Jaguar 'S'-type Register





March, 1965 'Autocar' test of a Jaguar 3.8 S Saloon (Manual Trans.) An outstanding car with superb road holding, comfort and ride. Tractable and well-proved high performance engine. Optional power steering gives good control with light effort. New all-synchromesh gearbox great improvement. All disc brake system gives absolute confidence. SUMMARY "There can be no doubt that the Jaguar S-type is an outstanding good car in its class. Although related to the Mk. 2, this is a model in its own right, incorporating many design differences and many improvements compared with the earlier car. The new gearbox and other refinements make it a most desirable piece of machinery and an extremely fast and safe means of transport."

The October, 1964 'Road & Track' road test of a Jaguar 3.8 S Sedan Automatic. "Driving the S-type is a great pleasure. The driving position is excellent and the adjustability of the seat and the steering wheel assures that even extreme-size drivers will be comfortable. The suspension is very good indeed and the body roll that appears considerable when viewed from outside is almost unnoticed from the driver's seat as the wheels tend to stay firmly on the ground and the limited-slip differential and the independent rear suspension assure good traction under all but the most hopeless circumstances. It is difficult to fault the handling as the servo-assisted steering is precise, the suspension is superior to almost any sedan you can think of, the power is adequate and the big disc brakes are a pure delight. As we have pointed out before, Jaguar builds complex automobiles that require expert (and sometimes expensive) service and repair. It seems unlikely that the S-type, sharing so many components with the other models, will be any different in this respect. Extended interval maintenance has been instituted for oil changes (3000 mi) and chassis lubrication (6000 mi), it is true, but no one who buys an S-type should expect it to continue running indefinitely without expert attention. At a selling price of around $6000, the S-type Jaguar, like its companion models from Coventry, must be one of the best buys in the luxury car field-and offers assured driving pleasure to the discriminating owner."

The review of the Jaguar S-Type 3.8L Automatic from 'Motor' December 1964. Like the above test, Motor tested a 3.8 S Automatic. However this saloon already had 25,000 miles on the odometer. The test covered a distance of 3,211 miles, and many of those miles were under European alpine conditions. Motor reported "...exceptional standards of comfort, speed and safety on long journeys". "The S-type represents a very big step forward in handling compared with previous Jaguar saloons. Bumpy surfaces have little effect on road holding... also very stable on the straight and very easy to place accurately at high speeds on narrow roads".