Jaguar X-Type

Jaguar’s new, all-wheel drive compact sports saloon combines performance, agility and innovative technology with the refinement for which Jaguar is renowned. The result is a smaller and more affordable model, which is expected to attract a new generation of customers to the marque when it goes on sale in June 2001.

As Jaguar's first entrant into the fast-growing compact saloon segment, the X-Type is pitched directly against established competitors such as the Audi A4, BMW 3-Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

The X-Type's sensuously sculpted forms combine with crisp detailing to give the car a sporty, purposeful stance and a strong Jaguar identity. The X-Type has a strongly pronounced rear shoulder form, and a more linear body side that is more balanced in profile than the S-Type's.

The styling incorporates design cues from the XJ Series, XK Series and S-Type, while firmly establishing a cohesive and individual identity of its own. The traditional Jaguar hood forms are now extended into the protruding elliptical headlamps, strengthening the unique Jaguar character. After the radical upright shape of the S-type grille, one gets the impression that Jaguar designers are returning to a 'safer' more traditional design, with a lower, wider shape which will surely have wider appeal.

Like the exterior, the X-Type's cabin represents a contemporary expression of Jaguar values, blending quality and craftsmanship with leading-edge technology and the latest innovations in safety engineering.

Bird’s-eye maple wood veneers and soft, luxurious trim materials convey a feeling of sporting luxury. Leather trim is standard on the top-of-the-range 2.5 and 3.0 V6 ‘S.E.’ models. Across the range, attention to detail is reflected in the harmonious feel of controls and switches, as well as the overall quality of fit and finish.

There are two distinct interior trim themes, with the V6 Sport clearly distinguished by its grey-stained wood veneer, as well as part-leather sports seats and sports steering wheel with perforated leather trim.

Designed and developed in record time by a 300-strong core team based at the Jaguar Engineering Centre at Whitley, Coventry, the X-Type was developed with a consistent focus on customer requirements. Feedback from a massive global consumer research programme - Jaguar’s most intensive ever - ensured that the X-Type’s designers, engineers and marketers remained in tune with the needs and expectations of potential customers at every stage of the car’s development.