What’s the thing with this strange Jaguar XK?

The front bumper does not look like the old, and also not like the one we have seen on the face-lift prototypes. So that’s a completely new one. And also the cut out for the exhaust pipes in the rear bumper look different. Bonnet is from the XK-R

One other strange think, this car was very quiet. We can normally hear all the Jag prototypes roar when out on the loose, especially on the Nürburgring track, but not this one. So that makes us wonder if this is a hybrid prototype from Jaguar.

[via Next Autos]

Spy Report Our U.K. operative has just snapped our first look at the mid-cycle facelift for the Jag XK—in both XK8 and XKR trim. Visual changes consist of new front bumpers with new outer air-inlets below the headlights. Judging from the surface development that appears to differ on the prototypes, the XK8 and XKR variants will get unique styling touches. New tail-lights are also in the works, with a greater percentage of red-lens and clear signs that LEDs will be be employed. The rear bumpers on both prototypes also show signs of a redesign.

When the XK first bowed, it was saddled with a clunky power-retractable antenna; a quick-fix for 2008 saw the antenna integrated into the rear spoiler. These new prototypes show that Jag is finally bringing the XK up-to-date both visually and technologically, with the addition of a proper shark-fin antenna applied to the deck lid.

No serious engine upgrades are expected, but Jaguar will be applying the XF's Jaguar Drive transmission interface to the XK, thus modernizing and streamlining the Jaguar lineup. We expect that the interior changes necessary for this will inspire some visual and material upgrades to the XK's interior.

We expect to see the facelifted XKs to bow officially later this year, although a Geneva debut in the Spring could also be a possibility.

Jaguars are often criticized for looking too much like the current crop of near-identical Aston Martins, but that's not a comparison borne out in person. In pictures, the XKR's shape overwhelms the body's more subtle lines. It's a shape close in proportion and form to cars like the DB9, but up close and on the street, the Jaguar strikes a pose all its own — long and lithe where the DB9 is heavy and purposeful.

It's not a comparison that's borne out inside either. Where the Astons have crystal start/stop buttons and a modern and luxurious swath of bamboo on the dash, the Jag is an awkward combination of nicely stitched leather and cheap plastic parts. I know the Vantage is $20,000 more expensive, but the Jag's interior is about $50,000 cheaper than its $98,000 as-tested-here price tag suggests.

The spokes on the steering wheel — parts you touch — are made from the lowest quality painted plastic. The airbag cover — a part you look at every day — is about five cents more expensive. The door handles are chromed plastic versions of the ones that were used on the '90s Ford Fiesta. The aluminum weave trim inserts are a matter of taste, or the complete lack thereof. Why not just continue the piano black of the center console across the rest of the interior?

You see where I'm going here, but I've saved the worst for last. The touch-screen interface controls most of the vehicle's ancillary functions, but it is surrounded by an inches-thick, sweaty black plastic binnacle, the quality of which would look out of place in a Chevy Cobalt.

Having lived with this car for a week, I just can't figure out where the $98,000 was spent. Sure it looks good and, yes, initial impressions were promising, but without the ability to drive like a sports car or cosset like a luxury car, the Jag's mouth is writing checks its chassis can't cash.

Perhaps the best argument against the XKR is delivered by the sheer competence of vehicles that retail for close to half its price. A Corvette, for example, is also a V8-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports car. But it starts at less than $50,000; is lighter and faster; comes with a manual gearbox; and drives like a sports car. For that price, we'll forgive its cheap interior. The Porsche Cayman costs a little more, but drives better, comes with a premium badge and has an interior that shares no parts with a late '90s Fiesta. For almost $100,000, the XKR should objectively offer something these two cars don't. Make all the arguments you want for the exclusivity its badge brings. It just doesn't deliver the goods.

So the Jaguar XKR is a beautiful car, and a fast one, but it promises too much and delivers far too little. Enthusiastic drivers don't just want a car that feels special; they want one that is special. The word I'm looking for is "underwhelming." Decidedly, woefully, disappointingly underwhelming.

This concludes our review of the Jaguar XKR. Parts One and Two can be found under the Jalopnik Reviews tag in the masthead.

