And once again I go once auto trader and have a browse. Damn you Jay I really can't afford this habit.

used to really hate these (non type r) mostly for the looks, however in the context of modern cars this one is actually really appealing

I’ve had an 06’ S type R for 5 years. It’s been a great vehicle and never left me stranded. I almost have 150k miles on it. Flooring it and hearing the supercharger whine always puts a smile on my face. The car has turned me into a jaaaag man. My next vehicle will be another Jag.

I am 28 and I got my S-type as well :D This cas has a soul!

I bought my Jaguar XF S at 19 years old and loved it, good on him !

It may be the pride of England but we Americans love Jaguars.

Love these, one currently sat outside my house! Though I'd argue, its more of an M5 competitor, due to their size.

Wanting a Supercharged RWD V8 is not indicative of an older soul, just a driver's soul.

It's the most Beautiful 4 door jaguar ever made in my opinion

I drove my first S-type at 18 years old, but bought my very own 2002 2.5L V6 S-type when I was 20. Lovely car, it is an absolute dream to drive in. Wonderful handling, beautiful sound from the 200hp V6, simply incredible.

Respect to Alex for having such a lovely car at 23 what a sensible young chap. 👍

Bimmer 5 series and Mercs E Class size..... also both M5 and S type R have V8 in same era......so more of a M5 competitor

This car of course was one of the first jaguars under Ford. They were certainly a step up in terms of reliability. They were also sold in the United States, and Ford also sold a similar version of the car as the Lincoln LS. They're mostly gone now also. Now that they are old, the fact that they are filled with Ford components makes them easier to work on. But as you say, most people did not consider these cars very special

The S-type would be an alternative to a Bmw M5, since it shares the same car segment (the S-type lenght is 488cm, even longer than a 5 series of this time). I don't really understand why would you compare it to an M3

At 2:06 - surely Rover 75, not 45? I remember, first hand, the excitement both of these cars and the BMW Mini prototype caused at the NEC. A very, very short-lived British, Blairesque, renaissance.

Uncle had a 2004 S type R. It was an animal. Will always have a soft spot for these.

This channel just keeps getting better & better. I love reviews of underappreciated cars which are a relatively rare site on British roads. Great work 👍

The chassis was shared with Thunderbird and Lincoln LS. Compared to some other cars with the same 6 speed ZF speed transmission the shifting is snappy. Jaguar does a good job turning the ZF units including the ZF mechanical steering racks. The first gen of the last XJ also used the 6 speed with the 470 and 510hp variants. So this was a premium-ish chassis that surprisingly continued on - with some reinforcements I think - in the first gen steel body. The non R versions of the car have a surprisingly supple ride. And I do think even the 3.0 V6 is a good powertrain. Even the 6 feels snappy at low speed and likes to rev more than you would think. One friend has a 2005 (refresh front end) in red that is in fabulous condition. I totally would drive one of these as a daily driver. As a vehicle it is a quality item with good parts availability because Ford. And believe it or not the Ford parts have continued for a long time at JLR.

Oh I do miss my S-type. The owner of this jag sounds very much like me. An old man soul - give me Jags and Lexus anyday. Jaguar's just always have a...feeling only a jaguar gives, and the balance of comfort and handling is always spot on

I've been a Jag owner since i was about the same age and absolutely love them. I currently have an S type R and it is the second longest i have ever owned a single Jaguar for (4 years and counting) and im not sure i'll let go of her any time soon!

I once drove an S-Type Supercharged and it was an ABSOLUTE MONSTER - FAST AS HELL and humbled many a BMW/AUDI/PORSCHE driver at the lights or on the straight. I called it the -'Assasin in a Savile Row suit'.

I have always had a penchant for the Jaguar S type R I must say. Very rapid yet distinguished and lush and comfortable and quite understated. Just the kind of car I like. I never bought one when I came into money as I decided to go for something with a warranty and all weather traction (essential for me due to peevish surly British weather) so I went for a one year old Golf R and I could not have been happier with my choice. I do see a S type R often where I live though and I will always gaze at it admiringly. Every time. A very special car.

