Jaguar S-Type 2.7 SE

According to Jaguar, the reason I have been driving a diesel S-type for the first time this week is because it has deigned that diesel engines are only now up to the sophisticated and refined standards its cars and customers require.

The fact of the matter is that Jaguar is horribly late, and sales of the S-type have been hit as a result. The likes of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi have been selling huge volumes of diesel executive cars for the past few years.

This is where Jaguar's rather snobbish argument that there wasn't a diesel fit for its cars falls down. Mercedes-Benz customers are a pretty discerning bunch, and they seem happy with the quality of their diesel engines.

If Jaguar's reasoning – or marketing spin – is correct, the typical Jag owner must have thought Mercedes buyers were hair-shirted masochists who liked to drive around in chuggy, noisy, smoky, tractor-like diesel cars stabbing themselves in the eye with a pencil. The huge shot in the arm that diesel has given the X-type proves Jaguar desperately needed to be in this market.

So, if you're going to turn up late, make a grand entrance –and the S-type diesel most certainly does that. The engine is a 2.7-litre four cam, 24-valve twin turbo V6 with second generation common rail injection which produces 206bhp and 320lb-ft of torque.

It is part of the collaboration between Ford and PSA Peugeot Citroen, so this engine will eventually end up in plenty of different vehicles, from Land Rovers to Peugeot.

But the figures don't tell the full story – you have to get in and drive. The refinement is remarkable. It barely makes itself heard or felt.

With good diesel engines, you find the odd criticism, like they're noisy when first started, or chug at a certain number of revs. Not with the S-type. It is whisper quiet at start up. There's no vibration in the cabin.

The engine is quiet when you're pushing it and quiet when it's relaxed and the exhaust even makes a sporty V6 grunt when giving it some.

There's a little turbo lag until the turbo kicks in at around 1,700rpm in first, but the gearing after that tends to avoid dropping that low, so it doesn't resurface. Torque keeps coming in one constant wave.

Unfortunately the only S-type diesels available to test come with manual transmissions. This is a shame on a number of counts.

The automatic gearbox in the other S-types is wonderful and there should be no reason why that won't continue with this car. Then there's the fact that less than 5% of all S-types sold will be manual so it's not an important variant to test. And there's the fact it's awful.

It just doesn't suit the car. The change is light with rubbery notches, it's easy to push across to reverse when hunting for first, and the clutch has no feel. Jaguar executives know it won't sell, and it feels under-developed as a result. It prompted us to source running cost figures for the auto in our comparison.

There have been a few other changes alongside the engine. The nose has had a slight rejig and the bonnet is aluminium for better weight distribution. At the back the lights have been modernised and the tail raised. There are also a few tweaks internally, with less old-fashioned dials, but the engine really grabs the headlines.

Fact file

Jaguar S-type 2.7 SE auto
Delivered price, standard car (P11D value) £31,467
CO2 emissions (g/km) 208
BIK % of P11D in 2002 30%
Graduated VED rate £160
Insurance group 14
Combined mpg 36.0
CAP Monitor residual value £11,750/37%
Depreciation 31.44 pence per mile x 60,000 £18,864
Maintenance 3.29 pence per mile x 60,000 £1,974
Fuel 10.75 pence per mile x 60,000 £6,450
Wholelife cost 45.28 pence per mile x 60,000 £27,288
Typical contract hire rate £624 per month

All figures based on 3yrs/60,000 miles. Monthly rental quote from HSBC Vehicle Finance

At a glance

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