Cool Cat

Mention the word Jaguar to a car enthusiast and the last thing that will cross his mind is an estate. Luxurious four door sedans and the occasional sports coupe, maybe, but a station wagon? Not likely. Ah, but if there is anything constant in this world, it’s change, right? Yes, Jaguar now sells a production station wagon. Yes, it’s now available in the Philippines. And, yes, it performs — admirably — like a Jaguar ought to.

Over a weekend, the good people at Jaguar Philippines made sure this writer had enough time to bask in the glory of their newest offering, an estate with as much versatility as it does panache. The Jaguar X-Type Estate — at least the one offered to Philippine buyers — is powered by a 2.0-liter petrol V6 engine. And while these modest numbers certainly do not put this cat head and shoulders above the competition where power is concerned (0-100 in 11 seconds), I’d wager it has more than enough pulling power to keep its driver quite satisfied.

Speaking of driving, the X-Type Estate has its highs and lows. With ample power come certain responsibilities. Braking, therefore, is more on the crisp side as traction control is made available. Unlike its sportier rivals, however, the X-Type Estate does not seem to hug the road as ferociously. This can be both good and bad as road undulations are, in fact, reduced substantially as far as the passengers are concerned but the driver can almost feel a certain level of control somewhat lost on particularly tight curbs.

More to the point, however. Being an estate, this variant of the X-Type reserves its better characteristics for the passenger. While I did have my fun driving the car all the way to Marikina over a traffic-free Sunday, it was during the more head-ache-inducing Monday morning rush to the Manila Port Area that I enjoyed the X-Type Estate more. It was during this time, you see, that I had a driver take the wheel while I sat in the backseat of the Jag.

That legendary Jaguar refinement is particularly evident from the backseat, apparently. As is the supple suspension one already half-expects from this pedigree. Another plus is the fact that it seems more acoustically sound in the backseat. While driving the shapely feline, we noticed how its engine would escalate its steady purr into a resounding roar once you hit the 4,000 rpm mark. In the backseat, however, it didn’t seem to be as angry.

Fit and finish in the backseat is also slightly more impressive. Plush leather seats in champagne hues with bronze stained sapele trimming do wonders to stroke one’s aesthetic sense. As does the silver door handle treatment. It’s actually nice to be in a car that doesn’t scrimp on the little things. Of course the rather ungainly juxtaposition of hard plastics and elegant leather is still inevitable in a Jaguar that doesn’t sit that high atop in the hierarchy. In this writer’s humble opinion, the air conditioner lay-out/finish of the X-Type Estate could still use some improvement. Of course I could be just trying to find fault where there barely is any.

Still, when all is said and done, I can’t argue much with what the brochures insist. The Jaguar X-Type Estate is indeed every bit a Jaguar, only concentrated and more compact. But then, with the 16 cubic feet of space (expandable to 50 cubic feet) made available, even the compact-ness of this cat is in question. One thing’s for sure. This is by far the most versatile Jaguar I’ve even ridden and/or driven. If only for this fact, then I’d have to surmise that the Jaguar X-Type Estate is in fact one cool cat.