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Peugeot 1007 Sport 1.4 HDI - Diesel Road test

DIESEL MOTORING

Jaguar XJ 2.7 TDVi

Jaguar's top cat now runs on lo-cal cream. Simon Hacker did the taste test

As any Rover unemployee might tell you, it's not easy making British cars. Your brand has to remain faithful to expectation, yet shift with the times, too. Under Ford's tutelage, Jaguar had a promising few years but the weakness of the dollar has turned Jaguar's biggest export market into a steep slope. And back in Europe, German rivals, thanks to the increasing smoothness of their diesels, have left the Coventry-based badge with a shrinking slice of the European pie. So having committed the sacrilege of appending the utilitarian 'D' word onto lesser models two years ago, the aluminium flagship has finally been cowed into submission.

Come on now, surely that's good news for execs with a conscience?
The Jaguar Owners Club might take more convincing. Any arguable ignominy is a necessity though - from Peterborough to Pisa, Europe's bosses are gagging for any trick to shave their expenses and preserve their perks. So when it arrives in late September, it'll be grilled on its true economics long before anyone turns the key. The headline price, just £43,995 on-the-road, makes a good start. The credible rivals trail behind: Audi's three-litre TDI A8 hammers home at £48,365 and BMW's same-size 7 Series does little better at £47,500. And as for Mercedes' the S-Class 3.2 CDI won't get out of bed for less than £51,835 (and is up for replacement next April, so will soon look old hat).

So how's its housekeeping?
Like a reformed drunk. Overall, it ekes out 35mpg from the twin-turbo unit, which is a joint development with Peugeot and Citroen. And with a CO2 rating of 214 grammes per kilometre, you're piloting a class-leading ecostat.

Goodo, but does cheap mean nasty?
Come on, you already know the answer. For this model's first drive, Jaguar filled a car park at dawn with idling test models while journalists snoozed on unperturbed in their beds, mere metres away. Behind the wheel, it's the same. Forget any idea of shattering clatter: this is the same-old, predictable, double-cream experience you'd encounter in any Jag. The spec's nice and spendy, too: all cars, from the Executive badge up, get cruise control, air-damped suspension, dynamic stability control and something nerdy called A.R.T.S. which is basically Jaguar´s advanced safety wizardry. Leather and automatic climate control are, naturally, standard, along with electric adjustment for the steering column and pedals, power-adjustable front seats and, that vital signature, a burr walnut veneer on the dash and doors.

And any loss of driving pleasure?
Hardly. That 204bhp and walloping 435 Newton metres of twin-turbo'ed torque makes this an effortless overtaker. The 7.8 second dash to 62mph places the car comfortably inside the brisk category, too. Top-end overtaking marks the only point where it feels slightly asthmatic (so the 141mph top speed is best viewed as an academic point), but that niggle is more than compensated for by the sheer pleasure of piloting this precise machine though everyday traffic. For lithe and nimble motoring, it's the class leader. Jaguar's paranoia at the risk of offering a noisy newcomer even goes so far as the design of all the car's glass: it's acoustically tuned to mute any possible wind or engine noise by up to five decibels when compared to the standard, laminated alternative.

Does the big cat still purr nicely? Driving is believing.

Tiscali rating: 9/10 Darned near purr-fect

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