Road Test
Jaguar S-Type 2.7 D SE
Test date 27 April 2004
Price as tested £34,020
For Refined engine, ride/handling balance
AgainstModest pace, rear headroom
Even in its revised form, you can’t help but compare Jag’s S to the Mk II of 1959, so obvious are the design influences around the nose and tail. In its conception, Jag’s middle-sized saloon became a reality at the end of 1994. Five full-scale models were quickly made, each drawing heavily on Jaguar’s heritage, but each boasting different design priorities. The model known internally as the ‘BMW-eating Jaguar’ eventually got the green light and began development testing less than a year later.
It took until 1999 for the S-type to arrive in showrooms. When it did we were impressed at how much Jaguar had achieved, but a little let down that it wasn’t the class champion that development nickname promised it would be. Up against what was arguably the best ever 5-series, the E39, its interior quality fell short of the mark by some margin.
In a revision for 2002 it came a great deal closer to besting its German rivals, without ever quite putting them conclusively in the shade. It might come as a surprise for Jag traditionalists then that, powered by a 2.7-litre diesel that will eventually be found under the more ‘ordinary’ bonnets of Peugeots, Citroëns and Land Rovers, their favourite company’s middleweight has its best chance yet.
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