What's Good
'Smaller' rear-drive Jaguar with design cues from 1960s Mk II. Actually far from small at 15' 11" long by 6' wide and weighing from 1,628kg. Began with choice of 240 bhp 3.0 Duratec V6 or 280 bhp 4.0 Jaguar V8 engines. Manual (V6 only) or Ford auto. CATS option of adaptive damping and 17in wheels worth having. Prices started at £26,700 OTR. Good to drive, with immense charm, enough steering feel, decent handling and good ride quality. A success from day one. Six-cylinder manual model the recommended choice. Steering, gearchange and engine management system all improved by early 2001. S and T reg cars came a good 17th in 2001 Top Gear / JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey, ahead of the Toyota Corolla. From January 2002, six-speed automatic 4.2 supercharged S-Type R with huge 541Nm (399lb ft) at 3,500rpm; sixty mph comes up in just 5.3 seconds, top speed limited to 155mph. On the road price is £47,400, combined fuel consumption 22.5mpg and C02 output 314g/km which means a hefty company car BIK tax bill of £6,636 pa for a 40% taxpayer. At the other end of the scale, Jaguar also launched a more BIK friendly 201bhp 2.5 litre V6 engine which, with five-speed manual box pumps out 229g/km and with a retail price of £24,950 means a BIK bill of £2,794. S-Type 2.5 gets to sixty in 8.2 seconds, goes on to 142mph and stretches each gallon 29.6 miles in the combined cycle. Other new offerings are a 2.5 V6 six-speed automatic, a 240bhp 3.0 V6 five-speed manual or six-speed automatic and a 300bhp unsupercharged 4.2V8. On the road prices are £28,900, £29,950, £31,400 and £36,000 respectively. 3 year UNLIMITED MILEAGE warranty on all new Jags sold by UK Jag dealers from 24-1-2002. 207bhp Dagenham built 35mpg 2.7 litre V6 24v TDCi V6 diesel announced 6-6-2003, but not due for sale in UK intil summer 2004. 3.0V6 MANUAL and 4.2V8 6-speed auto RECOMMENDED. 2.5V6 6-speed auto not bad at all. Average number of breakdowns, problems and faults and rated a 'Best Buy' in 2003 Which survey. Comprehensive facelift for 2004 includes aluminium bonnet and wonderful retro cockpit reminiscent of original 1961 E-Type. 2.7 litre twin-turbo AJD V6 diesel from June 2004. 6 speed manual or 6 speed automatic. Has 153kW (206bhp) and 435Nm (320lb ft) torque, 80% between 1,500 and 4,000rpm. Does 0-60 in 8.1 seconds (auto 8.2), tops out at 140mph, offers 40mpg combined and 189g/km CO2. Insurance Group of diesel 14E. Revised S Type pricing from April 2004: From £25,770 for 2.5V6 (Sport or SE £29,770); From £27,670 for 2.7D (Sport or SE £31,670); 3.0V6 Sport or SE £32,270; 4.2V8 SE £37,170 (Sport £38,270); 400bhp S-Type R £49,995. Which? best buy 2004. Which? used best buy £15,000 - £20,000 2004. Used prices now from around £5,000 for early examples.
S-Type 2.5 Plus model from May 2005 at £25,995 has 6 speed automatic, leather, alloys and park distance control.
Very good looking estate version photographed in 2006.
Road test 2001 S-Type 3.0V6 Sport manual at
www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=22
Road test S-Type range with 2002 improvements at
www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=57
Road test S-Type 2.7 diesel at
www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=136
Much more at newly updatedwww.jaguar.co.uk
Jaguar websites finder: Finding great websites fast.
