I have owned my 2007 X-type since new, Oct 2006, and it now has 112000 miles and 9 years of relatively aggressive driving in the four seasons in Maine. The car still gets far more "looks" than my wife?s '10 Audi A4 and the chassis and suspension are still very tight, no notable difference from the day I purchased it. It rides buttery smooth yet provides excellent feedback, good reflexes, excellent on center feel, no body roll or any floaty feel, great climate control and a radio with the best reception of any car I have owned with zero static on the AM band, taught, well-damped suspension even driving triple digit speeds. I have thoroughly enjoyed the car and it has been extremely reliable. Other than routine maintenance (2 sets of tires, brakes and rotors twice (could have just replaced pads but I chose to replace the rotors with Raybestos vented all around), changed out all driveline fluids once and filled with Mobile one at 75k as well as the transmission flush with Redline D4 Synthetic ATF. I had to replace a brake booster (480 at dealer), a water pump (325.00 at local shop), tie rod ends and a throttle position sensor thingy. I consider 1200.00 in repairs over 9 years of hard driving and setting outside darn good. The chassis is completely rust free, paint still looks great, exhaust is still shiny steel and it the engine is very strong. It feels much stronger than its rated 230 hp albeit rather noisy when pushed to the red line. The 5-speed auto tranny is eager to upshift when left in normal mode in an effort to achieve good fuel economy. Placed in sports mode it holds the gears longer, not overly, and seems to be the better overall choice for 2 lane and city driving so I always leave it in sport mode, which it retains when shut down. Therefore, when you re-start it, whether it be 5 minutes or a week, it will retain the mode it was in when you last parked it, nice. All the interior pieces show no wear, the heated Connolly leather seats are wonderfully comfortable for my 5'7" frame and show no aging, fading, ripples nor creasing and the fronts are 8 way power. Rear seat room is fair, fine when setting behind me but tight if the fronts are slid way back, they too are comfortable save for bit short for good thigh support but it works out because your feet rest on the floor just right. The rear center armrest is nice and wide with two sturdy cup holders. It has all the right safety features and then some; dual stage front airbags and a drivers knee airbag, side impact bags and overhead full length side impact bags that come out of the roof, passenger side weight sensing front airbag that also compensates for the seat position, anti-lock brakes, emergency brake assist, electronic brake force distribution, all-wheel drive system that is essentially unstoppable in snow and performs at least as well as my previous 2000 A4 Quattro, traction control and stability control (both can be disabled allowing for spinning in heavy snow with cutting power, I find it useful getting up the 30 degree hill in a foot of snow in my 2/10 mile driveway) though I don?t believe the stability control is fully disabled it does allow for aggressive off-ramp fun without interference. If left on it can be a bit overcautious as I have had it cut power during hard acceleration with a tad of oversteer on an uphill reducing radius off ramp a few times right at the apex exit. Top speed in mine is 145 give or take, which was surprising as I was sure that the computer would intervene as others had said there?s? would cut out at 125. It was very stable with no floating and little wind buffeting.
The 120-watt stereo sounds decent enough and I like the auto volume adjustment as speed increases. Reception is exceptional on both AM and FM bands with no electronic interference on the AM side, which I use frequently when commuting. It also has the Bluetooth phone module, which works without a hitch. For winter, driving the car has heated outside driver and passenger mirrors that work extremely well as do the heated windshield washer jets.
The trunk is surprisingly large and is well fitted but lacks any storage compartments. I installed a couple of bins at the rear outside edges fastened with some Velcro to store such things as my bottle of fuel stabilizer and Marvel Mystery oil for use when buying fuel for my yard equipment. I also installed a stretchable net a couple feet from the rear to prevent groceries from sliding forward if a hard stop is required.
To sum it up, because of the issues that plaque the early models sales plummeted and never recovered even though 2006+ models are as reliable as expected from any newer car. It can also be found at very attractive prices in the used car market and you can get a very nice highline car for the price of a Corolla yet is far more enjoyable to own. The car was also dinged for being a ford Mondeo yet it shares a mere 15 percent of Mondeo parts. It is fast, comfortable, tight, elegant, attractive, and rare. It garners attention from onlookers and it has been very reliable. I would have no reservations jumping in tomorrow and driving it to Salt Lake to visit my brother, cruising in complete comfort and confidence at 85 mph. With its resale now at about 7500.00, I have no intention nor reason to "upgrade" to a newer sports sedan as the Jag has and is a pleasure. I wish they had not discontinued it, as I would not hesitate to purchase a newer model when and if I get the inkling.
Kevin Bowley
Owner, Kevins Small Engine and Tractor Service
South Berwick, Maine.
