Jaguar diesel confirmed

JAGUAR has joined the diesel club in Australia.

From April the mid-sized, BMW 5 Series rivalling S-Type sedan gains a V6 turbo-diesel option.

It joins the Audi A6 3.0 TDI, BMW 530d and Mercedes-Benz E280 CDI in the elite economy express class.

Devised in concert with Peugeot/Citroen, the 2.7-litre twin-turbo-charged unit combines four cams and a 24-valve head with a second-generation common-rail direct injection and piezo electric injector operation that the French refer to as HDI technology.

It produces 153kW of power at 4000rpm and 435Nm of torque at 1900rpm – 80 per cent of which kicks in from 1500 to 4000rpm.

Paired to a six-speed automatic gearbox, the S-Type Diesel does the zero to 100km/h sprint in 8.6 seconds on the way to a 227km/h top speed.

Returning an average of 7.8 litres per 100km, as well as 6.1 and 7.8L/100km in the highway and city cycles respectively, the Diesel V6 is 47 per cent more economical than the 4.2-litre V8 petrol sibling it outstrips in torque availability.

In preparation for any carbon-dioxide emission taxes, Jaguar says the Diesel S-Type’s subsequent CO2 figure is a competitive 208 grams per 100km.

Australians have already sampled variations of this engine in the latest Land Rover Discovery, while a more similar unit will serve the top-line Peugeot 407 HDI Coupe from around March this year.

Specification wise the S-Type Diesel is twinned with its 3.0 V6 petrol Luxury sibling, meaning the booty count includes 18-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, power-adjustable front seats, Bluetooth media capability, satellite navigation, rain-sensing wipers and leather upholstery.

Keen to dispel outdated diesel misconceptions, Jaguar says its engine “isn’t noisy, doesn’t eject large clouds of black sooty smoke” and has “very petrol-like” performance and NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) qualities.

Jaguar Australia boss David Blackhall admits getting around old myths won’t be easy.

“The critical issue for Jaguar will be getting Australians to forget about those old diesel ideas of black smoke, noisy engines and poor performance,” he says.

In Europe’s premium segment that the Jaguar competes in, diesel sales are now at 40 per cent, and catching up on their petrol-engine equivalents.

The price for the S-Type Diesel, which starts at $101,490, means that it sits above Audi’s popular A6 TDI at $97,900 as well as the admittedly more-basic $96,500 E280 CDI Classic, but significantly undercuts the $113,500 530d.