When it was introduced more than five years ago, we thought the Jaguar S-Type was a commendable attempt to get more budget-conscious shoppers into a Jag, but the car's interior was somewhat lackluster and decidedly un-Jag-like. Subsequent years brought small refinements that slowly upgraded the cabin to the point where the car now looks and feels like a proper Jaguar. The most notable changes occurred in 2003 when the S-Type added an upgraded touchscreen, better voice recognition technology, a six-speed automatic transmission, adjustable pedals and stability control to its standard equipment list. There were also new seats, an adaptive restraint system and side-curtain airbags for front and rear passengers. Not a bad list, but apparently Jaguar didn't think that was enough, as the S-Type has received yet another wave of minor changes for 2005. They can best be described as incremental, but when it comes to luxury cars, every little bit helps.
Depending on your perspective, one of two changes will seem the most significant. If you're looking for ways to spend extra money, you'll be interested in the new Vanden Plas package on the S-Type V8. If you're looking to make the most of your performance car budget, you'll likely find the reduced price of the S-Type R more compelling. Since many of us consider it a badge of honor to be labeled "thrifty," we'll start with the price reduction.
Intended to be more competitive with sedans like the BMW 545i, the S-Type R's base price is now $58,330 — $4,000 less than last year's model. Both the 545i and the S-Type offer comparable equipment, but the Jag offers 390 horsepower and 399 pound-feet of torque, while the BMW has 325 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque. Of course, you could always cross-shop the S-Type R with the Mercedes-Benz E55, which offers almost 80 more horsepower, but at $78,000, the Benz seems a bit pricey for the extra ponies (roughly $250 per horse).
While we may have just stumbled upon our next comparison test matchup, we feel content at this point to simply say that the S-Type R is a bargain in the world of high-powered European super sedans — and the recent price reduction doesn't hurt its case. Sure, many of us feel certain that our penny-pinching ways will someday net us a child's college tuition, a remodeled kitchen, a vintage big-block Olds or a European vacation of our choice, but let's not forget that the "discounted" car we're talking about here is a 390-hp, supercharged performance sedan that can jet from zero to 60 mph in just over five seconds — the S-Type R is a fast car and deserves to be regarded as one of the finer performance sedans on the road.
Now if you feel more drawn to luxury than supercharged performance, you'll want to note the fact that the standard V8 S-Type now offers an upscale Vanden Plas (VDP) package as an option. For an extra $3,300, you can dress up your midsize Jag to look and feel more like its big brother, the XJ. The VDP package gets you luxurious deep-pile carpeted floor mats, accent borders on the premium heated leather seats, a power rear sunshade, chrome exterior mirrors, xenon headlights and unique 17-inch alloy wheels. The VDP package also includes burl walnut wood trim that lends a real upscale atmosphere to the interior. If you've steered clear of the S-Type in the past because it didn't meet your luxury expectations, the VDP package will calm those concerns. The Vanden Plas version doesn't drive any differently than the normal V8-powered S-Type, but it does feel more like a Jaguar should.
In addition to the new VDP option, the S-Type offers a less traditional aluminum interior package. This is the first Jaguar sedan to offer something other than wood as the interior trim, and it is available only in conjunction with the Sport package on regular S-Type models, and on the S-Type R. While the wood trim (especially in the VDP) provides a warm and distinctly English feel to the S-Type, the aluminum looks more modern and performance-oriented. The effect is that the S-Type seems a little more German or Japanese in flavor. Again, there are no mechanical differences with this package, but both the VDP option and the aluminum trim option expand the S-Type lineup to the point where there should be enough choices to please everyone.
In presenting the S-Type, Jaguar made a conscious effort to call the car's changes "continuous improvements," but really, most of these improvements are aesthetic. The exterior styling has been revised slightly, but the changes are subtle. The front and rear fascias were cleaned up a bit, while the taillights have been pared down for a tighter look. The front of the car looks very similar to the previous year's version, but the reshaped lower grille adds to the freshened feel of the exterior styling. The overall effect of these changes is that the S-Type looks sportier and slightly fresher for the 2005 model year.
Although styling plays a key role in making a car seem up-to-date, Jaguar has made some changes to the S-Type that go beyond cosmetics. The new look is partly the result of a reengineered body that makes for tighter panel fits throughout the car. To improve weight distribution, the S-Type now has an aluminum hood. As a result of the tighter body, the structural rigidity of the car has been improved by about 10 percent. From behind the wheel, you'd be hard-pressed to notice a big difference in the driving dynamics, as the previous model already had a solid chassis. The 294-hp V8 complements the S-Type's dynamics, as it provides more than adequate power and delivers it in a typically refined Jaguar fashion. Obviously the R is much quicker, but as we've noted before, the ride is much firmer.
