
Jaguar is joining the growing ranks of luxury marques offering diesel powertrains Down Under.
The iconic English marque (part of the global Ford empire) will release a diesel-engined variant of its S-TYPE midsize saloon in Australia in April.
The car will use a variant of the same V6 diesel featured in Land Rover's Discovery 3 and Peugout's 407 Coupe. The DOHC 2.7-litre unit is equipped with twin turbos for its installation in the S-TYPE (the Disco makes do with one) and delivers maximum power of 153kW. Most impressive, however, is it's torque output -- 435Nm at 1900rpm.
The stats compare well with Mercedes-Benz's E280CDi (140kW/440Nm) and BMW's recently released 3.0-litre 530d (160kW/480Nm).
Jaguar claims a 0-100km/h time of 8.6sec for the diesel S-TYPE.
The car shares specifications with the S-TYPE 3.0 V6 Luxury. Standard equipment includes: 18-inch alloy wheels, front and rear park sensors, auto wipers and headlamps, leather upholstery, metallic paint, electric adjustable driver and front passenger seats, navigation and an Alpine six-disc sound system.
Expected in showrooms in April, the six-speed auto-only S-TYPE diesel will be priced from $101,490.
Said David Blackhall, General Manager Jaguar Australia: "The original business case is based on quite conservative S-TYPE Diesel volume per year, and with recent increases in consumer interest, I'm confident we'll achieve those targets."