I’ve got a 2006 V6 2.7d - it has a lot of torque and it’s a lovely refined drive too.

M3. Don't make me laugh, this was an M5 Rival.

Saloons with big engines are very much my thing. Jags with an extra R, niiiiiice.

I ❤️❤️❤️ my Jaguar S-Type. It drive like a dream. I also get many compliments, mostly due to the "leaper" on the hood

I had one of these 15 years ago for 3 years it never went wrong at all then had a e39 m5 which was more fun but had so many issues great car though my mate at the same time had a rs6 that was always at the dealership broken the jags are more reliable than people think my current xfr has been faultless also

I had it for 7 years. Blue with beige interiors. Elegant, silent. Some expensive repair, yes. But it has been the best car i ever had. A car with as soul, really.

That supercharger has a broken torsion spring in the torsional isolator. That is what is causing the rattle noise from the engine compartment. It won’t reduce the life of the supercharger but, it will be noisy. I was a QE with the supplier of the supercharger and a warranty analysis expert.

I have an XJ Super V8 on the drive at the moment (it's going to a friend next week). It's a cool thing.

Though I never owned a Jaguar, but this one is a true beauty, a piece of art. Mint condition among all I’ve seen.

I have been watching a lot of your channel recently. It reminds me of top gear when it was actually about reviewing cars and not pulling ridiculous fake stunts. Thank you!

I owned a S type 4,2L V8 and I can honestly say the car was faultless for 4 years of ownership. Loved the car...

Love these STRS. bought my first jag stype v6 at 19 and first STR at 21. What a beautiful machine to drive

Love these, I considered a XJR instead of my E92 M3 as my first "quick car" at 19, both the S type R and XJR are very understated and way cheaper to maintain and run than what the bimmer was

I'd take this Jag over an M3 any day of the week, I love the way they look and that 4.2l Supercharged V8 is amazing, I believe it's the greatest V8 engine ever made.

I guess I'm alone in thinking The S-Class looked pretty as most Jaguars do especially in the right color. That distinctive front end you could never mistake it for anything else in your rearview mirror.

I never understood why James May hated the S-Type so much. I drove the SE for many years, it was comfortable, easy to drive, reliable and had a lovely V8.

I’ve had a 3.0 manual since I was 20. Great cars , I think the looks have aged well and they look a lot more than their worth.

Ive owned both the 2003 and 2005 versions of this car (the main differences being slightly lower weight and small cosmetic updates in the 05 version) Its a surprisingly reliable car despite being a Jag. This of course being due to the fact that the chassis comes from a Lincoln LS and engine from Lincoln as well (originally a 4.0 liter) and numerous other parts coming from Fords parts bin. This helped with reliability (unlike the XJ which suffered from unreliability, specially those air suspensions). Most dont realize that when the S type R came out in 2003 it did 0-60 in the same time the 2003 corvette did. Problem is Ford failed to or was unwilling to make upgrades. The power remained the same from 2003-2007 when it was discontinued. meanwhile BMW, Merc etc are upgrading their salons pretty much yearly. Unfortunately at this stage the plastics, wiring etc on these jags are suffering from age, even low mileage ones will give you electrical issues, cracked plastics in the interior and of course, rust.

Got my S-Type last year at 18 y/o. Awesome car and nobody else has one here in nyc.

"There was never a 4 cylinder in the front.." just the way it should be 😏

im 16 years old and i have a 3.0 petrol paired with a 5 speed manual waiting for me to get my licence. also only has 103k miles! :D

2:03 Rover 75

Had S Types for more than fifteen years - the last a 2004 Ultra Violet (blue)S Type R which I brought with 12,000 miles on the odometer and put 168,000 miles on before trading her in when I retired. I absolutely loved her - tweaked her a bit (well quite a lot in truth) and at one time she was pushing out 570bhp on the rolling road and was lightening quick especially in the mid range. So much so you had to indicate, move out to overtake before flooring it if you wanted to avoid piling into the back of the car you were planning to overtake. Electrics were its Achilles heel but more so in the earlier cars.

