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