Photography: Grant Ray

Let's flash back quickly to yesterday. Driving the XKR around town, I felt incredibly special. Hold the start button down and you're rewarded with a deep growl as the engine kicks into life. All the cues of a fast, rewarding car are present. When it's not being pushed, the suspension feels firm and controlled; the engine feels powerful and responsive; the gearbox feels smooth and quick to change gear. The problem is, it feels like the XKR has been designed to deliver impressions, rather than actually deliver.

Up here, on the tight, wet roads through the Catskills, what's needed for fast driving is precision, not power; confidence and control, not bounce and squirm. Last year, in similar conditions, an Audi R8 was sheer pleasure, setting an unbelievably fast pace past sheer cliffs, through hairpin curves and down muddy tracks without once feeling overwhelmed. The XKR couldn't be more different.

The suspension that felt so in control yesterday feels out of its element up here, bouncing over bumps and squirming around corners. Carrying speed through mountain bends is a cross-your-fingers-and-hope-for-the-best experience — you can never be quite sure what's going to happen. Even in the fastest of corners there's enough play in the steering that constant adjustment is needed to maintain a constant radius. A slow in, fast out approach would seem to make more sense, but that unpredictable two seconds of wheel spin that felt good in town yesterday feels scary when you're two inches from snow-covered Armco.

The engine still feels incredibly powerful, but the automatic gearbox makes it unpredictable. Leave it in drive and unexpected kickdowns deliver unwanted pulses of power. Flip the J gate over to sport and start shifting gear with the paddles and things get a little better. The XKR never lets you forget that you're manually overriding an automatic gearbox. It'll still shift up at the redline and even though a downshift delivers a nice sounding throttle blip, it results in no meaningful engine braking, leaving you to use the big, soft brake pedal to reach retardation. This stuff does not a supercar make.

Driving down into valleys, the roads open up into long sweepers that run alongside rivers and lakes. Allowing the opportunity for high speeds, the Jag still feels good when it can stretch its legs. But high speeds and gentle curves aren't the XKR's forte either. The weight shifts considerably rearwards under hard acceleration, removing weight and subsequently feel and accuracy from the steering.

The small, narrow windows that delivered an impression of safety and clubhouse luxury yesterday serve only to slow me down today. The A-pillar and mirror block a significant part of the forward view around left-handers. Around uphill right ones, the rearview mirror rears its ugly plastic head, obscuring enough of the view to have you hunching into the steering wheel to see the road ahead.

White with winter, frozen waterfalls falling off cliff faces and streams running fast with melted snow, the Catskill Mountains make a beautiful drive. Slow down, look around you and take time to appreciate the world that sits out past the sloping hood and the XKR begins to make a lot more sense, its outward promise of speed temporarily forgotten.

Part One of the Jaguar XKR review appeared yesterday, Part Three will appear tomorrow.

Photography: Grant Ray

Previously:
2008 Jaguar XKR, Part One

The cabin feels warm and inviting. Befitting the Jag's nation of origin, it rained solidly during my first few days with the car. Peering out of the tiny glass house over the bulging hood at the cold, wet world outside, you feel safe, warm and empowered. A world of cold, wet roads and towering SUVs becomes inferior as you make swift progress through it. The ugly roads and rain-swept buildings gain an aura of glamour when viewed past the chunky, Alcantara-clad A-pillar.

At city speeds, the engine is smooth and instantaneously powerful. Put your foot down and the traction control allows a second or two of spin before hooking up and driving the car forward with real intent. The automatic gearbox is perfect in this urban environment, complementing, rather than detracting from, the impression of luxury and speed. Once the revs start to climb, a valve opens in the exhaust, making it louder. Keep your foot planted and the supercharger whine grows in aural precedence. Combined with the V8 growl, this conveys a sense of vast power and speed. The car dips rearwards slightly with a planted right foot, further accentuating the acceleration.