Platform shared with the Lincoln LS, another great car, rather unappreciated as well😊

I had a 2003 S type sport V6 !3,0Lwith a five speed in BRG of course. My first Jag. It was a great car and a lot of fun to drive. The only problem I ever had was the fuel pump went on me and I put about 50,000 miles on the car before I sold it. I have a New I pace now and would love to get an F pace manual. I just need to get another parking space in Brooklyn. I got interested in British cars because my father had a 1964 Aston Martin DB4 convertible. A four-speed with overdrive. The clutch on the car was a monster.

Fully independent suspension front and rear. Unbeatable!

I recently bought a 2002 S Type R in Slate Grey, which suits the car. It has FULL service history with about 167,000 miles and was fully imported from new into New Zealand in 2002 - no covid restrictions to travel at this time so it's on the road...

The S-Type was a BMW 5er competitor (so M5 for this variant). The X-Type was the 3er competitor. The S-Type platform was the DEW98 and was shared with the Lincoln LS and Ford Thunderbird, while the X-Type was based on the Ford Mondeo hence the requirement for 4WD to provide differentiation and justification for the pricing at launch.

I've got one. Best car I've ever had. Big fan of the Sweeney as a child and still am. No brainier really. Very reliable too.

No mention of Sting's "Desert Rose" video? That video introduced the S-type to the world much the same way as "Transformers" was used to introduce the new Camero some years later. Sting / Desert Rose > Transformers IMHO. It became my wife's favorite car after that video and we got her one in 2005. It wasn't the R, her's had the very adequate 300 hp V8 in British Racing Green. It was an upgrade in everyway from the Audi A6 we traded. Better looking, better performance, and much more reliable.

Bought my first Jag at 21 yrs old. Never looked back since.

If you’re ever interested Jay, I’ve got a 2002 Jaguar S Type R sat on the drive that looks standard but has a shorter supercharger pulley and remapped ECU. I also have a 1998 Jaguar XKR convertible that you can have a go in. Both in British Racing Green!

I liked the S-Type when it was launched, but to me the have aged VERY well indeed. This car, colour aso, is a tasty nugget if you ask me.

Good on the lad, I had considered the STR when I was 21 (Not that long ago) but preferred the X308 body of the XJR instead and there honestly there wasn't much between them other than the 200CC and 1 gear ratio. I have since sold the car and wanted this but the lack of manual control from the auto was a bit off putting having a J gate again. As you said yourself I do rather associate the old style of quad headlight and shallow buttresses with the scoundrel's of a bygone era.

I absolutely love them. There's one that was done up, body and suspension mods and it is a ripper. That chassis will take the 5.0 5.2 aluminum DOHC mustang motors and gearbox. As well as performance suspension bits from other cars like that lincoln ls and mustangs.

These are pretty sharp looking in R spec, just enough to make you look and sleeper enough to fly under the radar😎👍❗

I have one just like that, 05 STR, love it, smooth and powerful, love the supercharger whine. Wish in the drive by shots the owner was pushing it more. Thanks

Great cars. My dad had one of these brand new, all options ticked and in green, was a lovely car.

8:29 - I thought that was a ghost, totally didn't expect the owner to sit in the back

Had S-Type , then changed it to XF. Silliest move from my side. When you look at S-type, you know it is S-type and you know its S-type when you are driving one. XF on other side is boring to drive and without looking at the back of the car, you cant tell it apart form other 50 cars that have same boring looks. So yeah, if you are looking to get one, don't hesitate. Just make sure it is not badly rusted ;)

got our 5th one since feb last year, lovely cars to buy and sell if you are able to import parts at a good price. we've saved 2 and they are doing well now with completely overhauled engines, new rims and wheels and paintjobs that are just stunning!

I think it’s a gorgeous and timeless car.

This Jag looks a lot of fun, another great video, thanks again. Happy New Year, and here's to more great content in 2021, thanks.

I never got the S-Type hate. I’ve loved these for twenty years. I would kill for an R, especially in BRG. The later years look fantastic.

