The Jaguar R-D6 is a 5-door hatchback from Jaguar, built from 2003, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. Under the bonnet: 2.7 L V6 diesel. Ian Callum drew it.
Where it came from
The Jaguar R-D6 is a concept car built by the British automaker Jaguar Cars, and unveiled to the public at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show. It is powered by a 2.7-litre V6 bi-turbo diesel engine, producing 230 bhp (172 kW; 233 PS) and 500 N⋅m (369 lb⋅ft) of torque, it is rear wheel drive. The engine was developed with Peugeot and previewed the specification prior to the launch of the Jaguar S-Type diesel. Designed by Ian Callum, the 5-door hatchback features rear-hinged doors based on technology from the Mazda RX-8, which was part of the Ford group at the time, and a side hinged rear door.
The short 4,330 mm (170.5 in) long car sits on large 21" wheels and a 2,840 mm (111.8 in) wheelbase.
Under the skin
Power comes from 2.7 L V6 diesel. It weighs 1500 kg. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 2840 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Mazda Mazda3, the Mazda RX-8, the Bentley Continental GT — show what else the money bought that year. Nearby in the Jaguar catalogue sit the F-Type and the Vanden Plas.