What's Bad
No limited slip diff, so apt to rely on traction control instead. Outclassed in handling, roadholding and safety by W211 E Class Mercedes. Automatic 'J' change of older 5-speed autobox can be sloppy and apt to drop a gear unasked when you're halfway round a corner. These autoboxes are also prone to failure at around 60,000 miles. Early V6 manuals criticised for baulky gearchange and too revvy engine management system. Second-hand prices higher than same age XJ8s. Rare on S-Type problem of V8 blocks suffering Nickasil bore liner problems after 50,000 - 60,000 miles, losing compression and being replaced without question by Jaguar if under 100k miles, under 5 years old, with full Jaguar service history. Timing chain tensioner problems on V8s. Water leaks into boot compartment play havoc with electrics (because that's where the battery sits). Have been problems with Mondeo based electric window winding mechanisms. Typical failures include ignition coils, water leaks, seat motor, window motor, door lock and security alarm faults. Whining of Type R's Eaton supercharger sounds great to start with but can become wearing on the driver. Have been problems of misaligned propshafts, premature disc wear, porous heads on V6s and PAS pump failures. 6-speed autoboxes have required software upgrades, and new electronic parking brake (from 2002MY) has caused excessive rear disc and pad wear. On 2.7 diesel in winter engine pre-heater is close to ventilation system can apt to fill the cabin with fumes. Torque converter failures of 6-speed automatics becoming quite common. Jaguar had fifth highest warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 126.91 v/s lowest 31.93). Jaguar 2nd bottom of Reliability Index for 2004 combining high average cost of repair of £483.26 with high 42.16 failures per 100 Warranty Direct policies. Link:-
www.reliabilityindex.co.uk www.warrantydirect.co.uk now refuses cover on supercharged Jaguar V8s.
Problem of lurching of ZF autobox covered at
www.thelurch.com plus numerous other Jaguar TSBs. This can be cured by using different automatic transmission fluid.
Alarm problem may be due to a faulty 'boot open' switch. Misplaced
sealing ring allows damp to corrode the switch contacts. Cleaning
the contacts solves the problem.
What to Watch Out For
Lumpy feeling V8 engine is a sign of the V8 engine problem above. Rarely affects S Type, but has affected some. Definitely no problem from September 2000 build as had cast iron bore liners from then on. Check all electrics as best you can before buying (particularly important with auction bought cars.) Thread for insertion of rear towing eye is ANTI-CLOCKWISE. This isn't mentioned in the driver's handbook. Listen for noisy timing chain: sign of tensioner problems on V8s. Bonnet safety catch can corrode from road salt and seize open, so does not restrain the bonnet if main catch fails. Make sure the safety catch is well greased and working properly. Needs re-checking at least once a month in the winter.
Recalls
4/10/2000: 2,109 S Types built 5/200 to 7/2000 recalled because part in front seatbelt buckles not to standard and may release the belt when subject to load. All buckle assemblies between production dates to be replaced. 23/11/2000: 18,062 S Types built 1/1999 to 9/2000 recalled because first thread of the ball stud in the front suspension lower ball joint could fracture leading to separation of the lower control arm from the knuckle leading to limited steering control. Ball joints to be checked and vertical links to be replaced if necessary. Defective timing chain tensioner apparently subject to a recall, but cannot give a date. April 2004: Recall because 6-speed automatic can slip into reverse at high speed due to computer software problem (per 'Auto Express' 21-4-2004). TSB (unknown date) Apparently Auto transmission fluid looses viscosity and the remedy is to replace the fluid and reset the adaptive sensors. That might overcome the torque converter problems outlined above.
TSB R-513 recall: On certain passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions, with the forward gear selected and the vehicle stationary or in a forward motion, the gearbox could potentially select reverse gear, without indication.
Internal : With the vehicle stationary, and Drive (D) is selected, the transmission may select Reverse (R) if there is insufficient oil pressure in the transmission and/or a sticking valve within the transmission. If this condition is
present, the vehicle will default to Mechanical Limp Home mode and the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) will illuminate.
TSB S307-17. Drifting of program for adaptive learning. Now involves both engine AND gearbox reprogramming to address customer concern of harsh transmission shifts, particularly 3 - 2, 2 -1 roll out and 1-2 up-shifts The adaptive shift strategy drifting over time causing higher than normal clutch pressures. To eliminate the issues outlined in the summary the transmission adaptions must be cleared and the Transmission Control Module (TCM) and the Engine Control Module (ECM) should be re-configured using the Worldwide Diagnostic System (WDS) with software release JTP 759/35 or later. Should a customer express concern, follow the Service Instruction outlined below.
TSB S307-15 This Technical Bulletin has been issued to address customer concerns of a squeal or squeak noise heard during gearshifts under acceleration.
TSB S307-14 This Technical Bulletin has been issued to address a customer concern of a surge in excess of 150rpm during engine warm up, at a temperature of 30°C to 50°C and at a vehicle speed in the region of 40mph (64.3kph) to 60mph (96.5kph).
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