USED Jaguar X-type Estate (01 - 09)

My car

I have had this car for a month now, a chilli red ex demonstrator with full leather, cruise, bluetooth and an i-pod interface (which is a dealer fit at around £350.00). My wife fell in love with it on the test drive. I hadn't fallen for anything really, the A4 was noisy and hard, the BMW had no room in the back, the Passat seemed competent but didn't make me want it somehow. And the Mondeo left us cold. After a month I adore it as much as my wife does. It goes like stink, there is no wind noise at 80, though on poor surfaces there is some tyre noise. On good black top it is whisper quiet. The other reported problem, driver position, is, I think, due to the nature of the seats, which, when you find the right position, are brilliant, but feel hard and uncomfortable till you find the exact combinaion of height, tilt, recline and steering wheel tilt and reach. Why no seat memory? Yes there are bits of Mondeo in it, but they are good bits. The engine, gearbox, handling bits. The car is just loads nicer to drive and travel in.

My car

I am now on my third estate in three years. My previous two covered 1000 miles a week effortlessly, and it was always a pleasure to get behind the wheel and trek around the M25 covering 50,000 miles in one year.

Over the three cars, the only problem was new software for the engine management system to rectify a misfire.

Dealers that I have used have always been good and a courtesy car has always been provided.

The only gripe comes from my 14-year-old daughter, who always complaining of no air vents in the rear.

Will I buy another? Yes, but in two years' time it may well be the XF.

My car

I bought the car with 6500 miles on the clock at a considerable saving from new. It has the full equipment and gadget levels and looks smart on its performance alloys.

It is a joy to drive - I can be happily driving at 30mph and can then call upon massive reserves of power on the motorway. Fuel consumption is on the high side (I get an average of 25mpg) but it does lots of local trips and 3.0 V6s have never been frugal.

On the positive side, it does not consume much more than the 2.5 or even the 2.1 V6s. Regular motorway driving, on the other hand, sees 30mpg or above.

What is slightly annoying is the regular trips to my dealership to get things fixed. Luckily (I suppose) I am still under warranty. In six months I have had the following done:

Loose interior trim; software upgrade for the auto gearbox (snatchy changes); front suspension brush replacement; new bonnet latch; new boot switch; new wing mirror motor; new offside temperature gauge sensor; and a new propshaft.

Taking in the above, I don't know why I still like it, to be honest, but compared to a similarly priced BMW or Mercedes, it is fabulously equipped and extremely comfortable. Unfortunately the quality issues have put me off buying another!

My car

Superb! After the grim nightmare of the BMW 520d Touring, this car actually works and brings a huge smile to your face.

The 2.2d engine pulls beautifully, with peak torque from only 1800 revs, unlike the Beamer's 3000revs. The gearbox lets you do 30 in fourth, 40 in fifth and 50 in sixth comfortably, unlike the BMW which wouldn't do any of these.

The controls (especially the voice controls) are simple, safe and clear, unlike the deathtrap iDrive. Also, the Sovereign with sports suspension is silent and corners well, though not as well as the BMW.