So although the S-Type's changes for 2005 are subtle, they do add up to significantly more choices for the consumer. Mechanically, the car offers no vast improvement over the 2004 version, but the S-Type was already a fine car. The real improvements come in the form of styling changes, increased optional equipment and a reduced sticker for the top-of-the-line R model. Granted, none of these changes are drastic or deliver the sort of "bang" you get from a full redesign, but as the S-Type lineup grows more diverse, the result could be a much wider appeal.
Depending on your perspective, one of two changes will seem the most significant. If you're looking for ways to spend extra money, you'll be interested in the new Vanden Plas package on the S-Type V8. If you're looking to make the most of your performance car budget, you'll likely find the reduced price of the S-Type R more compelling. Since many of us consider it a badge of honor to be labeled "thrifty," we'll start with the price reduction.
Intended to be more competitive with sedans like the BMW 545i, the S-Type R's base price is now $58,330 — $4,000 less than last year's model. Both the 545i and the S-Type offer comparable equipment, but the Jag offers 390 horsepower and 399 pound-feet of torque, while the BMW has 325 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque. Of course, you could always cross-shop the S-Type R with the Mercedes-Benz E55, which offers almost 80 more horsepower, but at $78,000, the Benz seems a bit pricey for the extra ponies (roughly $250 per horse).
While we may have just stumbled upon our next comparison test matchup, we feel content at this point to simply say that the S-Type R is a bargain in the world of high-powered European super sedans — and the recent price reduction doesn't hurt its case. Sure, many of us feel certain that our penny-pinching ways will someday net us a child's college tuition, a remodeled kitchen, a vintage big-block Olds or a European vacation of our choice, but let's not forget that the "discounted" car we're talking about here is a 390-hp, supercharged performance sedan that can jet from zero to 60 mph in just over five seconds — the S-Type R is a fast car and deserves to be regarded as one of the finer performance sedans on the road.
Now if you feel more drawn to luxury than supercharged performance, you'll want to note the fact that the standard V8 S-Type now offers an upscale Vanden Plas (VDP) package as an option. For an extra $3,300, you can dress up your midsize Jag to look and feel more like its big brother, the XJ. The VDP package gets you luxurious deep-pile carpeted floor mats, accent borders on the premium heated leather seats, a power rear sunshade, chrome exterior mirrors, xenon headlights and unique 17-inch alloy wheels. The VDP package also includes burl walnut wood trim that lends a real upscale atmosphere to the interior. If you've steered clear of the S-Type in the past because it didn't meet your luxury expectations, the VDP package will calm those concerns. The Vanden Plas version doesn't drive any differently than the normal V8-powered S-Type, but it does feel more like a Jaguar should.
In addition to the new VDP option, the S-Type offers a less traditional aluminum interior package. This is the first Jaguar sedan to offer something other than wood as the interior trim, and it is available only in conjunction with the Sport package on regular S-Type models, and on the S-Type R. While the wood trim (especially in the VDP) provides a warm and distinctly English feel to the S-Type, the aluminum looks more modern and performance-oriented. The effect is that the S-Type seems a little more German or Japanese in flavor. Again, there are no mechanical differences with this package, but both the VDP option and the aluminum trim option expand the S-Type lineup to the point where there should be enough choices to please everyone.
In presenting the S-Type, Jaguar made a conscious effort to call the car's changes "continuous improvements," but really, most of these improvements are aesthetic. The exterior styling has been revised slightly, but the changes are subtle. The front and rear fascias were cleaned up a bit, while the taillights have been pared down for a tighter look. The front of the car looks very similar to the previous year's version, but the reshaped lower grille adds to the freshened feel of the exterior styling. The overall effect of these changes is that the S-Type looks sportier and slightly fresher for the 2005 model year.
Although styling plays a key role in making a car seem up-to-date, Jaguar has made some changes to the S-Type that go beyond cosmetics. The new look is partly the result of a reengineered body that makes for tighter panel fits throughout the car. To improve weight distribution, the S-Type now has an aluminum hood. As a result of the tighter body, the structural rigidity of the car has been improved by about 10 percent. From behind the wheel, you'd be hard-pressed to notice a big difference in the driving dynamics, as the previous model already had a solid chassis. The 294-hp V8 complements the S-Type's dynamics, as it provides more than adequate power and delivers it in a typically refined Jaguar fashion. Obviously the R is much quicker, but as we've noted before, the ride is much firmer.
So although the S-Type's changes for 2005 are subtle, they do add up to significantly more choices for the consumer. Mechanically, the car offers no vast improvement over the 2004 version, but the S-Type was already a fine car. The real improvements come in the form of styling changes, increased optional equipment and a reduced sticker for the top-of-the-line R model. Granted, none of these changes are drastic or deliver the sort of "bang" you get from a full redesign, but as the S-Type lineup grows more diverse, the result could be a much wider appeal.
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