Fitted with optional 20" wheels, you'd expect the ride to be harsh and fidgety, especially on the rutted, pot-holed, third world streets of New York. Up to a point, however, it's surprisingly posh. Through the steering wheel you can feel the road's texture, but it doesn't find its way through the seat or into the rest of the cabin. Your hands say sports car while the rest of the experience says luxury. This impression lasts right up to the most severe of impacts with the biggest potholes—this is where the Jag's stiff aluminum chassis, big wheels and firm suspension finally give up the luxury game. Driving out of town through a torrential storm, I couldn't see the road — or the lane markings for that matter — and crashed into huge holes with surprising regularity. At one point, I thought I had surely torn off the front suspension. I hadn't, but I did gain a few more gray hairs.

So the XKR aces first impressions. It makes people think you're rich and classy. If you're not careful, it makes you think you are too. It feels fast, it feels luxurious, it feels like a Jaguar. For most people, that's enough to seal the deal. For us, it's not. A Jaguar should be a real sports car, and we have yet to drive it fast.

Part Two of the Jaguar XKR review will appear tomorrow.

Photography: Grant Ray

If Autocar's reporting pans out, torque meisters will have a diesel Jaguar with which to engage in stump-pulling exercises. The UK mag reports a diesel-powered XK in likely by the car's next facelift, due in 2009. The "XKD" had reportedly been in the offing since the latest XK hit the drawing board, but no existing engine would suffice and the market for luxodiesels wasn't clear. But a new, 3.0-liter turbodiesel producing around 250 hp will be done in 18 months. The XKD will compete with BMW's new 635d, which will go on sale this fall. – Mike Spinelli

Related:
Spy Photos: New Jaguar XF To Get 500 Horsepower, Trailer Hitch [internal]

This week's task involved chasing a big black cat in a big black cat, in one of those painfully tenuous story hooks where I took the Jaguar XKR on a futile hunt for the Beast of Bodmin Moor.

There are about three grainy photos, a long distance video of what looks like a housecat and very little else to prove the existence of what is thought to be a family of Pumas living out in the most depressing territory known to man. Even the Royal Air Force failed to find them with night-vision equipment and a cynic might be tempted to believe that one bedraggled cat died many years ago and is being kept alive as a myth to pull in the gullible few.

I was starting to feel the same way about the manufacturer. Even by Ford's standards Jaguar is a black sheep and has lost more than $1 billion a year almost every year since joining the Blue Oval's portfolio. And while Aston Martin is being hawked off to pay the bills, Jaguar as it stands anyway, isn't even worth sticking on eBay.

Who among you, under the age of 40 even thinks about buying a Jag these days? We all have our sights set on a Beemer, a Merc, an Audi, even a Lexus, Yes we all have an E-Type in our dream garage, or an XK120, forgetting that they're hateful little shits that will rip you limb from limb faster than a white tiger at a magic show, but before the new XK, did you really think about a new one? If you did I bet you wear beige pants and eat at the wealthy equivalent of Country Kitchen Buffet.

Jaguar's customers are sitting in a retirement home while a bag goes to the toilet for them. That's where Jaguar's sales have gone, they're waiting for God or have met him already.

Jaguar woken up to the problem far too late and the X-Type was a hamfisted attack on the Yoof market that almost killed the brand altogether.

The XKR, though, is a fantastic bit of kit. It's quick, courtesy of the Supercharged engine, it looks almost good enough to justify those self-congratulatory 'Beautiful' adverts. Next to this beast, the BMW M6 and big power Mercedes look like candidates for Extreme Makeover, the ones that even the plastic surgeons wince at the sight of.

It will go faster than the AMV8, with far more comfort, and put it on a track and it will turn drifting into your new national sport. It's that damned good, and you don't have to be "this age or higher" to take the ride. This is a car that a young, thrusting executive would be proud to own.

The same goes for the upcoming X-CF saloon car, finally a saloon car with the big cat on the bonnet that doesn't come with the unmovable smell of urine and butterscotch candy. It's a cool car and if it drives half as well as it looks then it will be a superstar.

