2005 Jaguar X-Type Review & Road Test at Automotive.com

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2005 Jaguar X-type VDP

Below is a review of the 2005 Jaguar X-Type written by the automotive experts at Automobile Magazine. A full evaluation of the driving experience, price, equipment, and specs are here in a structured, easy-to-navigate format from journalists with a wealth of experience.

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Value Rating

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LEARN WHY

IntelliChoice Value Rating

The chart above shows the purchase price versus ownership cost for each car from a specific vehicle class. The cars with better than average ownership cost/purchase price correlations are the best values, and these best value cars are represented by the dots below the curve. (i.e. the cars that have a lower ownership cost compared to its purchase price.) Those cars, which are worse than average or poor values, appear above the curve.

One way to view the graph is to draw a vertical line through any purchase price. You may see several dots that fall on this line - each of which is a car with a similar purchase price. However, notice the difference in ownership costs of each car represented by the vertical position of the dot. Two cars with the same purchase price can have thousands of dollars difference in ownership costs. This is what separates "good value" cars from "poor value" cars.

What is a good car value?

A "good car value" is one whose cost to own and operate is less than expected. The lower the cost to own and operate a car compared to what is expected, the better the value of that car.

But how do we know a car's "expected cost"?

For each car in the class, IntelliChoice plots the car's purchase price against the total five-year cost to own and operate it as determined by IntelliChoice research. Each dot on the above chart represents a specific car. Generally, we find that as the purchase price of the car increases, the cost to own and operate that car increases. This is why the dots on the graph tend to rise upward and to the right. This phenomenon also makes intuitive sense - as the purchase price rises, financing costs tend to rise, as do insurance, depreciation, taxes, and most other car ownership costs.

This is an important concept. It's normal for car ownership costs to rise as purchase price rises. Therefore, we can't just establish one "average" ownership cost number for each class, since cars in the class have different purchase prices. (This is why the "Relative" shown on each chart is different for cars in the same car class.)

Using statistical techniques, IntelliChoice "connects the dots" to form a curve that defines, for this car class, the relationship between the car's purchase price and car's ownership costs. This curve is our "expected cost" curve. The curve defines, for any car in the class, the five-year ownership cost that we would expect to see at each possible purchase price. If every car in the class were an average value, then all the dots would fall exactly on the curve. However, it's rare that any dot is exactly on the curve. Some dots are a little higher or lower, and some are a lot higher or lower. The dots that are a little lower are better than average car values, while the dots that are a lot lower are excellent car values (A dot that is a lot lower than the curve has ownership costs much lower than expected for a car of its purchase price). Conversely, a dot a little higher than the curve is a poorer than average car value, while a dot that is much higher than the curve is a poor car value.

Value is a relative term, not an absolute term. It is performing better than the logical expectation.

So is a Mercedes-Benz E320 expensive to own and operate? Certainly in an absolute sense. Most other cars cost less. But, when its cost to own and operate is plotted against cars with comparable invoice prices, the E320 costs less. So the E320 is not expensive to own and operate - it is a good car value. The Mercedes does not have low ownership costs, but it has low ownership costs for its invoice price.

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Review From Automobile Magazine

2005 Jaguar X-type VDP

By Michael Jordan / Article provided by: Automobile Magazine

Palm Springs, California- With the VDP nameplate, Jaguar hopes to use the heritage of its custom-equipped XJ Vanden Plas sedans of the past to bring a little heritage to the X-type. It's a marketing move that raises just as many questions as it answers about the future of Jaguar.

When the X-type first arrived here in 2002, Jaguar touted it as a triumph of design and performance, evidence that Ford had successfully reinvigorated Jaguar to meet the demands of the new century. Unfortunately the X-type proved to be smaller, pricier, and less dependable than people had been led to expect, and it would never drive like a BMW, no matter how many well-meaning journalists pretended that it did. X-type sales have drifted downward ever since the car's launch, and just 26,772 examples were sold in the United States in 2004, a decline of 20 percent from 2003. In comparison, Audi sold 51,043 A4s in 2004, and even Saab sold 34,075 9-3s.

With the 2005 X-type, Jaguar is basically relaunching this model, emphasizing more than 1000 component changes to improve quality. The VDP edition defines a package of options that includes seventeen-inch wheels with all-season tires, a 320-watt Alpine audio entertainment system, ten-way adjustable power seats with classic-style leather upholstery, walnut burl interior trim, and a number of other minor features. Self-styled guardians of Jaguar's cultural heritage thrown a hissy fit at the thought of the exclusive Vanden Plas name being squandered on a specialty equipment package for an entry-level car, but they overlook the fact that the nameplate has only a few calories of credibility as far as U.S. drivers are concerned. At the same time, this use of the VDP badge removes any bit of exclusivity it gives to XJ models.

Once you're behind the wheel, the all-wheel-drive X-type drives like nothing else in its class. In comparison, an Audi A4 seems soggy, a BMW 3-series feels cold, and a Saab 9-3 seems plain. The X-type offers lots of impeccably damped suspension travel, delivering an excellent ride with plenty of cornering grip. The mid-range power of the 227-hp, 3.0-liter V-6 is this Ford-built engine's best attribute, and that's why the new five-speed automatic transmission brings out the best from it.

At the same time, there are issues. The compact dimensions that help make the 3677-pound X-type agile enough to be a rewarding driver's car also compromise passenger space, and the interior of this car measures at the small end of the entry-luxury class. The limited range of electronic features reveals the platform's age, notably the audio system, which makes do with a single-disc, in-dash CD player while a full six-disc changer is banished to the trunk. And the VDP costs $37,945 (combining the $3750 VDP package with the required $2250 moonroof and $1950 Premium package), which represents an incremental cost of $6500 over an unadorned X-type 3.0.

Jaguar has some tough times ahead, as it sold just 54,655 cars in the United States during 2004, and it must continue to cope with the weak dollar, the introduction of sales incentives on premium sedans, and the shift to luxury sport-utilities. The X-type VDP illustrates the company's most recent change in strategy, as it once again tries to compete by means of its unique Jaguar identity instead of price and performance. The Jaguar guys themselves must be frustrated at having to play the Vanden Plas card to raise the X-type's profile in the marketplace, but at least they've recognized that quality is the Jaguar message. Anything that improves Jaguar quality is all right with us, and maybe that makes the 3.0 VDP a useful place to begin rebuilding the company's place in America.