For many executives today, our car is our second home. We eat and drink there, spend large chunks of our day commuting, and are stuck behind the wheel far more than we would like. Our needs include comfortable seating over long distances, a smooth ride, a powerful engine that will respond to our gentlest nudge and an intuitive dashboard which won t distract us from the road.
A used Jaguar S type saloon could provide for all of these needs.
The S type is a luxury car with a homely feel. Climate control and supportive electric leather seats, combined with well positioned cup holders (sounds daft, I know, but anyone who has tried to drink that much needed first caffeine fix while on the go will recognise the importance of such a thing!) and a front cubby for storing emergency rations for those horrendous daily jams ensure that your every journey is as comfortable as possible, with everything you could need at your fingertips.
What s more, with the S type you needn t compromise on performance, with a smooth ride and firm handling guaranteed whichever engine you choose making this a viable alternative to a Mercedes E class. Whether you choose one of the original engines, the 240bhp 3.0 litre V6 or the 281bhp 4.0 litre V8, one of the 2002 options, the 201bhp 2.5 litre, the increased V8 300bhp 4.2 litre, or the super charged R model with 400bhp and hitting 62mph in 5.3 seconds, you re can be certain of that renowned Jaguar standard drive. For the record, we recommend the 2004 twin turbo 2.7 litre V6 diesel, combining economy and class to exhibit Jaguar s refined handling and exquisite performance at its best. The engine hits 62mph in a very respectable 8.1 seconds, returning at 40mpg. And in the current climate, economy is at the fore front of everyone s thoughts...
The S type is the ideal car for a very particular family man... that is, the family man with two children or fewer! Because this car is all about the ultimate comfort for those up front, the rear, while plenty spacious enough for two, is lacking in leg space for a third, a large central transmission tunnel taking up the most part of the potential leg space.
Being four door only, it s also trickier than an estate when it comes to loading baby or toddler car seats, so most certainly better suited to school age children and young adults. Of course, this may mean that the car has to be recognised as your own rather than the family car, keeping it blissfully free of sweet wrappers, mud caked wellies, sand filled beach towels and sticky fingers. And we all need a haven from time to time, don t we?
Gadgetry is where the S type really comes into its own, with a plethora of buttons and levers on the dash enough to satisfy the most inquisitive of pushers and prodders! Climate control, automatic headlights, heated door mirrors, an electric driver s seat, a trip computer, traction control and alloy wheels are all standard specification. The 4.0 V8 and V6 SE models also provide leather seats with adjustment memory, cruise control, front foglamps and wood trim, while the Sport models upgrade to a dynamic stability control system, 18 inch Monaco alloys, front foglamps, and a dechromed colour coded body and grille. And if that s not luxury enough for you, top models in the range come with a touch screen system for the stereo, air con and the like, making it the ultimate in executive design.
And when you think how much we sacrifice already for the daily grind, it seems unfair that we should be forced to sacrifice any more.