Putting brand in the black might be a bit too much to ask for these two cars, but as a driving force Jaguar is back. – Nick Hall

WCF Test Drive: Jaguar XKR [World Car Fans]

Related:
Car Hack's Notebook: Tomorrow's Classic, Today; Dan Neil on the XKR [internal]

[Jaguar XK Gallery]

Related:
Jaguar XK: One Hot Piece [internal]

With a few tweaks, Jaguar's hoping it can improve the facial features of next year's XK, and possibly short-circuit an unfortunate visual correspondence to the Ford Taurus. Spies say the new shapes add up to a "friendlier" look, mainly from a reshaping of the air-intake on the front bumper assembly. Whether it can undo a year's worth of mocking and name talking remains to be seen. We'd imagine it'll need some stronger therapy (and possibly a few rounds of medication). The newish Jag will be unveiled at the Geneva show next year. – Mike Spinelli

SPY PHOTOS: Jaguar XK Facelift [World Car Fans]

Related:
More on the Jaguar XK [internal]

Notwithstanding Jaguar's corporate fate, which became cloudy this week amid reports of Ford advisors recommending a sell (with Land Rover) — and others recommending a hold — Jaguar announced MSRPs and options for the 2007 XKR Coupe and Convertible will come in under the $100,000 mark. On location of this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance (Davey, represent!) the company revealed the coupe will start at $86,500, and the 2007 XKR Convertible at $92,500. Still, add a few options, and your accountant will be singing soprano in seconds flat; check out the list after the jump.

Press Release:

All-new 2007 Jaguar XKR At-A-Glance Highlights

* New supercharged Jaguar XK sports car - the XKR, available as a Coupe or Convertible
* All the attractions and attributes of the XK, but amplified in the 'R' to complement the extra power and performance

* Not available in Canada

* 4.2-liter, supercharged V8 engine developing 420bhp and 413 lb.-ft. (560Nm) of torque
* 0-60mph acceleration in 4.9 seconds and 155mph (electronically limited) top speed
* All-aluminum construction means a lighter, stiffer vehicle, which improves handling and agility
* Uprated springs and dampers, and recalibrated Computer Active Technology Suspension (CATS) system for enhanced ride and handling
* Class-leading six-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles for ultra-quick gear shifts in milliseconds
* Active Exhaust System to ensure cruising speed refinement, but purposeful V8 roar under hard acceleration
* Subtle XKR exterior styling enhancements include a sportier grille and front bumper design, vented hood, unique aluminum-effect side power vents and new wheel designs
* Enhanced interior includes unique aluminum 'weave' design on the fascia (polished burl walnut is optional at no extra cost) and XKR sports seats
* Intuitive controls and driver-focused technologies are available - including Keyless Entry, Keyless Start, advanced Touchscreen and Active Front Lighting

2007 MSRP PRICING AND STANDARD FEATURES

XK COUPE: $86,500 (includes destination and delivery charges)

XK CONVERTIBLE: $92,500 (includes destination and delivery charges)

KEY STANDARD FEATURES

* Supercharged 4.2-liter, 420bhp AJ-V8 engine
* 19-inch Jupiter-style alloys wheels
* Dynamic Stability Control with Trac DSC traction control system
* Four-channel ABS, Electronic Brakes Force Distribution, and Hydraulic Brake Assist
* Performance brakes with black brake calipers with 'R' logo
* Fully active exhaust
* Adaptive Front Lighting
* 'R' sports seats with added lateral support
* 'R' badging on headrests, tachometer, steering wheel and gear selector

2007 XK Packages and Options

Luxury Package (available on XK): $3,300

* 19-inch Carelia-style wheels
* Soft-grain interior
* Leather-trimmed instrument panel, doors and center console
* 16-way power-adjustable seats
* Heated wood/leather-trimmed steering wheel
* Wood/leather-trimmed gearshift knob

Luxury Package (available on XKR): $2,100

* Soft-grain leather interior
* Leather-trimmed instrument panel
* 16-way power seats with adjustable bolsters

ALUMINUM L uxury Package (special order option on XK): $8,125

* 20-inch Senta-style wheels
* Dimpled aluminum trim
* Soft-grain leather interior
* Leather-trimmed instrument panel
* 16-way power adjustable seats

Premium Sound Package (available across the range): $1,875

* Eight-speaker, 525-watt Alpine Premium Sound System with Dolby II
ProLogic surround sound
* SIRIUS Satellite Radio* (subscription not included)

