Diesel Proves To Be A Cool Cat

Illawarra Mercury

Saturday August 19, 2006

BRENT DAVISON

JAGUAR S-TYPE DIESEL

There was a moment early on in the drive program when I forgot myself and went for the big full noise upshift double whammy and it was at that precise point in time I remembered one thing and realised a couple of others.

In the first instance I recalled there was a diesel engine under the long bonnet. That made me realise why the thing had almost no throttle life after 4000rpm and also that the test rig's fuel gauge was not broken.

Yes, Jaguar has a diesel engine option for its S-Type midsizer and it's a ripper, generally speaking, and capable of making the 3.0 litre V6 engine look just a weeny bit silly.

The technically-minded will probably want to know the sorta-retro Jag (it is a throwback to the old MkII S from the early 1960s) has a compact 2.7 litre, overhead camshaft, 24-valve V6 under its bonnet complete with a pair of intercooled turbochargers.

In real terms that means a relatively modest 153kW at 4000rpm coupled with a stump-pulling 435Nm of torque at just 1900rpm.

Comparatively, the 3.0 litre petrol V6 produces 179kW but also a comparatively anaemic 300Nm and even the rowdy 4.2 litre V8 lags by 15Nm.

Impressed? You should be because the S-Type is an impressive thing to pedal and it is only the oiler engine's complete inability to rev above about 4500rpm that can catch you out, especially if you want to change gears yourself rather than let the six-speed autobox do it for you.

Actually, I'm not quite sure why anyone would want to change the gears themselves because Jaguar's J-gate (auto quadrant on one side and a sequential on the other) is just not a nice thing to use in that manner.

Far better to just stick it in "Drive" and watch the world go by.

But I digress.

The twin-turbo diesel is yet another of those modern distillate-burning powerplants able to lay waste not only to highway kilometres and all things encountered alomg the way but also to the old tales about diesels being lethargic, smelly, noisy and sooty.

This car, about 80kg heavier than the 3.0 litre petrol version, is a claimed 0.7slower to 100km/h than that vehicle and 6km/h slower overall, although I hasten to add there was no serious attempt on the claimed 227km/h top speed.

As for the other three, I can tell you that this engine is quiet and sounds nothing like any other diesel at idle from inside or outside the car, has no diesel smell and no black exhaust telltale.

Put it all down to technology, high-pressure, common-rail fuel delivery, particulate filters and rapid-fire turbos all designed to help it meet Europe's tough pollution standards.

On the subject of those twin turbos, don't expect much in the way of lag. They spool-up quickly when the car is on the move (the throttle given a big stomp to pass a long semi in a short space, for example) and the only catch-out point is a full throttle standing start and even then some of the "lag" can be attributed to the car's traction control system.

Never mind, the Jag can be punted quite quickly and hunted hard over roads most owners would rather not tackle and does so with quite a degree of dignity courtesy of good suspension compliance, sharp steering and comfortable seating. No really, the lounge seats really do soften the blow when the suspension reaches its limits.

The claustrophobic among us might care to note that S-Type's interior is a bit, well, cosy. Not cramped, but close with a prominent dash panel with muted tones that make the leather and wood feel like they want to wrap around the occupants.

Personally, I liked it if for no other reason than the switches and knobs were all within easy reach (but not all of them easy to define or use).

Back seat? Quite roomy but really, the S-Type is a car for moving no more than four adults quickly and comfortably.

With a 400 litre boot capacity, the car will move their gear as well but if more space and fewer passengers become the order of the day then folding the back seat lifts capacity to 801 litres. Smaller than your average hatchback maybe but not bad all the same.

By the way, that other realisation that the fuel gauge was not broken is testament to the diesel's thriftiness. Jaguar claims 7.8litres/100km on the Federal Government test cycle. We managed about 9.2litres/100km in real life and that's a good number. Just ask a Toyota Camry driver.

NUTS & BOLTS

PRICE: $101,490

DIMENSIONS: Length - 4905mm; width - 1818mm; height - 1447mm; weight - 1790kg.

MECHANICAL: 2.7-litre V6 with double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, high-pressure, common-rail injection, twin intercooled turbochargers. 153kW at 4000rpm, 435Nm of torque at 1900rpm. Six-speed automatic.

CHASSIS: Front, longitudinal engine, rear-wheel-drive, power-assisted rack and pinion steering, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and electronic braking assistance, dynamic stability control, traction control. 18x8-inch alloy wheels, 245/40R18 tyres.

SUSPENSION: Independent wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers and anti-roll bar front and rear.

FUEL TYPE/CAPACITY: Diesel/ 68litres

FUEL ECONOMY:: 7.8L/100km (ADR81/01 average)

RIVALS: Audi A6, BMW 5-Series, Mercedes E-Class

© 2006 Illawarra Mercury

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