2005 Jaguar S-Type 3.0 Road Test

With plenty of legroom and headroom up front, the S-Type will accommodate drivers of all shapes and sizes, although rear

Falling nicely beneath the driver's right hand is a genuine wooden gearshift knob leading the shift lever through Jaguar's traditional "J" shift gate. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

seat passengers receive considerably less royal treatment. The roofline I so admire tends to restrict headroom for the over six-foot crowd, and if the front seats are positioned rearward, legroom and footroom are stingy as well. This is definitely not the rear seat cavern found in the long wheelbase XJ. When it comes to accommodating non-human items, the 60/40-split rear seat folds down, creating much more space than the 399 litres (14.1 cu ft) of trunk volume; which is a fairly standard volume in this segment.

Falling nicely beneath the driver's right hand is a genuine wooden gearshift knob leading the shift lever through Jaguar's traditional "J" shift gate. I particularly like this arrangement and find it more pleasing and intuitive to use than the current crop of manual-mode shifters.

If there is a shortcoming in the Jag's office, it's the single-disc, dash-mounted CD player. The audio system delivers high quality sound reproduction, but in a Jaguar one shouldn't need a case of CDs nearby to enjoy more than one disc per trip. A multi-disc CD player is available with an optional audio

The V6 utilizes four-valves per cylinder and variable cam phasing to generate 235-horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 216 pound-feet of torque at 4,100 rpm. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

upgrade, but an undignified trip to the boot (trunk) is required to load the player mounted there.

But alas, driving a Jag is not about loading CDs, it's about motoring through the countryside in comfort and elegance, past expansive pastures of green and stands of tall conifers, and that's just what the S-Type provides. Nothing in a Jaguar happens abruptly and the S is no exception. Placing my tester in gear discreetly connected its standard 3.0-litre (183 cu in) V6 to the rear wheels through a smooth shifting, ZF six-speed automatic transmission. The V6 utilizes four-valves per cylinder and variable cam phasing to generate 235-horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 216 pound-feet of torque at 4,100 rpm. Jaguar claims a respectable 0 to 96 km/h (0 to 60 mph) time of 7.5 seconds.