Advanced Technology Package (available on XK): $2,500

* Adaptive Cruise Control
* Adaptive Front Lighting

Individual options

Radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control (XKR): $2,200
19-inch Carelia-style wheels (XK): $1,200
20-inch Senta-style wheels (across the range): $5,000
20-inch Cremona-style wheels (XKR): $5,000
Poplar veneer finish: No Cost Option
Burl Walnut veneer finish: No Cost Option
Special order non-standard paint, interior trim, convertible top: $1,000

Related:
More on the Jaguar XKR [Internal]

What? Did you think the chaps at Jag-you-are would wait until Paris to show off their new, hi-po XK? Nope, the XKR will be unveiled next month at London's British International Motor Show, according to the company. What we know so far, from gossip mongers and various second-story men, is that the XKR may be offered in convertible form, and that the blown 4.2-liter 400+hp V8 will be put to proper use over the XK's lightweight alu-MINI-um monocoque.

Related:
New Jaguar XKR Bagged & Tagged; Spy Photos: 2008 Jaguar XKR Convertible [internal]

There was ample time to appreciate the interior while I waited for my turn at the green light. I even got out and shot more pictures while waiting. Man, that backside looks good.

However, the interior is very stark in comparison to the elegant exterior. I was surprised by the lack of frills and the fact that everything was logically and simply laid. The door handles do a little "flip" inward when the doors are locked which makes them look broken, but otherwise you can't argue with the XK's interior. The leather dashboard was real leather and assured me this wasn't just a Ford with a cat on the hood. The gauges even had a cool gas meter that looked like a Web 2.0 app. Nice.

Oh, look the green light. I had deactivated the traction control because in this vehicle I knew there'd be some baby monitoring. And boy was there. The large coupe hustled like a mother and got up to triple-digit speed with less effort than anything else I drove. The only issue? The paddles on the wheel used for manual shifting were horrible. They were basically guidelines for shifting, while the car did most of the work. You couldn't do a hard downshift or even rev all the way to the red line. Booooo.

Another surprise, besides the speed, was the fact that this huge babe magnet got around corners with little tire screech and with a fluidity that didn't seem possible. After my run as another crowd started to grow around the car I knew the XK would never be a stud on the track, but you could still be a stud driving one.

[I didn't intentionally omit a front shot of the car, but it is the only angle people find objection with. Don't know how I missed it.]

Related:
Mini Vs. MX-5 [internal]
M4 Roadster Scores On The Track [internal]
Huh? The GTI Really Is Fast [internal]
Reverend Dave Rally Report #1 [internal]
Spy Photos: Mini Cooper S [internal]

One more reason why we love Jeremy Clarkson: he makes no bones about junketeering:

Jaguar had made the most of the three-day trip, too, providing helicopters to take us into the mountains and Ribs to take us round the coast. They provided choirs every time there was an embarrassing silence and at night they provided telescopes so we could look at Saturn.

They d also provided 16 chauffeur-driven long wheelbase XJs to ferry us around when we were drunk. And 45 XKs for when we weren t. Although by the time I got there 700 journalists from around the world had been through the programme, so there were only 39 left.

We still disagree with him that the new XK is "pant-wettingly pretty" though...

Jaguar XK convertible [Times, UK]

Related:
Clarkson on the Skoda Octavia 4x4 Estate [Internal]

Seems like besides the Death of the GT stuff, the big story of the week is the birth of Ford's newest sporting vehicle the Jaguar XK, which he likes for its lack of pretense, despite its price tag. Brown paints a different picture of the South African junket, getting lost in a shantytown, where, Brown (of African descent) posits, if he and his white female co-driving journalist had been in a 7-Series, it might've been "Dem a loot, dem a shoot, dem a wail." (Apologies to Desmond Dekker.)

A Luxurious Ride Without Undue Arrogance [Washington Post]

Related:
Between the Lines: The Car Connection on the Jaguar XK [Internal]

It s nice to know that automotive websites are finally welcome to suck on the corporate tit alongside their buff book brethren. For The Car Connection s recent review of the new Jaguar XK, scribe Marty Padgett joined the glossies go-getters in South Africa for a romantic interlude with the Ford s division s latest two-seater. As our fearless leader recently indicated, Jalopnik is not entirely averse to that kind of action. We will simply state our cooption up front, and report on the bacchanalia as well as the whip. Meanwhile, Marty starts his automotive post card (from the company that makes the Edge) by waxing lyrically about luxury brand imagineering.

