2.0 Diesel SE Saloon

Just a lovely place to be, and a lovely drive.

This car puts a smile on my face every time I see it. Firstly the exterior looks are great, classic Jaguar lines and quite an imposing stance. Despite it being the cheapest Jag, the little luxury car touches are all there, right now to the clunk of the door handles and the upper-class thud as the door shuts. Full leather interior - something similar level 3 series and C Class were missing. The entire design of the cockpit is lush, and I get admiring noises from everyone I give a lift to.

As far as the drive itself goes the steering is light and responsive, and the low end torque of the diesel is very nice. Overtaking is not a problem. The suspension is soft (even with 225/45/R17) but there's not too much body roll, certainly not as much as my Accord, and it corners very well. Cruise control, when you get to use it, works well, and the controls for the radio etc are also good. My car has the dual-screen climate and radio, not the touch screen, which I think makes it look classier, and you are presented with a wall of buttons for each which is great, and not the case with cars nowadays. Most of the interior feels of good quality, a lot less plasticy and cheap feeling than the German rivals. I don't actually have any niggles. I would like more connectivity, so I have ordered a hands-free kit with aux-in, but that's to be expected of a 2004 car. Heck, people were still using cassettes back then.

I consistently get 50+ mpg other than in the winter, where it seems to drop to 47-48. Pretty great considering the age of the car and how cheap they are to buy. Tax is £260 annually.

In the two years I've had it I've put close to 30K on it and the only costs have been two wheel bearings (wear and tear, which was covered under the dealer's warranty), and abs sensor (£17) and two hub carrier arm bushings, which are a specialist job, but cheap and cost me £140. Services are £100 a pop from my local indy, and mot was £30. I believe there was about £50 needed between the both. All-in-all these are fantastic running costs. I've had no reliability issues whatsoever.

There are also so many parts available from sc***pies/dealers that anything else you need or want can be had cheaply.

People, generally who are insecure about their own car, will say things about it being a Mondeo. Firstly, a car is more than the sum of its parts (or is an Aston also just a Ford), and secondly, the Mondeo has been a consistent class leader for decades, so a bit of that is no bad thing. It's also nothing like a Mondeo to look at, be in or drive. I usually find that the people who say things like that have very average cars themselves. People in very flash cars, including new XF/XJs, have commented to me on how they loved their X-Types, and it led them to buying what they have now. So if a car can inspire someone to stick with a brand that's a good sign.

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