Jaguar S-Type sedan 2004 review

Launched in 1999, the S-Type was the car to put the once-proud British badge back in the world spotlight and prove that Ford's vision of a crossover between American technology and European style and history was the way to success.

With strong overtones of the classic Mk I and Mk II of the '60s, the new car was a carrier worthy of Ford's vision. As one of designer Geoff Lawson's final projects before his untimely death, it was a sports saloon in the grand tradition: smooth, flowing lines, rear-wheel drive and the best of understated British luxury in the cabin.

There was a fair degree of old-school resentment that such a famous British marque should have to rely on American underpinnings. Resentment also that many of the interior bits and pieces were obvious job lots from a variety of Ford-DNA vehicles.

Petty though the complaints seemed, they did form a basis for an "I told you so" swell when more substantive engineering and build-quality teething problems emerged.

None of those were terminal and under almost any other badge would have been accepted as minor – but the Jaguar heritage was long, it was British and it was proud ... and the "new" Jaguar's detractors had an almost magical ability to forget the "original" Jaguar's well-deserved reputation for poor reliability and questionable build quality.

In the end, the S-Type did give Jaguar/Ford an entry back into the world market. It was never as strong or prolonged as hoped, though – within a couple of years, Ford's push to make Jaguar a volume player led to the smaller, cheaper, more compromised X-Type range. First front-wheel drive, then all-wheel-drive from Ford Mondeo platforms, X-Types took Jaguar further from its traditional rear-wheel-drive sports sedan heritage.

In the rush for numbers, the S-Type took a marketing back seat and was left to its own devices, a situation repeated now with the very good next-generation XJ cars. And it's a shame, as the S-Type has evolved closer to its original vision than many suspected.

A recent week spent with the 4.2-litre V8 Sport simply underscored how much this car has to offer. First and foremost, the S-Type looks good. The proportions are neat, the lines clean and the overall impression is that this is a car worth being seen in.

The cabin remains one of the delights of the car. Even though I'm not a fan of the grey-stained birdseye maple wood treatment in the Sport, it is still done with style and restraint. Coupled with the charcoal tones on the rest of the trim, however, it does darken the interior a little too much for my liking.

Jaguar's persistence with the quirky J-gate automatic shifter is simply silly. The six-speed auto in the Sport is a quality unit with well sorted ratios that deserves better. Coupled to a tiptronic-style shifter, it would alleviate any need for a manual option.

Quality sports bolstering lifts the seats out of the ordinary and with ample adjustment on the driver seat and steering wheel, finding a suitable driving position is a given. Rear seat space isn't expansive but it is suitable for a range of sizes, although tall passengers could find head and leg room lacking.

Equipment levels are reasonably high, as you would expect from a car well into six figures. Navigation, optional with or without television, might be expected to be standard.

Dynamically, the S-Type is a nice mix of fun and function. The Sport pack comes with a stiffer spring setting than the SE models and also wins the impressive Jaguar Computer Active Technology Suspension system, which adjusts damper settings to match drive enthusiasm. Dynamic stability control and traction control (switchable) also come standard to calm excessive driver input.

Even with the electronic aids switched off, the cat's 224kW and 420Nm of urge can be confidently tamed, thanks to the balance of the car and the impressive feedback from the nicely weighted speed-sensitive steering.

A refresh due this year involves little more than minor mechanical tweaks and a facelift to body panels to freshen the car without detracting from its essence. That is good news. As long as the S-Type survives, Jaguar has a reference point for what its cars can be.