Saw one of these go round Goodwood on a trackday once. Sounded like hell

I bought a year old V8 in 2000, at the time, I was a relatively young owner myself, had it for 9 years, sold it on at 196k. Loved it.

I had one for about 4 years in the US, it was okay. Biggest cons; bad transmission behavior, open differential, heatsoak, it never sounded like a proper v8, no torque under 2k rpm. Pros; brakes, glorious powerband, supercharger whine, elegant interior/exterior with subtle muscle car vibes. The transmission really ruined it for me, keeping it in sport mode helped. It just didn’t want to be in the gear you wanted no matter how hard. At the drag strip (13.6) it would spin through 3rd gear. Repair costs weren’t cheap either. It’s more of an autobahn cruiser, it’s just not happy putting around town.

That is a great car and very underrated.

Young guy with an old soul, that sounds a bit like me. My first car was also an S-Type (sadly only the diesel). I was 19 and now, nearly 12 years later, I still love it. It was the start of my love affair with british cars. At the Moment 6 of 9 are british, and I hope I can finish my Scimitar project in 2021. Many thanks for your great videos, and all the best for next year!

I replaced the front brakes on one of these back in the day. I remember them beeing massive! From the test drive I remember it had a quite impressive straight line performance, and was very planted, but not really agile. It's a great car for journeys and Autobahn travel 👍🏼

I really like the interior of Jags from this era for some reason. Also, the S type competed with the 5 series and the e class.

I LOVE the sound of a supercharged engine on full chat.

Great car. Like most Jags they look better with time.

Can't get rid of mine. Have it alongside my S1 Elise and it's been fabulous. My second S type - they've been on track from Oulton Park to the 'Ring and the only work that needed doing was after that day at Oulton riding the kerbs (a bit of suspension work - the Caterham I spanked at Druids - which was the reason the Jag was on there - cost me over 5 grand! 🤯😳). I simply can't purchase another car under 20-30K that would be as fast, cosseting, lovely and reliable as this - I just love her. I may get a Porker turbo next (the Elise will stay BTW) ... or maybe a Range Rover (or Aston Martin - minus supercharger if forced to (same base engine but less powerful on the Aston etc - look it up 😉). Mine now has around 160K and has been utterly reliable. My previous S type did 60K with one piece of work on the gearbox fork (I was one of the few people ever to specify a manual form new on that one) done under warranty. Post 2004 with the timing chain upgrade these are a ridiculous opportunity to experience something otherworldly which is supremely capable, luxurious and genuinely ... really very .... reliable. Just my experience over a couple of hundred thousand miles in these cars with ... quite clearly ... some spirited driving. I'm a happy Jaaaaag lover 👌😉

I had one of these and loved it but the transmission does let it down. Mine was in Jag World magazine and compared favourably with the M5 they tested with it.

I have a 2000 V6 3.0...... Replacement gear box, replacement rear sub frame, replacement glove box, replacement discs , replacement fuel filter , new AC compressor, replacement radiator & water pump. Altogether around £3,000..... but i love it and it is the best car i have ever owned.

Nearly bought one 20 years ago but put off by the "unreliable " tag. That one looks a good un . Interesting that it rides better than the newer stuff, keep hearing that a lot . Progress is a hard riding, physics defying, crossover.

Always had a soft spot for the S-Type R, however much prefer the looks of the pre-facelift version

It's a Jaaaaaaag, great review of a car from a bygone era, thanks Jay.

Thinking about getting one this year looking at the same color one with 62k miles $13k ! I already have a 00' lesabre so I wouldnt have to drive it everyday even though I hear good things about the reliability.

Great. Was looking at these before based on my own research and now they're going to go up in price. Thanks for that.

Yes, I'm a petrol head and enjoy cars with some horses, but i have always loved the S-Type with those wooden interiors and crome finishes at the outside, smooth V8 under the bonnet of course. And yes, I'm 20 years old. Only if it would have air suspension I think it would be perfect.

