Compared to other vee-eight luxury sports sedans, like Audi's A6 4.2 quattro ($72,500), BMW's 545i ($77,700), Mercedes-Benz's E500 ($84,600), or Cadillac's STS V-8 ($68,725), the 2005 Jaguar S-Type 4.2's interior is the nicest place to chill. Road thump is kept at bay, and the cabin is gentleman's club quiet. If your body fits, there's a general coziness that simply doesn't exist in any of the S-Type's competitors.
The snug fitting leather-lined seats for the driver and passenger upfront provide comfort and support on the highway, although cloverleaf antics will have your backsides sliding. The steering wheel is one of those leather/polished wood combos that I generally don't agree with, but Jaguar seems to have made this one enjoyable to hold. Driver instrumentation faces are backed in British-racing green and are clear to read. There's even a generously sized tachometer that an E Class would be envious of. The size, shape, and feel of the J-gate shifter knob finished, again, in polished wood, all felt of real quality. The only complaint I had being the PRND lettering hidden by the angle of the shaft--obviously a car designed in a right-hand drive country.
If you're not a fan of the singular input devices found in BMWs and Audis, you'll appreciate the S-Type's main controls that are traditional in function. However, the materials, control lettering, and button feel contrast with the rest of the cabin's quality ambience. Audi owners will not be jealous if they start measuring the Jaguar's interior's seam lines with their micrometers, but it's a big improvement over the first S-Type from 1999.
Although Jaguar offers interior aluminum trim with its optional sports packages, wood still plays a big role. Our 4.2 model was no exception with appearances of wood across the dash, transmission console and doors. Besides Bentley, or Rolls Royce, if any manufacturer receives a Get Out of Jail Free card for using wood in this manner, its Jaguar.
So far, the S-Type 4.2 is living up to traditionally held Jaguar value propositions of eye-catching good looks and House & Home-like interiors. But where's the "pace" part of that ol' Jaguar saying?
Our 4.2 model, which did not come equipped with the sports package's buttoned-down suspension, is not a sports sedan. Get over it. With the BMW 545i at one end of the Luxury Sports Sedan Scale, and the Mercedes-Benz E500 at the other, the S-Type falls squarely in the middle. And, despite having such an impeccable ride, the mid-range S-Type does not start quivering at the first sign of a bend in the road. There's grip when cornering hard from the standard 235-50/17 rubber, and the rear-drive chassis is balanced enough for the experienced driver to play with. But the steering is too light to garner your confidence to explore further. The kind of path of accuracy that a 545i gives all day long does not exist in the S-Type's repertoire.
Still and all, if you can afford the vee-eight, you'll be rewarded. This engine is one of the smoothest in its class. Even if lacking the R model's supercharger, this naturally aspirated 4.2-litre mill's 294 horsepower and 303 pound-feet of torque moves the S-Type to an electronically limited maximum speed of 249 km/h and an under 7 second run to100 km/h from zero. And all in a turbine-like nature that makes you think, "Ah, now there's the 'pace'!'.
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| 2005 Jaguar S-Type 4.2 (photo: John Leblanc) |
If you're not a fan of the singular input devices found in BMWs and Audis, you'll appreciate the S-Type's main controls that are traditional in function. However, the materials, control lettering, and button feel contrast with the rest of the cabin's quality ambience. Audi owners will not be jealous if they start measuring the Jaguar's interior's seam lines with their micrometers, but it's a big improvement over the first S-Type from 1999.
Although Jaguar offers interior aluminum trim with its optional sports packages, wood still plays a big role. Our 4.2 model was no exception with appearances of wood across the dash, transmission console and doors. Besides Bentley, or Rolls Royce, if any manufacturer receives a Get Out of Jail Free card for using wood in this manner, its Jaguar.
So far, the S-Type 4.2 is living up to traditionally held Jaguar value propositions of eye-catching good looks and House & Home-like interiors. But where's the "pace" part of that ol' Jaguar saying?
 |
| 2005 Jaguar S-Type 4.2 (photo: John Leblanc) |
Still and all, if you can afford the vee-eight, you'll be rewarded. This engine is one of the smoothest in its class. Even if lacking the R model's supercharger, this naturally aspirated 4.2-litre mill's 294 horsepower and 303 pound-feet of torque moves the S-Type to an electronically limited maximum speed of 249 km/h and an under 7 second run to100 km/h from zero. And all in a turbine-like nature that makes you think, "Ah, now there's the 'pace'!'.