Jaguar X-Type

Now that it has settled down, we can look at this one with more mature eyes, and to me it still stands up well as a car which straddles the practical and the luxury, with a pedigree that few others can match. The X-Type is in a very tough corner of the premium market, and has made a significant impression there, though not as much as Jaguar might have hoped. In Ireland it sells in similar numbers to the Nissan Maxima. Leather and wood trims are de rigeur in Jaguar, and are in general tastefully done. Sport and Executive are the key labels, while the choice of 2.1-, 2.5- and 3-litre V6 engines are complemented by a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes. All except the 2- are 4WD, a first for the fast cat brand, as is the FWD of the entry car. We’ve enjoyed those we’ve driven so far, particularly the 2-litre Sport with manual transmission. Stars: 8/10

Jaguar S-Type

Perhaps a more Jaguar-style front end than the X, and as become something of a classic Jag since its introduction. It has recently been gently upgraded, and a new entry-level 2.5-litre (from the X-Type) has been added to the 3-litre V6 and the now 4.2-litre V8 engines. The supercharged R is something else, with 400bhp on tap in the smoothest manner possible and giving the ability to completely forget about overtaking worries. British purists did bemoan the fact that it is built by Ford on a Lincoln car chassis, but there’s not a lot wrong with any of that. Watch the manual, though, it has a very heavy clutch, to the point of being a dog. The new 6-speed autobox is excellent, and is rightly the choice for nine out of ten buyers. Stars: 8/10

Jaguar XJ Series

The new XJ may be the latest incarnation of a marque which has stretched over four decades, but Jaguar say this is the most advanced production model they have ever produced. And it will also come with an XJ6 version that Jaguar believes offers 'a new level of accessibility' to the XJ range. It is also a ‘first’ technologically in that it is all-aluminium. With a 3-litre V6 outputting 240 bhp, the XJ6 joins the marque’s 'flagship range' revealed recently in Paris, taking its place alongside the XJ8, XJR and new XJ Super V8 models. Since its introduction in 1968, the XJ series has accounted for more than half of all Jaguars ever sold. And only the other day, they announced that they were going to ‘suspend’ the production of Daimler versions with the new car. Provisional Stars: 8/10

Jaguar XK8

The Jaguar XK is the classic Jag ‘Cat’, with probably the sleekest of the feline shape variants that have always been the trademark of a car sought for its sexiness and power image as much as for its automotive attributes. Now, for 2003, the coupe and convertible which first pounced into our wish lists in 1996 have been extensively upgraded, but without any major change to the visual essential attraction. This is a more mature ‘cat’, the subtleties of which might be likened to a beautiful woman becoming even more so as she graces into her best years. I’ve driven all the new versions, and was suitably impressed, not least by the extraordinary range of technologies which in a way threaten the originality of the driving experience. Stars: 9/10