2002 Jaguar X-Type Sport

Jaguar has made no bones about how important the X-Type is to its future. This four-door sports sedan was designed to be the car that introduces classic Jaguar values-luxurious performance and tasteful, high-quality appointments-to an entirely new group of car buyers: Younger, hipper, those who lead active lives and are years away from clipping coupons or tracking blue-chip stocks.

Sales are to be captured from potential buyers of BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 or Mercedes-Benz C-Class models, which is an especially tough crowd to convert. Moreover, the target for X-Type sales is hardly modest. Projections (remember, this was before the awful events of last Sept. 11 and the resulting dip in the world economy) called for 30,000 X-Type sales per year in America, and for its worldwide sales to contribute heavily to the doubling of total Jaguar sales over the next two years.

It's a tough road ahead for the crowd from Coventry, but on paper the X-Type has the credentials to make these goals reachable-especially when it's outfitted like our newest long-term vehicle. In late February we took delivery of a 2002 Jaguar X-Type Sport with 231-bhp 3.0-liter V6 engine and a manual five-speed transmission, aptly cloaked in British Racing Green, the standard leather interior a handsome hue called Sand. The car's base suggested retail price was $35,950, which includes such standard four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and EBD, and variable-ratio speed-sensitive power steering. Standard running gear is 6.5x 6-in. steel wheels with 205/55VR16 all-season radials.

The interior boasts the usual luxury amenities and includes automatic climate control; one-touch open/close power windows; bird's-eye maple wood trim; eight-way power driver's seat; front and rear footwell carpets; cruise control and a tilt/telescoping steering wheel.

Audio systems are available in two stages, both by Alpine. Standard is a 120-watt AM/FM/cassette head unit with four door-mounted speakers. The Premium system has a 180-watt amp driving ten speakers and a trunk-mounted six-disc CD changer. Steering-wheel-mounted controls augment the traditional dials of the head unit; if the optional navigation system is ordered, however, the audio system is operated via the central 7-in. touch screen display that also contains controls for climate and nav systems and Motorola Timeport integrated telephone systems.

Active safety systems abound: driver and front passenger side airbags and seatbelt tensioners; front and rear side curtain airbags; three-point seatbelts for all five passengers; automatically locking doors when the car gets underway; and a full-sized spare wheel/tire.

Our test car came loaded, as evidenced by the $43,250 bottom line on the sticker. The options begin with a freebie, the five-speed cable-shifter manual transmission that comes as the standard gearbox for the 2.5-liter X-Type. Jaguar's five-speed electronic automatic, standard on the 3.0-liter model is, conversely, a no-cost option with the 2.5-liter engine.

Contributing $2,500 to the car's tariff is the Premium package, which contains a bunch of neat stuff: one-touch tilt/slide electric glass moonroof; 70/30 split/fold rear seat; eight-way power front passenger seat; two-way power lumbar support for both front seats; electrochromatic rearview mirror; auto headlamps; rain-sensing wipers; reverse park control; message center and trip computer; and Homelink(r)-compatible three-channel garage door/entry gate opener.

Hold on; we're just getting started. With the Sport option package, for a mere $2,000, our car was fitted with 7x17-in. alloys and 225/45ZR17 performance radials; a body-colored grille surround, rear plinth (yeah, whatever); bumper blades and black side window trim; leather-trimmed sport-style seats; gray-stained bird's-eye maple trim; sport-tuned suspension; and Dynamic Stability Control.