In the rarified sphere of luxury cars, brands stay relevant as long as buyers believe they stand for one or two simple things. Lexus's hallmark is impeccable reliability, while BMW's is sporting attitude. Audi has sleek design and all-wheel drive to its credit, while Mercedes-Benz still carries the purple aura of Teutonic engineering despite what we in the South would call "the recent unpleasantness.

On the positive side, Marty gets full marks for dissing Mercedes for their betrayal of their core brand value. I have no idea what a purple aura is, but suddenly I don t want one. [BTW: is Padgett implying that southerners refer to the Civil War as the recent unpleasantness, or is the expression used more widely? Either way, again, I like it.]

At Jaguar, the keyword of the day, as you might know from some fluffy high-gloss ads, is "gorgeous." But underlying that airy, accurate notion is something more substantial, and nearly as light: aluminum. Aluminum construction has changed the XJ sedan from a slight, ponderous sedan into a strong, sleek animal. And this year the already gorgeous XK undergoes an aluminum-based transformation that effects the same kind of change, making it quicker, roomier, and lighter than the former XK8.

The new XK coupe and convertible have reclaimed the edge lost to the last two generations of Jaguar sportscars, and tight bodies are two reasons for it. Two reasons? The XK is rigidly built and beautiful to behold - but it also comes as either a hardtop or a ragtop. The two versions can be quite different in character. As a convertible, the XK is almost femme, with poplar trim and 18-inch wheels and sensuous leather trim. In Coupe shape it's a credible alternative to a cramped, noisy 911 what with its 20-inch wheels, aluminum trim, muscular engine note, and masculine stance.

Since Jaguar steered away from making the XK a hardtop convertible, you'll have to make your choice early, now, won't you?

Which he does without fear, with favor. Under the heading A real growler (Jaguar, cat, geddit?), Padgett sings the praises of the Jag s 4.2-liter V8, smooth shifting gearbox and sprightly pace. Then we re back to beauty, and then we re back to the sporting advantages of aluminum. On this front, Padgett does a yeoman s job, with occasional flashes of brilliance.

With a structure so stolid, the jobs of the steering, brakes, and suspension get a little easier. The XK amplifies its own lightness of being through the controls. No autobahn anvil on wheels, the XK's steering is anti-911 light and clean, though the 18-inch wheels keep a good margin of feeling on center that's lost on cars with the optional 20-inch wheels.

The roads of South Africa's Western Cape region proved out the XK's newfound mission to be two cars in one: a convertible with effortless performance and a coupe with a more pronounced sportscar edge. Unflappable at triple-digit speeds, the XK bristles with the confidence of a league leader.

While most of the former XK8's charm came from its woody interior and lissome looks, the new XK gets nods for gusto. It grabs as much pavement as it can, responding to every subtle command you deliver. Blip the throttle and it snarls back; paddle it down two gears for the next corner and it takes a flat, unruffled set for the corner ahead. Switch off the traction control and it's ready to play, with wheelspin to make a GTO jealous and supremely composed responses. It's as delightful to drive fast as it is to see disappearing on the curves ahead in the road — a view designer Ian Callum wants you to see often.

Times may be tight at Ford, but the XK signifies the magnitude of the great patient changes at Jaguar. With the XK and the promises of a revamped XJ and S-Type, it's evident that Dearborn has done right by Jaguar by investing in good design and world-class technology to endow the brand with real meaning.

RF

2007 Jaguar XK Coupe/Convertible [The Car Connection]

[Jalopnik s Between the Lines column parses the rhetoric of the automotive industry, and the media that covers it, from the point of view of that kid at the back of the class with ADD, a genius IQ and a thirst for mayhem.]

