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Review Of The S-Type 2000 Jaguar

The release of the new S-Type 2000 Jaguar, a direct descendant of Morse’s trusty steed has thrown up many criticisms. Apparently, it has its good and bad points. But, how does it compare to the original S-Type Jaguar, which we are so used to seeing in the Inspector Morse series?

The style has come under particular attack, it is agreed that, yes, it looks like a Jauar but, for the true Jaguar fan there are perhaps one too many mismatches of style on the exterior to put it up there with Morse’s car. The back is a concern. James. R. Healy from ‘U.S.A Today’ claims that owing to the ‘common’ features, including triangular tail lights from the back the S-Type could be ‘anything from a Lincoln to a Sedan’.

The S-Type’s suspension was deliberately kept stiff so it handles more like a sports Sedan. One Jaguar engineer points out that ‘if you tune the suspension for the bumpy bits, it’s not a Jaguar’. Still, as Healey points out how can one possibly justify a bumpy ride in a top of the range car? To the Jaguar’s credit, it is only in a small number of locations in the U.S.A. that the suspension becomes a noticeable problem. English buyers are unlikely to find it a problem at all as we cannot possibly recreate the dust bowl roads of Southern California (where the roads bought out the worst of the Jaguar’s suspension).

Limited space inside is also a problem; the back seat looks sumptuous but is fairly uninviting due to the space restricting rounded back of the car. The gearbox, although a massive improvement on handling is complicated and can lead to shudders when going up hills

Despite these minor glitches Healy confesses that overall the S-Type 2000 Jaguar is a car that anyone would yearn to own. It seems that the beauty and handling of the car far outweighs the minor problem of driving too fast in Southern California!

Morse’s S-Type will always remain a classic, its beauty is compelling and its style is unmatched by any other car on the road. The arrival of the new S-Type is a tribute to the initial strengths of design and engineering that make Jaguar cars some of the most desirable on the planet.