The designers of the Jaguar XK have created a grand touring car in the best European tradition. While the heritage of this "Cat" is visible in the small oval grille, enclosed headlight clusters and swept-back roof line, the fully radiused wheel-wells, 19-inch alloy wheels and pronounced rear deck spoiler are design cues more contemporary in nature.
The complete XK stable includes four models: the XK Coupe, a Convertible XK and the performance "R" version of both body styles, the XKR Coupe and Convertible.
Power for both the non-R models comes from a 4.2 liter DOHC V-8 that produces 300 horsepower and 310 pounds feet of torque enough to propel the Jag from 0-60 in 5.9 seconds for the Coupe and 6 seconds flat for the Convertible. Opt for the 420 horsepower supercharged "R" version and 0-60 elapsed times drop by a second in each category. There is one transmission choice, a 6-speed sequential automatic.
The EPA has rated these power plants at 18 City/27 Highway for the normally aspirated engine and 17City/25 Highway for the Supercharged edition.
12.83-inch ventilated ABS disc brakes, Traction control and Dynamic Stability Control are standard to harness the big "Cat" and keep it under control in adverse driving conditions.
Our Jag came with the optional "Luxury" package that up-graded the interior with additional leather on the instrument panel, a heated steering wheel and 16-way adjustable power seats. In addition, the standard 160-watt 6-disc CD/MP3 player audio system can be upgraded to an 8-speaker 525-watt system which resides next to the standard touch-screen DVD based Navigation system. Dual-stage front and seat-mounted side-impact airbags protect passengers.
The base MSRP for the Coupe we drove is $74,835. The convertible starts at $80,835. Both, before adding options.
If you're shopping for a classic European Touring car, backed up by a 4 year/50,000 warranty, the new Jaguar XK Coupe and convertible are certainly well worth a look.