Driving the
Jaguar S-Type is satisfying, while the car imparts a feeling of class and sophistication to passengers.
The S-Type comes with a great transmission, perhaps the best available. The six-speed automatic ZF is extremely responsive and silky smooth. With so many gears to choose from, it offers excellent drivability around town. It delivers both good performance and decent fuel economy. A Sport mode allows the driver to shift manually. Select this mode and the transmission will not shift above the highest gear selected, though as needed it will shift down and back up below this gear. The transmission has two overdrive ratios. Sport mode stays in fifth unless the driver maintains a steady speed for 30 seconds. But most of the time we preferred to simply leave it in Drive and let it do its thing, as it does it so well. It's a smart transmission: lift off the throttle for a corner, and it senses the steering angle and holds the lower gear. It also holds a gear on hills, eliminating hunting between gears.
The 3.0-liter V6 engine is smooth and delivers plenty of power for most drivers. We found it offers good power for passing. Floor it at 50 mph in fifth gear and in a heartbeat the six-speed automatic smoothly downshifts to second, without lurching, and the engine surges to 5500 rpm. Jaguar says the S-Type 3.0 can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds. The V6 was smooth and civilized when cruising, and noise from the engine was isolated. Under hard acceleration, however, the sound it made reminded us that it's a Ford Duratec.
Even in the base model, we found cornering to be exceptional. The 3.0 felt a little squishy when driven hard on a winding road, but cornering was relatively flat (the car didn't lean a lot), and grip was very good. Factor in the Dynamic Stability Control, and it's hard to get into trouble.
The S-Type rides smoothly and is nicely damped, even if it is tuned more for handling than a soft ride. Driving through the Texas hill country outside Austin, the car jiggled a bit from side to side on bumpy rural roads, a little more than we would have liked. And you can hear the hiss of the tires. When asked about this, a spokesman said Jaguar does not build Buicks.
The 4.2-liter V8 engine delivers truly spirited performance with strong low-rpm torque for quicker acceleration. Jaguar says the S-Type 4.2 can accelerate form 0 to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, which is quite quick. The 4.2 feels relaxed and responsive around town and cruising on the highway, but delivers spirited performance when driving quickly on back roads. The 4.2 V8 generates 86 percent of its maximum torque at just 1500 rpm for greater flexibility around town. This is a very strong car by any measure.
The 4.2 offers a firm ride. There is some road vibration on badly rippled roads, but it smoothes out on better surfaces. The 4.2 is also quiet, with some wind noise at high speeds. It's stable at high speeds with precise, linear steering that makes the driver feel part of the car. Handling is firm without being too harsh. The S-Type is not as stiff as the BMW 5 Series. It is the type of car that inspires confidence for those who enjoy driving without being a chore for those who do not. It felt wonderful when driving hard on narrow, winding roads. In short, it's a wonderful automobile, very pleasant.
The S-Type R offers fantastic acceleration performance. Jaguar says it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.3 seconds with a top speed electronically limited to 155 mph. We could clearly hear the whine from supercharger when hard on the gas. Hot rodders would love it, but we wonder whether it would become tiresome. Positive-displacement superchargers deliver better low-end torque and a more linear response than centrifugal superchargers or turbochargers, and the R model offers significantly more torque than the normally aspirated 4.2. It's very responsive at low speeds as well as when being driven hard. Power is very linear. Handling is superb, with the latest version of Jaguar's eCATS suspension as standard equipment (described below). Steering is precise and linear. The R is very stable at high speeds. Handling is very predictable when working the tires. Pushed to the limit, the R goes into a four-wheel drift. Yet the ride quality is quite comfortable. This balance between athletic handling and a smooth ride gives the S-Type R a dual personality. Most of the time, it's a relaxing, refined luxury sedan; but stand on it and it acts like a sports car, agile, quick, fun. It's easy to drive and not at all intimidating, as we discovered on some narrow, foggy mountain roads in Spain.
Jaguar's enhanced Computer Active Technology Suspension (eCATS) is no longer available on the V6 or standard V8, but is now exclusive to, and standard on, the S-Type R. eCATS optimizes ride and handling by automatically switching suspension damping from soft to firm in milliseconds. Accelerometers and a brake sensor send signals to an electronic control unit to dynamically tune the suspension to driving conditions. At low speed eCATS can even switch the rear dampers slightly ahead of the front to reduce transient understeer, for improved agility and turn-in. At high speed, it switches the front dampers first to enhance stability.
The result is an optimized balance between ride comfort and handling agility. It's completely automatic and requires no intervention from the driver. We found that eCATS does a great job of filtering out road vibration and rough surfaces without isolating the driver from the road. The car feels unflappable in corners without riding like a race car on city streets.
Anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) come standard on all S-Type models. ABS allows the driver to brake and steer at the same time by preventing wheel lockup in an emergency stopping situation. Brake Assist senses a panic stop and maintains maximum braking force even if the driver makes the mistake of relaxing pressure on the brake pedal.
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) is also standard on all S-Type models. This anti-skid system works extremely well and can help a driver stay on the road in dicey conditions. DSC links the brakes, steering, and traction control systems and analyzes information from on-board sensors to determine when the car is deviating fromthe driver's intended path. It then applies braking force to each individual wheel to readjust the car's course. This system helps the driver avoid losing control of the car, by reducing oversteer (sliding rear wheels) or understeer (sliding front wheels).
Adaptive Cruise Control, available only on the R-model, works most of the time like normal cruise control, automatically maintaining a speed pre-set by the driver. But it is also able to detect slower-moving vehicles ahead, and will slow the car as necessary. When the traffic ahead speeds up, Adaptive Cruise will return to the driver's chosen speed. next page