All new Jaguar S-Type
In a country where BMWs and Benzes abound, it’s not likely you’ll get admiring stares from onlookers by driving around in such fine pieces of German engineering. You’ll feel good, definitely. You’ll look good, for sure. But because of the sheer number of similar cars out on the road, you won’t necessarily have admirers groping at your feet. Now if you really want to drive around in a fine European marquee that’s in the P4 million range and you want to feel special and distinguished, here’s one really convincing alternative – a Jaguar. Make no mistake. I know this to be fact – because I experienced it very recently.
Not too long ago, my pal Mark Soong of Jaguar
First off, let’s tackle that controversial styling. While the S-Type is unmistakably a Jag with its sleek and flowing lines, those twin headlamps and the unconventional grille has both its fans and detractors. If you ask me, I’d say the combination is rather appealing. It’s the car’s rear end – which is just a wee bit too reminiscent of the entry level X-Type – that distracts me. It’s far from unsightly. But I’ve seen better derrieres from this family of felines. Still, as a total package, it’s quite a head turner. Plus, it’s got character. Lots of character.
Now, moving inside – here’s where it becomes a no-brainer. As much as I have argued time and again that woodgrain finish is for cars with styling stuck in the 90s, I have to admit that only Jaguar can get away with it in such resoundingly smashing fashion. A Jaguar’s combination of leather, woodgrain, tasteful plastics and aluminum highlights is pretty standard setting. As such, I have to admit that despite my prejudices, the S-Type’s interior just blows me away. It helps too that the driver-machine interface is intuitive and simple to use. So, it’s pretty and it’s functional. Plus points all over.
Also of particular interest are the S-Type’s seats. It’s not so much the fact that the car’s got almost leather armchair like material (that really is a given). It’s more the way the front bucket seats warmly snug the S-Type’s driver and the front passenger. I’ve sat in more impressive, customized seats before but I’d never felt more comfortable and more safe in a standard seat than in the S-Type. Even my wife loves them!
Unfortunately, I never really got the chance to sit in the S-Type’s back seat (which is more often than not the best seat in a Jaguar). But visual inspection proved that there’s enough legroom in the S-Type’s back seat to satisfy anyone smaller than Asi Taulava.
Performance-wise, though it won’t give you the kind of punch say a Bimmer would, this Jaguar can hold its own. The variant I drove was a 3.0-liter V6. It accelerates steadily and (more importantly) with enough refinement that you’ll barely notice that you’d gone from 0-100kph in less than eight seconds. Steering response is pretty crisp, though not class-leading nor standard setting. It won’t cut corners in go-kart fashion but that’s not what you’d expect from a Jaguar to begin with. What it delivers is a refined ride, thanks mostly to its 2,909mm wheelbase. (To put things in perspective, I parked the S-Type behind a pick-up and I could swear that the vehicles‘ respective wheelbases were not too far off – at least at first glance.)
Which brings us back full circle. While I wouldn’t consider the Jaguar S-Type a standard-setting drive, it’s quite an exceptional ride. Simply put, the car’s got so much personality, so much character that it can literally make one overlook it’s shortcomings (what little it has). Let’s put it this way. At the port area office of The Philippine STAR, people are kind of used to seeing their motoring editor drive up in some pretty fancy cars (which are sent my way for review). Little surprises them. Even less impresses them. When the Jaguar S-Type was with me, however, everyone from the guards to the company’s top executives wanted a piece of the fancy feline. I’d wager so will your German vehicle-driving neighbor – if you’re lucky enough to be able to afford one.
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