Jaguar S-type (1999 - 2007)

'Smaller' rear-drive Jaguar with design cues from 1960s Mk II. Actually far from small at 15' 11" long by 6' wide and weighing from 1,628kg. Began with choice of 240 bhp 3.0 Duratec V6 or 280 bhp 4.0 Jaguar V8 engines. Manual (V6 only) or Ford auto. 'CATS' option of adaptive damping and 17in wheels worth having.

Prices started at £26,700 OTR. Good to drive, with immense charm, enough steering feel, decent handling and good ride quality. A success from day one. Six-cylinder manual model the recommended choice.

Six-speed automatic 4.2 supercharged S-Type R with huge 541Nm (399lb ft) at 3,500rpm; sixty mph comes up in just 5.3 seconds, top speed limited to 155mph. On the road price is £47,400, combined fuel consumption 22.5mpg and CO2 output 314g/km.

At the other end of the scale, Jaguar also launched a more BIK friendly 201bhp 2.5 litre V6 engine which, with five-speed manual box pumps out 229g/km and with a retail price of £24,955. S-Type 2.5 gets to sixty in 8.2 seconds, goes on to 142mph and stretches each gallon 29.6 miles in the combined cycle.

Other new offerings are a 2.5 V6 six-speed automatic, a 240bhp 3.0 V6 five-speed manual or six-speed automatic and a 300bhp unsupercharged 4.2V8 with 6-speed auto. On the road prices are £28,900, £29,950, £31,400 and £36,000 respectively.

207bhp Dagenham built 35mpg 2.7 litre V6 24v TDCi V6 diesel announced, but not due for sale in UK intil summer 2004.

Comprehensive facelift for 2004 includes aluminium bonnet and wonderful retro cockpit reminiscent of original 1961 E-Type. 2.7 litre twin-turbo AJD V6 diesel from June 2004. 6 speed manual or 6 speed automatic. Has 206bhp and 450Nm torque, 80% between 1,500 and 4,000rpm.

Does 0-60mph in 8.1 seconds (auto 8.2), tops out at 140mph, offers 40mpg combined and 189g/km CO2. Insurance Group of diesel 14E. Revised S Type pricing from April 2004: From £25,770 for 2.5V6 (Sport or SE £29,770); From £27,670 for 2.7D (Sport or SE £31,670); 3.0V6 Sport or SE £32,270; 4.2V8 SE £37,170 (Sport £38,270); 400bhp S-Type R £49,995.

S-Type 2.5 Plus model from May 2005 at £25,995 has 6 speed automatic, leather, alloys and park distance control.

12-01-2007: Range change for 2007 simplified line-up to four trim levels, all offering improved value-for-money: the Spirit, XS, SE and ‘R’.

S-TYPE Spirit (2.7 diesel and 3.0 petrol) – 2007 entry models are 2.7 diesel and 3.0 petrol Spirit. Feature 8x6 way leather seats and automatic as standard in addition to the other changes. Spirit models also feature a £1,000 price reduction with diesel prices starting at under £30,000 and petrol prices below £29,000.

S-TYPE XS (2.7 diesel and 3.0 petrol) – XS model replaces S-TYPE Sport. 3.0 petrol XS based upon 3.0 Spirit and includes automatic transmission, SE steering wheel and reverse park control as standard. Additional standard features include 18-inch Mercury Alloy wheels, an Exterior Styling Pack of stylish front spoiler with fog lamps, perforated leather sports seats, sports interior theme, de-chromed bumpers and sports suspension. S-TYPE 3.0 XS will priced at £31,995. Specification also includes automatic transmission as standard. 2.7 diesel XS with identical specification is also offered, priced at £32,995.

S-TYPE SE (2.7 diesel and 3.0 petrol) improvements include addition of 18" Triton wheels, 10x8 leather seats and rain sensing wipers. Pricedat £33,495 (3.0 litre) and £34,495 (2.7 diesel) is £455 more than the prior model year.

S-TYPE R (4.2 litre supercharged V8) S-TYPE R has been repositioned. Offers increased value through the fitment of 19" Barcelona wheels as standard. On-the-road price reduced to £45,000 (£5,400 less.)

2007 Jaguar S-Type Specifications: