Jaguar X-Type (2001-‘09)

The story of Jaguar’s smallest car was one of a potential-packed aristocrat stymied by its working-class origins. The beginnings of the Noughties marked a significant shift in the sedan market that ultimately proved the undoing of such mid-tier family four-doors as the Ford Mondeo, Opel Vectra and Volkswagen Passat. By offering smaller engines and paring down standard specification to compete on price, Germany’s Big Three made a concerted push to bring their midsize models within reach of customers previously relegated to the middle rung of the rep-mobile ladder.