| Long Term Test | Jaguar X-Type Estate |
We've repeatedly lamented the fuel consumption of the X-Type Estate during its time with us. Given Jaguar's claims of effortless economy it's perplexing to find that a 36mpg figure is all we can manage in everyday use, which is some way short of the official claims of over 40mpg and absolutely nowhere near the 60mpg extra urban figure quoted. Being realists we know it's not possible to replicate lab conditions on the road but given our experiences with cars of all shapes and sizes, the X-Type has the ingredients to be capable of more than we've seen.
Only fair then to give the makers an opportunity to have a look at it, so we booked the car into our local dealer, Marshall's of Peterborough. As you'd expect of a Jaguar dealer the showroom is immaculate, large and airy and the staff are polite and professional. The car was booked in at short notice, and at no charge, to check it over on the diagnostic software to see if there was anything awry.
As it transpired the X-Type was given a clean bill of health, although an engine control module update was applied (the content of which the dealer wasn't informed of by Jaguar - we're trying to find that out from other sources). On top of that, a thorough clean was carried out and all in double quick time and the technician who had carried out the work was even available for a chat about the car and expectations for economy. Again, professionalism and customer care was to the fore, which made it even more of a shame that it would appear our economy is representative of the car and as such the product falls short of its competition.
Anything else stand out...?
Winter is well on its way, if not already with us, and repeatedly the winter pack options on the X-Type have kept us warm and safe with the press of a button. Quickclear windscreen's distracting elements aside, the speed with which the car can be defrosted saves time, effort and fuel time and again.
In terms of driving I've begun to take the X-Type's excellent manners for granted, something that I was reminded of lately when others praised the pleasant and effortless driving effort more than once. It's therefore fitting to mention at this point the quality of the automatic 'box in our car. It remains reluctant to engage the highest available gear and the torque converter sometimes feels too slow to lock up but the processes of selection and shift themselves are almost faultless; slurred to perfection.
...and for the wrong reasons?
This month's minor gripe is the iPod interface that restricts access to the whole catalogue due to the limitations of the touch screen system. Unfortunately this is compounded due to the fact the iPod has to be disconnected to allow it to be accessed independently; obviously not something that can be done on the move. It's worth noting that the CD changer, CD player and radio are simplicity themselves to operate. The iPod was a late comer to this media game and I suppose one should be grateful that the X-Type allows any interface with it at all.
Where next?
With miles piling on, the impending first service at 12,500-miles is rapidly approaching and likely to be done next month giving us more meaningful insight to the dealership experience. Other than that the Jaguar has become used to pounding the motorways of late - this looks set to continue for its remaining time with us; hardly a hardship.
