Just took my F-Type in to the shop for some work (fitting of a new flat-bottomed steering wheel and replace the diff fluid) and they gave me a loaner to take home.
A Jaguar X-Type.
Can't tell what year as no compliance plate, no books, the VIN has been taped over and no identifying marks at all. It shows 138,xxx km on the ODO.
All I can tell for sure is it appears to be a base model FWD and it's a J-gate 5 speed auto.
It has a petrol V6 and I would say the base 2.1 litre with a whopping 154 hp judging by how sloooow it is and the lack of any badging on the rear other than Jaguar X-Type. AFAIK if it had the big block 2.5 it would have a 2.5 badge on the rear.
Did I say how sloooow it is? Put your hoof into it and all you get is noise and very gradual acceleration, definitely no zipping through and around the traffic like I tend to do in the F-Type!
It also handles and steers abysmally, very sloppy and loosy goosy. El Cheapo 16 inch Chinese no name brand Ditchfinder tyres don't help either.
But at least it rides smooth and comfortable.
The difference to the F-Type is stark in the extreme and makes me appreciate much more now what a performance beast the F-Type is, and just how tight it is for a seven year old car.

 

hahahaha yeah I did quite like the look of the exterior but I had one as a loaner years ago and I didnt find much else to like, i also thought the interior was a bit yuck, getting an interior that looks good in a big car and then scaling it down is not an ideal approach.

you should like the flat bottomed steering wheel. I put one on in the Mustang and really like using it, though it has the little direction stripe at 12 o'clock which was very distracting at first.

 

Yep, as I said before somewhere I have lusted after the flat-bottomed steering wheel for years and when Rimmer Bros had a 12% off sale I finally sprung for one. Still not cheap at $1672 AU before fitting, and that's after Rimmer Bros kindly refunded me $130 overcharge (doubled up tax either VAT or GST I guess).
No stripe, it is the OEM Jaguar wheel, can't wait to see what it feels like while driving!

 

Performance and handling, like many things, is all relative. I see people on the challenger forums talk about how great the handling of the widebody cars is and how tight the steering is. Don’t get me wrong, fun and very capable car, but you don’t realize how precise the f type steering is until you drive something else. Very much a scalpel versus sledgehammer comparison.

 

I like mine. I spec'd it as part of the build. I like where my hands settle on it. The flat bottom I tend to forget about, but it does look cool.

 

Watch out OZ, that type steering wheel makes your car drive faster somehow

 

Just got in after picking up the car (bit of a story there in itself) and the steering wheel is great and yes the car does feel faster. Just kidding, anything would feel fast after that slug of an X-Type!
The wheel leather is a much more matte finish than the old wheel, not as dark or shiny, and it feels waaaay better for it, much grippier whereas the old wheel had become a bit slippery. The decent thickness and the thumb grips also help, very happy with it.

Edit - and that's not the only good news, the cost was half as much as I expected only $205 including $75 for the diff fluid replacement and $45 for attempting to diagnose the cause of the engine rattle.
They came back with "must be the coins you have in the centre console", yeah right!

 

Wow, what kind of place gave you such a wreck as a loaner? Surely not a JLR dealership?

I loove my flat bottomed wheel. I can imagine you're happy with the upgrade.

 

Nah, not a dealership, an independent. This mob: https://triumphroverspares.com.au
Very happy with their service and prices over the years.
They had four or five XFs parked out front when I went in including a couple of XFS so I assumed I was getting one of them and I was a tad disappointed when it was the X-Type.

 

$1672 would probably buy you that X-Type before the current car market craze

 

You would have been disappointed in any loaner except for an XE SV Project 8 or an F-Type R/SVR before taming the exhaust. I get back in my XF and it's so much slower in it's reaction, though it's a very comfortable ride. I've been given loaner F-Pace, E-Pace, XF's and they are all disappointing, even when it was a replacement for my XF.

 

X-types were re-badged AWD Ford Contours if memory serves....

 

For the most part, yes.

 

Over here in Oz and in Blighty and Europe we called it a Ford Mondeo. It started out in 2001 as AWD only but in 2003 a FWD version (and the puny 2.1 litre V6) was offered. Pretty sure the one I had was FWD 2.1.

 

This is absolutely UNTRUE, but it is a pervasive myth perpetuated by auto journalists and BMW owners.
Having owned 3 of them, two 2.5 AWD manual shift and one 3 litre AWD automatic estate, I can assure you that they were neither Ford Contours nor Mondeos rebadged. They were/are excellent cars…we are in year 18 with one of them (daily use, not garaged); very reliable and wonderful highway cars. Oh…and real wood and leather trim 😊.

 

I can support this. I was at a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury franchise in the late 90's and we actively supported this "similarity"

 

The what my memory services is hearing that myth being perpetuated. I think I might've even read it in an automotive magazine like Car and Driver or something.

(just searched after I typed that last sentence, found the article online)

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...rive-review-1/

2nd paragraoh....I think that's where I got it from...seems to be a very pervasive myth if even Car and Driver carried it.

Apparently Jag engineers used the Mondeo/Contour as a starting point for the X-type development, even with the 3.0 ford Duratec V6 (which Jag broadly re-engineered), the car ultimately had about 20% Monday/Contour DNA.

To say it's 0% Mondeo/contour is inaccurate. To say it's basically a Mondeo/contour would seem to also be inaccurate.

 

I think you misread the article. The writer does indeed repeat (with his tongue firmly in his cheek) the myth that the X-Type is nothing but a Ford compact…and then he goes on in the entirety of the rest of the article to demolish that idea, element by element. The article is, in fact, highly laudatory of the X-Type in its styling, interior luxury and features, and especially its performance. A specific comparison is made to the BMW competition and the fact that the Jaguar’s acceleration is virtually identical to that of its German friend.

Before I bought the 2002 X-Type (manual 2.5 litre AWD) I made a careful comparison with the BMW 3 Series with regard to performance, comfort, luxury (there was no luxury as such in the BMW), handling, trunk and interior space, shift quality, etc. I wanted to make the right choice. And so I bought the Jaguar. Haven’t regretted it for a moment (and yes, I have owned a 3 Series BMW - the least reliable car I have owned).

 

Like me, I have a 2017 F Type SVR with VAP pulley, tune, 200 cell cats, etc. It is truly a scalpel. I get into my 2019 REDEYE Widebidy Challenger and it is a freaking sledgehammer. Pushing it past 180mph on the interstate feels like you are flying, whereas the F Type feels more planted. Granted, I rarely run the Challenger Redeye in track mode, mostly a custom run where I habe trans in track, suspension in sport, and everything else in street. Seems to be the best when someone wants to roll race me.