Jaguar S-Type 2006 Review

"There's something wrong with the engine, it sounds sick," she says.

When told it is a diesel, there is a puzzled look followed by the question: "A diesel in a Jaguar?"

Yes, Jaguar has released a diesel-powered car.

It is the latest move from a company that has continued to challenge its brand image since Ford bought it in 1990.

First there was a front-wheel-drive and even a wagon.

The only thing left is a hulking Jaguar four-wheel-drive designed for Americans -- we hope that never comes.

The switch to diesel is logical. It is the fuel of choice in much of Europe and more refined turbodiesel engines are now available.

The first diesel Jaguar in Australia is the S-Type, a rival to the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class that both have diesel offerings.

With a price of $101,490, the diesel Jag slips into the S-Type range above the petrol V6 at $89,990 and below the $124,990 V8 and $169,990 supercharged V8.

When you take into account the gear that comes standard with the diesel S-Type, it most closely matches the $99,990 petrol V6 Luxury model. So the diesel engine adds about $1500 to the price.

Jaguar says owners can expect to recoup the extra cash within three years thanks to its economy, but expects many customers will be attracted to the diesel because of the way it drives.

It is a sweet diesel engine. The twin-turbo V6 is the same hi-tech powerplant used in the Peugeot 407. The motor was developed as a joint project between the French carmaker and Ford's Premier Automotive Group.

It pumps out 153kW, which is impressive, but it is the figure of 435Nm that really stands out.

The torque tally is higher than the petrol V8 and yet the official fuel consumption figures suggest the diesel uses 47 per cent less fuel than the eight-pot engine.

Still, the V8 is faster -- able to dash from 0-100km/h 2.1 seconds quicker than the diesel, which takes 8.6 seconds.

The S-Type is a fairly heavy beast at 1790kg, which doesn't help when it comes to performance.

The diesel is at its best low down in the rev range, with 80 per cent of its torque available from 1500-4000 revs.

You can tell it is a diesel when idling and sometimes at low revs, though it is a very quiet diesel. When it revs higher, it doesn't sound like a diesel and even emits a sporty note.

But it is still noisy from outside the car or inside with the window down.

The official fuel economy figure for the S-Type diesel is 7.8 litres/100km for the combined city and highway cycle.

It can drop to 6.8 litres/100km on the highway and rise to 8.8 litres around town, which is still good.

The engine works well with the six-speed ZF automatic (which is also used in the BMW 7-Series and Ford Falcon), though you sometimes miss being able to rev it nicely like a petrol engine.

So the diesel engine is a good thing. But what about the rest of the car? A new S-Type is due some time next year and it couldn't come soon enough.

There is nothing glaring that stands out with the S-Type. It's just that the whole package is disappointing and feels out of date.

It looks big on the outside, but feels much, much smaller on the inside.

There is little leg-room for rear passengers and the boot is so shallow that it is hard to carry bulky items that slip into other sedans of this size.

It is impossible for a taller driver to really get comfortable because the steering wheel doesn't extend out enough.

T HE interior is loaded with wood and sumptuous leather trim, which is a nice touch, but all the work is undone by dated brown dashboard plastic.

At least the touch-screen sound system and satellite navigation screen is easy to use.

There is more tyre noise and wind noise than you would expect and the ride quality doesn't match its rivals.

The standard parking sensors are useful, but those fitted to the test car are temperamental and sometimes beep repeatedly in slow-moving traffic.

The nice diesel engine might tempt some into the current S-Type, but most would do better to wait for the new model.