2005 Jaguar S-Type Test Drives

An Aging Design Retains Some Luster

Jaguar's S-Type still has high points. Can it keep the competition at bay?

From The Driver's Seat

Remember, this car is actually underpinned by the same chassis as the Lincoln LS. But the latter car never had much spirit -- it's a perfectly fine automobile executed without a particular aim. Compare it with what General Motors' Cadillac subsidiary is doing with the STS and there's simply no contest.

But you can't hang the same faults on the S-Type. This is in some ways what the LS could have been if it had a clear mission. It's fun to drive, well designed, reasonably practical and looks sharp.

Take the looks first. In the cabin, the creature comforts are plentiful and blessedly uncomplicated. Most of the cars in this price range feature audio and climate controls as well as other buttons and knobs that all require way too much attention to operate. Jaguar remembers its heritage and, instead, gives you a nice, meaty knob for the audio volume control. If you want to adjust your seat heater, there's no fumbling with sub-menus on a monitor, even if you do get the optional navigation system. There's a simple toggle switch and that's it -- eyes right back on the road.

The same sort of logic applies to raising and lowering the cabin temperature and changing between audio sources (CD, AM, FM).

And somehow, even though Jaguar puts cruise control and audio mode buttons on the leather-and-wood steering wheel, you'll never feel overwhelmed by having too many controls to manage. You just drive.

There are a couple more words to say about this execution, though: it's purposeful. That flat dash is a Jaguar theme, as is the J-Gate shifter, which now toggles through six, rather than five, automatic gears. There is now an option for aluminum trim if you'd rather not get the swanky wood interior (also new), but the aim here is to evoke old-money simplicity, not new-dough tech. It all works well and comfortably -- and is quite appealing.

Driving this car is also more of a pleasure than its outward mien might suggest. We've come to think of the S-Type as a very "grown-up" car -- one that is, ultimately, more about refinement than sheer verve. But this car is plenty happy to be thrown hard through a set of off-camber S-turns. Push too hard and the stability system will step in to keep all four tires on the tarmac, but Jaguar clearly didn't let the lawyers decide on when the traction/throttle-control or braking would come in and prevent you from smoking the tires. This car can be driven hard and it's plenty of fun.

What it can't do is keep up with the likes of BMW's new 5 Series. It's not just hampered by a fairly weak motor (the 3.0-liter V-6 churns out only 235 horsepower, while the BMW 530i gets a 255 horsepower inline-six that's about a second quicker to 60 miles per hour) for the crowd of cars it competes against, either. We think racing to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds is plenty quick and this car does have adequate legs for interstate passes (that new ZF-made six-speed really helps here and smoothes shifts considerably, as well).

The main issue is with the steering. This car feels agile, but it doesn't "communicate" this agility through the wheel. For all of the snobbery we read from British car scribes and their obsession with steering, they don't seem to be getting the message through on their home turf. The Jag tiller is just too quiet to indicate what the wheels are doing on the blacktop.

On the plus side, on highway rides this car manages to feel plush without feeling numb -- something we wish Lexus was better at. The Jaguar is engaging even while insulating the driver and passengers from the harshest road impacts and vibrations. This, we hope, is what the new Lexus GS sedans will be like.