Yes!! A big bruiser barge video, thanks Jay, love it!!

Platform was shared with the Ford Lincoln, Its a great car I know a retired ex 60's Le Mans Jaguar racer who chose one as his daily driver and another 60's saloon car racer who bought a 4.0 V8. I drove them new in my late 20s retro styled but very capable cars back in the day.

Another excellent review really enjoying your channel. Seriously contemplating one of these. Got a 65 plate 330d at mo which is a great car on paper but I've got zero emotional attachment to it.

I miss my 2006 STR, it was an odd beast and marmite for most but I loved it. The ride was great and the engine effortless, in fact I put mine up against a friends M3 (SMG version) and his response was 'I had to turn aircon & DSC off and put it in sportiest mode just to keep up'. I had several issues though including: CAT Failure (Not cheap £1000 per bank) - I Actually pulled 390BHP on a RR with the CAT failure and CEL light on at a TVR meet. Came 2nd to a LS1 powered Tuscan, the Jag mechanic onsite that day reckons it would have pulled closer to 420 without the awful fuelling due to the errors. Bush replacements >£1000 Water pipe under the super charger failure Water pipe to the expansion bottle failure Constant rear tyres :) Battery always having to be maintained during winter, any drop in charge would cause multiple system failures and limp mode. Rust starting to appear on sills Apart from that it was a great car, traded it in for an Auid Q5 diesel :( Thanks for the Vid

We had an S-Type (3.0 V6) and loved it to bits; it was my first car. The XK8 / XK8 is not a rehashed XJS, however! Unfortunately it succumed to rust of Germany's salted roads.

Great video Jay. Thanks for reviewing this "my favorite" Jaguar S type R with the supercharged V8.

Had x2 of these quite a few years ago... still love em.. the seats were sooo comfortable over a long journey, haven’t had a car since with any seats that come close..🙏👍👌

Great to be able to watch a really interesting video, especially on a car I’d love to own, without irritating irrelevant background music!

Just goes to show it don't have to be a sports car or supercar to get driving enjoyment another great vid

"wernt looking was you" says the man getting flashed doing 32 in a 30. Still capable of getting 4 people across Europe at a good pace. Quick car at the time given its bulk. Will be another car every one binned that will be worth money at some point down the road, especially the R.

The 3 litre is better that we remember, idk about the R Anyhow i kinda have a soft spot for these

I have a facelift 4.2 n/a, lovely car indeed. Overtaking is as easy breathing, and weather you're driving 60 or 120mph, your comfort is never sacrificed!

Last year I sold my 1998 XJR and got this STR. Slightly better performance with the additional gear and 30 HP. These are really performance bargains in the USA. The S-type shared it's platform with the Ford Thunderbird boulevard cruiser and the base model Lincoln, the LS. I sincerely believe that if Ford didn't own Jaguar, they would have made a high performance & supercharged Ford Mondeo/Taurus. This is because the S-Type R was the answer to the Cadillac CTS-V (manual tranny only). The other contemporary competitors were the M5 (manual only), the E55 AMG (automatic only), and the Audi S6. The positives of the S-Type R: The best brake performance of the the bunch, the most comfortable ride, the best fit and finish of the interior, and by 2020 standards; the cheapest to buy. The negatives: no limited slip differential, the slowest of the bunch, no M, AMG, or S badge. I'm smitten with this car and will keep it for many, many more years and daily driver miles.

I had the 2-7 diesel sport 56 plate. Loved it, so quiet, comfy and smooth to drive.

Its a 4/5er in everything kind of a car. 4 in braking, 4 in quality, 4 in handling, 4 in accelaration..nothing earth shattering but gets the job done pretty well,and looks the part too. Certainly,one that wont keep pushing you and is polite like a bourgeois english tea drinking gentleman

I believe S-Type is now an Exotic car, mainly because of it unique S-Type look. and face lift model from 2004 are surprisingly reliable, I own a 2005 S-Type and it's sure is not leaky and broken compared to post 2012 Audi's and BMWs from my experience. I don't understand why Brits don't like it.