JAGUARS were once thought of as only for the rich. But with the launch of the X-Type in 2001 all that changed as the marque became much more attainable.
But being able to attain a car and being able to afford to run it can be two different things. And this is where the X-Type diesel scores.
Over a week of driving one, covering some 400 miles on varying roads, I recorded an average fuel consumption of 46 miles per gallon - a sensible figure by anyone's standards. The X-Type diesel is a Jaguar you can drive without having to worry about a plunging fuel gauge.
But the nice thing about the baby Jag is that along with good fuel consumption comes good performance motoring.
As anyone who knows anything about diesels will tell you, the latest generation are not only frugal but offer superb performance. In fact if they didn't you wouldn't find one in a Jaguar.
The Midland company resisted going down the diesel path for years, despite being aware that it was losing customers to rivals like Mercedes-Benz, because it was determined to wait for a diesel which would live up to the sporting nature of the Jaguar heritage.
Now you can get diesel engines in both the X-Type and the S-Type, although if you were a passenger in either you probably wouldn't even notice, so refined are these new power plants.
And make no mistake about it, this may be the baby of the Jaguar range but that does not mean it has fewer Jaguar qualities.
A quick look inside my SE test model revealed the traditional sea of leather and wood that one tends to associate with the marque. As soon as I sat inside it quickly became obvious that, in many ways, this was really a scaled down version of its bigger brother, the Jaguar XJ.
The lowest price Jaguar it might be but there is still quality British craftsmanship in abundance.
In some ways the X-Type is my favourite Jaguar saloon. After all you get everything you buy a Jaguar for wrapped up in a smaller package, which makes it easier to manoeuvre and much easier to park.
And just because it is small doesn't mean you have to skimp on luggage. The designers have somehow managed to incorporate an unexpectedly huge boot on a Mondeo-sized car.
Inside too there is a sensible amount of space. Rear seat passengers don't have to suffer the discomfort of having their legs tucked underneath their chin.
On the road, the two-litre engine is well matched to the size of the car and delivers brisk acceleration, particularly in third gear. Unlike some diesel engines, however, you have to wind this one up to achieve that acceleration. That is more a characteristic of the car than a fault.
The Jaguar is engineered to offer relaxed cruising with strong top-end power and considerable mid-range flexibility.
The ride is up to true Jaguar standards and the road holding is as good as you would expect from one of the world's best performance car makers.
FAST FACTS
Jaguar X-Type 2.0D SE
Price: £22,995
Mechanical: 128bhp, 1,998cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 5-spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 125mph
0-62mph: 9.9 secs
Combined mpg: 50.3
Insurance group: 13
CO2 emissions: 149g/km
BiK rating: 18%
Warranty: 3yrs/ unlimited mileage; 6yrs anti-rust; 3yrs paint.