2003 Jaguar S-Type R Engine, Suspension, & Interior Review

While the entire model range is available with a new, ultra-quick and mega-smart ZF six-speed automatic -- the same one found in the new BMW 745i -- the 3.0 comes standard with the Getrag five-speed manual. Unfortunately, still no stick shifts are available for the V-8 models. Automatic gear selection is controlled via Jaguar's hallmark good-news/bad-news J-gate shifter. It's still bad news if you disagree with those who think the J-gate is clever. Like a manual-shift gate's H pattern, the J pattern, by its design, informs a driver what gear he's selected simply by where his hand falls -- unlike a traditional, inline PRNDL. The good news is the lever's action itself has been drastically improved with more distinct, more positive, and progressively more resistant detents. Additionally, the new six-speed required reprogramming of the shift logic. In the R we drove, the new software produces better, more manual transmission-like gear holding in corners and up and down hills, and more recognizable downshifts when slowing for a bend or corner. Depressing the sport button excludes sixth gear (overdrive) and hastens the upshifts.

From behind the wood and leather steering wheel, the changes and upgrades wrought to the cabin are substantial. The previous instrument panel, with its half-moon-shaped upper-console section, has been tossed in favor of a more traditional and elegant design. The leather is more supple, the ergonomics have improved, and the materials appear more upscale than those in previous S-Types. Another Jaguar first is a push-button electronic park brake that can be applied or released manually. However, the brake is automatically engaged when the ignition key is removed, and released when the gear selector is moved from Park. A new single-piece magnesium casting lies at the foundation of the entire dash panel, tightening fixed points for attachment of all related components. Jaguar's adaptive restraint system, which tailors airbag deployment according to occupant size and position, has now found its way into the S-Type from more costly models. Overall, the cabin is now a much nicer and more Jaguar-like environment.

The S-Type's suspension hardware and tuning have been thoroughly revised for the '03 lineup, and the R model best demonstrates this improvement. Combining a 10-percent-stiffer body with the addition of a new peripheral steel front subframe, new aluminum front A-arms (two-piece lowers), computer-controlled two-stage adaptive shock absorbers (on sport models), and tubular anti-roll bars, the new S-Type minimizes the effects of changes in track and camber. The result is a smooth highway ride and responsive back-road handling with a silent, solid, and sure-footed nature. The ride quality itself is best characterized by an almost casual competence. Somehow, even with 40-series front tires and 35 rears, the plushness of the S-Type R's ride is not compromised by its deceptively high limits of absolute grip and roadholding. This anomalous, soft-yet-firm behavior really impresses. Not once in our drive did we feel battered by harshness nor lulled to sleep by pillowy-soft isolation.