Review: Jaguar XK

I am a firm believer that our perception of certain cars are formed when we are young, and can last for decades, if not a lifetime. I also believe that timing is everything. As a member of Generation X, my timing was fairly bad when it came to Jaguar sports/GT cars. When I was born, the E-Type was nearing the end of its production run, so the car I remember growing up was the XJS, a V-12 GT. I drove an XJS, which I recall as a comfortable, quiet car, but the skinny steering wheel and three-speed automatic did not make for an entertaining ride.

But that was years ago, and when I got word I would be reviewing the latest Jaguar XK, I was anxious to see how Jaguar had progressed since the XJS. The XK8 replaced the XJS as a 1997 model, and the current XK debuted in 2006. 2010 is the first major revision of the XK, so it is clear to see Jaguar is placing greater emphasis on its GT line than it has in the past 40 years. With the XK, did Jaguar choose the path of the sportier E-Type, or baroque XJS?

For 2010, the XK’s styling received a massage-not there was anything wrong with its looks before. The XK, in its present form looks current, but there is a certain timeless quality seen here. You just know that fifty years down the road, the XK will still look as handsome as it does today. Long and low, the Jaguar cuts a profile rarely seen in cars today, which makes the car stand out in a crowd. Understated and elegant, the XK looks great from any angle, top up or down. I found the standard 19″ wheels attractive, but not sporty. Fortunately, Jaguar offers optional 19″ and 20″ wheels that look more sporty and aggressive.

As with any Jaguar, the interior is expected to offer a warmth and ambience few automakers can rival, and here the XK mostly succeeds. The XK received an upgrade in materials for 2010. The 10-way power, heated and cooled seats offer excellent comfort around town and for extended trips. The softgrain leather feels, and smells rich, and the ivory stitching seen throughout the interior lend an upscale look. At 6’1″, it was easy for me to find a comfortable seating position. With the top up, I still had ample headroom. The suedecloth headliner is among the finest I have seen in any convertible I have driven. The XK is a convertible without most of the compromises one makes for a convertible.

For 2010, Jaguar has integrated the JaguarDrive gear selector first seen in the XF. Settle into the driver’s seat with the “key” on you, and the car senses your presence, as the Stop/Start button glows in red. Hit the button, and the gear selector rises from the center console, into the palm of your hand. Turn the knob to ‘D’ and you’re off.

For a car as feature-laden as the XK, the center console is remarkably free of clutter. Controls for stereo, navigation and a host of other functions are accessed through a color touch screen. Having recently suffered through BMW’s latest version of iDrive, using Jaguar’s system was refreshingly simple and easy to learn, but a bit slow in execution. The standard Bowers & Wilkins stereo system is outstanding. Clearly designed with the serious audiophile in mind, the XK’s sound system serves a reminder that adding an amp and a subwoofer do not always equal premium audio. Even at 80mph with the top down, you can still enjoy excellent sound quality.

Speaking of sound, the most significant change for the XK in 2010 is its new engine. The direct injected AJ-V8 Generation III offers five liters of displacement, good for 385hp and 380 lb. ft. of torque. Jaguar claims 0-60mph in 5.3 seconds for the convertible (5.2 for the coupe), and a limited top speed of 155mph. Equally impressive is that Jaguar engineers achieved an 85hp increase from the old engine with no loss in fuel economy and better emissions. Which is great, but its easy to forget all that once you hit the start button. The V-8 barks to life, and settles into a sonorous rumble. Regardless of what you are doing, this engine sounds fantastic-edgy and raw. Nearing highway underpasses, the urge to nail the throttle is irresistible, just for the sound alone. Yet at cruising speeds, the engine becomes quiet, whisking you to your destination in relaxed, quiet splendor.

The beauty of the XK is that the driver sets the mood. Purring kitten or angry cat, your choice, the Jaguar will play along whatever your fancy. The ZF 6-speed automatic delivers smooth, seamless shifts, yet is always ready to drop a couple gears instantly when you’re ready to pounce. Despite the extensive use of aluminum, the XK is hardly lightweight, with our convertible weighing in at 4,674lbs. That is 367lbs heavier than a Cadillac SRX. But put the XK on a twisty road, and this car can dance. No protest. No squealing. The XK delivers on the promise of sport that Jaguar advertises. I wouldn’t go hunting Porsche Caymans, but for the size and heft of the XK, its handling and braking are astonishing. Steering is quick and nicely weighted, but isolated enough to remind you this is a GT, not a sports car.

Complaints for the XK are few. While the controls for the power windows and seats looked and felt very high quality, I found the controls on the center stack for the climate control just average. For a convertible, concealed storage is limited. Although the stereo will hold six CD’s, the center console storage can only hold one CD case, and little else. Thankfully, the top can be raised or lowered in only 18 seconds. The XK also comes with park assist, with parking sensors, but a rearview camera would be very helpful for the large blindspots when the top is up. In ‘park assist’ mode, the stereo mutes itself (most of the time), but remains muted once you put the car in drive, until you hit 10mph, but the CD continues to play. Go slow leaving a parking lot, and you’ve missed half the song you were listening to.

Lastly, during my week with the XK, I parked the car at night, shut tight, and armed the alarm. Next day, the car would not start-dead battery. After a call to Jaguar roadside assistance, help arrived in less than 15 minutes and I was on my way. Also, when you arm the alarm, the sideview mirrors fold themselves in. When the car is unlocked, they fold back out, except for one instance. I backed out of a parking spot and entered a state road, only to realize the mirrors were still folded in. I pulled off to the side of the road, and had to stop and start the car 2-3 times until the mirrors finally returned to their proper position.

With our car’s sticker price of $91,500USD, the Jaguar XK is not for everyone, and it was never intended to be. The XK lives in rarified air-not as an appliance designed to suffer a grinding commute, or runs to the grocery store. The XK exists as an escape vehicle for its owner and passenger from the ordinary and the mundane, offering levels of style, elegance, comfort and performance not found in more common cars. The experience of the XK is special, as a proper Jaguar GT should be. In the XK, Jaguar has successfully merged the spirit of the E-Type and comforts of the XJS into a modern package that is, to its core, true to the Jaguar mantra of grace, space and pace.

Jaguar is a brand that holds passion more dearly than practicality, and with a history as great as theirs, I contemplated how the XK stands to the brand faithful. I received my answer sooner than I had expected. After I picked up the XK at Jaguar’s North American offices in New Jersey, I enjoyed a fantastic drive home, top down, on Connecticut’s historic Merritt Parkway. A few miles from my exit, in the dark of night, I spot ahead of me a pair of dimly lit taillamps. I approach the car-it is an E-Type roadster, red, with the top down. Car guys like me dream of moments like this. The E-Type moves over, and I give the driver a taste of the new V-8′s roar, and back off. A minute later, the E-Type has caught up to me, and we cross over the Housatonic River, side by side, Jaguar present and past. As I move to exit, the E-Type driver offers a toot of his horn and a wave, as he disappears into the night, my question answered before I even brought the Jaguar home.

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