Jaguar X-Type: The Greatest Ford Mondeo Ever Built

The Car Nerd with Jason Hassett · Sep 13, 2026 · 29m

In 2001, Jaguar launched the car that was supposed to transform the company.

Ford had spent billions rebuilding Jaguar, but the brand was still selling nowhere near enough cars. The answer was Project X400: a compact executive saloon designed to take Jaguar directly into the territory dominated by the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4.

There was just one problem.

Underneath, it was based on the same platform as the Ford Mondeo.

The British press called it a Mondeo in a dinner jacket. Critics accused Jaguar of diluting one of the most prestigious names in motoring. And yet beneath the…