Effortless And Punchy
by Graeme Giles (27 Jun 05)

It was in September 2003 that Jaguar belatedly - correction, very belatedly - finally entered the diesel fray. The Coventry company chose its smallest cat, the compact X-Type, as the home for its first turbo-diesel engine, the two-litre, common-rail TDCi unit, sourced from parent company Ford.

It has been an unqualified success. Currently, 75% of X-Type saloon and estate car buyers opt for diesel power. And that figure is set to climb even higher when a new 2.2-litre oil burner joins the line-up in September. Like the smaller engine, it has been cherry-picked, along with its six-speed manual gearbox, from the Ford parts bin (the combination is already available in Mondeo), and will be fielded in Sport, SE, Sovereign and Sport Premium specifications.

Opting for the 2.2-litre unit, as against its smaller sibling, will add £1000 to the asking price of an X-Type. For that outlay, the owner gets enhanced performance, improved refinement and, for the business user, one of the lowest company car tax bills in the compact executive segment.

The new Euro IV engine delivers 152bhp and 266lb/ft of torque, which can, if necessary, climb to 295lb/ft, courtesy of an overboost facility. That translates into 137 mph and 8.9 seconds for the 0-60mph sprint for the saloon, together with a combined fuel consumption figure of 47.1mpg. The heavier estate car is just a tad slower and a touch less economical.

As is always the case with a turbo diesel, where the 2.2-litre X-Type scores is its muscular mid-range punch. Acceleration from 30-75mph in fourth, a common overtaking manoeuvre, is dispatched in comfortably under seven seconds.

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