Just bought an S Type
Discussion
Don't know if anyone will actually be interested but I just wanted to put out there that last week I bought my first Jag - an S Type and I absolutely love it. It has had nothing but positivity from everyone who has seen it (apart from the misses who said it looks like an old man's car and one other person who referred to it as champagne taste lemonade money) but I for one genuinely love it. I personally think S Type's looks very smart. Any other S type fans out here? 
I had two. A first version 4.0L V8 SE for 3 years, and the far better and much improved second version 4.2L V8 SE for 10 years.
Only major issue was that the second car had a failed gearbox on three separate occasions, all fully replaced with new gearboxes under warranty. The gearbox issue, as I was told several times, is that it has some very thin aluminium shims and they wear. Jaguar did make improvements and eventually got it right. They even asked specifically for one of the gearboxes to be sent back to them for investigation because it was one with modified shims. You can tell when there's a problem because of a sort of quick whoosh noise on change down under acceleration. Otherwise, a fab car. I replaced it with an even better Jaguar: an XF 5.0L V8 n/a Portfolio.
R.
Only major issue was that the second car had a failed gearbox on three separate occasions, all fully replaced with new gearboxes under warranty. The gearbox issue, as I was told several times, is that it has some very thin aluminium shims and they wear. Jaguar did make improvements and eventually got it right. They even asked specifically for one of the gearboxes to be sent back to them for investigation because it was one with modified shims. You can tell when there's a problem because of a sort of quick whoosh noise on change down under acceleration. Otherwise, a fab car. I replaced it with an even better Jaguar: an XF 5.0L V8 n/a Portfolio.
R.
LargeRed said:
isn't it just a Ford Mondeo with a different body ??
No.This car is an X202. It is a front engine rear wheel drive platform with longitudinal mounted engine. There is double wishbone suspension front and rear using the same cast aluminium control arms, bushes and sealed joints as used on the X150 XK and X350 XJ, along with ZF gearboxes and ZF power steering rack. Everything in the second sentence is different from the 1999-2001.5 S-Type given the code X200, which itself was a development of the Lincoln LS platform which Ford also owned. The reason for the total mechanical redesign for the X202 was simply that the X200 offered neither the handling nor ride expected of a Jaguar.
Neither X200 nor X202 have anything in common with the Mondeo. The X200 and X202 have minimal mechanical or electrical parts compatible with each other.
You may be thinking of the X-Type which is famously "just a Mondeo in a different body" despite having a different track width and wheelbase length. In fact the front shock towers are the only body shell parts unchanged from the Mk.3 Mondeo. The diesel X-Types were front wheel drive and just used a Mondeo diesel engine, gearbox and front subframe dropped in, but the 2.5 and 3.0 V6 petrol X-Types were 39%/61% F/R bias AWD using Mondeo Mk.3 front MacPherson strut metalwork and Mondeo Mk.3 Estate rear multi-link rear suspension metalwork, obviously with different wheel bearings and in a different rear subframe to house the rear differential. Obviously springs and dampers are bespoke for comfort and sport spec, differentiated by saloon and estate body and again by whether it's a FWD or AWD powertrain. It's quite a good car from an ownership perspective as Jaguar changed everything that affected how the car actually feels* to drive but aside from X-Type specific springs and dampers or rear wheel bearings for AWD owners, all the bits which wear out and fail with usual age and milage usage is quite cheap as you just buy the Mondeo part.
- Admittedly I'm talking about the AWD ones that Jaguar intended from the start - the FWD diesels do feel quite a lot more like Mondeos.
Edited by jamieduff1981 on Monday 25th October 12:05
To OP - I had a black X202 for many years and absolutely loved it. I wouldn't have sold if the 2015 oil price crash and associated income cuts didn't have their teeth sunk into me at the time.
Edited by jamieduff1981 on Monday 25th October 12:08
LargeRed said:
isn't it just a Ford Mondeo with a different body ??
IIRC that's the X-Type. For S-Type see https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...I had two S-Types and loved them - a 2001 3.0 V6 petrol and a 2006 2.7D. Far more comfortable than any modern car, quiet, and with the seats down you can get a 6'x4' panel in the back.
It was only the motoring journos who poo-pooed it because they didn't like the styling. For me, the S-Type, the XJ6 of the time and maybe the XK X150 were the last Jaguars. Don't like any of the current offerings.
Simpo Two said:
It was only the motoring journos who poo-pooed it because they didn't like the styling. For me, the S-Type, the XJ6 of the time and maybe the XK X150 were the last Jaguars. Don't like any of the current offerings.
Me neither.I occasionally entertain thoughts of replacing my current 20 year old XJ8 but whenever I start looking around those thoughts don't last long.
Jaguar steve said:
Me neither.
I occasionally entertain thoughts of replacing my current 20 year old XJ8 but whenever I start looking around those thoughts don't last long.
You could follow me into Aston-dom... and call yourself 'Aston steve'... Don't expect a comfy ride but the rest is so good I'll cope!I occasionally entertain thoughts of replacing my current 20 year old XJ8 but whenever I start looking around those thoughts don't last long.
I had two S types in the past, a 2003 3.0 V6 manual (my M3 loving friend said 'wow, that is so smooth' after driving it) which I ran for 4 years & then an R...fabulous car, totally under the radar, had that for 7 years...
I'd say keep an eye out for any rust...wheel arches, bottoms of doors, sills...and electrics, many hours can be wasted chasing problems
I'd say keep an eye out for any rust...wheel arches, bottoms of doors, sills...and electrics, many hours can be wasted chasing problems
Simpo Two said:
You could follow me into Aston-dom... and call yourself 'Aston steve'... Don't expect a comfy ride but the rest is so good I'll cope!
An Aston? Good call.
I did actually consider a DB9 after becoming of the age where I could shove my snout into my pension trough but concluded although that's a car we both liked it's definitely not the car we both needed and chances are if we had one it'd spend weeks at a time in the garage going nowhere just like my XJ8 does.
Jaguar steve said:
I did actually consider a DB9 after becoming of the age where I could shove my snout into my pension trough but concluded although that's a car we both liked it's definitely not the car we both needed and chances are if we had one it'd spend weeks at a time in the garage going nowhere just like my XJ8 does.
Agreed, it's very much a 'second/weekend/show' car than a Jaguar. Boot space is ridiculous, fuel economy is ridiculous. But I only have room for one car so too bad! If I had room for an everyday car and wanted to run two cars, it might well be another S-Type, a late 2.7D.Dad had 2 of these, the first model with the 3 litre, we both hated, because that model was not a jag, the interior with the half moon centre console was, well awful, then we got the mark 2 with the 2.5 litre, all in all head and shoulders above the first model and easily a match against the 5 series. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did...
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