Related:
Between the Lines: AutoWeek on the Jaguar Super V8 Portfolio; More Between the Lines Columns [internal]

Jaguar is betting on the new, diminutive sport-coupe genre to go worldwide. The company confirmed it's working up a smaller, V6-powered version of the new XK coupe, likely to compete with the BMW Z4 coupe and Porsche Cayman, AutoExpress is reporting today. It'll use a similar lightweight aluminum chassis configuration as its larger sibling and also retain the front-engine, rear-drive configuration, and a six-speed manual. AE reports the coupe will share a development trajectory with the 2000 Jaguar F-type concept (pictured), and be much more driver-oriented that the more luxurious XK. Still, like most other good automotive news, Jaguar has not released a timeline for the coupe, meaning it could still back out of the project if it needs the resources to, say, save the company from bankruptcy.

Baby XK on way [AutoExpress]

Related:
Jaguar Will Rely on Products for Its Turnaround Strategy; Frankfurt Premiere: 2006 Jaguar XK ; Jaguar Reveals New XK Convertible; Jaguar XK Designer Defends Weak Mug [internal]

Thanks to its muscular haunches and hearty flanks, it's almost impossible to find a bad viewing angle of Jaguar's new XK. Meet it dead-on, however, and a sad baby-seal face heaves into sight unexpectedly, spoiling the sexy mood. AutoWeek spoke with designer Ian Callum, who staunchly defends his design, but blames U.S. and European government regulations, particularly pedestrian-safety laws, for the sculptural buzz kill. As for the oval grille, don't even think of mentioning the words "Ford Taurus."

Jaguar chief designer says government regulations hindered redesign of new XK [internal]

Related:
Frankfurt Premiere: 2006 Jaguar XK; Jaguar Reveals New XK Convertible; Jaguar Design Boss Thinks in Terms of Future [internal]

Kicking it worldwide is how they do it on yon Castle Bromwich, at least when they're not shooting apples off each other's heads: First Jaguar launches its new XK coupe in Frankfurt this week, now it's unveiled the roadster version via a California-based missive. Like its hard-topped sibling, the convertible is crafted using lightweight aluminum technologies first seen on Jag's Advanced Lightweight Coupe concept, which it first showed in Geneva Detroit this year. That automotive Atkins plan has paid its dividend: The bulky convertible weighs a relatively svelte 3759lbs, despite the added structural fittings a proper ragtop must undergo these days. Also like the coupe, it gets Jag's 300hp (SAE-rated for your protection), 4.2-liter V8 engine, which means a fair amount of go, say, 6.3 seconds' worth from naught to 60. Of course, nannybot switches to the Disney Channel at 155mph, so tell all the racerchicks-who-lunch that the rough stuff is out. Spring 2006 is when the top comes off for real.

Related:
Frankfurt Premiere: 2006 Jaguar XK [internal]

It's not often a production product upstages the design concept from whence it springs. Yet, here it is on the turntable, all spotlit and clad in acres of lushly cascading sheets of painted metal. You greedily take photo after digital photo, determined to share the gift with others. But back in the press room, amid the clatter and smoke and Paul Oakenfold ringtones, a shadow passes before your heart as you scan your work. Ah, point-and-shoot photography, you vicious leveler, you.

Related:
Jaguar Releases Photos, Info on XK Coupe [internal]

And just like that, Jaguar planted a flag on Planet Comeback. With a digital press-materials blitz 29 photos strong, Jag introduced the world to its new XK — a near-exact facsimile of its generically named Advanced Lightweight Coupe prototype. Adding to what we found out yesterday, the new XK's got more interior space and its aluminum monocoque body structure makes its lighter and 31 percent stiffer over the previous XK. Nope, that's not quite all.

Its 4.2-liter V8 produces 300hp, reportedly bringing it from zero to 60 in 5.9 seconds (a half-second off the previous, supercharged model XK), and it gets a new sequential-shift six-speed transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddles. Like most of its European luxury peers, an e-nanny holds speed to 155mph. Between the new Jag's slimming down and juicing up, its power-to-weight ratio has been improved by 10 percent over that of its predecessor, according to the company.

The new XK will go on sale early next year, along with a convertible model — details on which will be announced later in 2005.

(Check out Dubspeed's gallery of all 29 press photos)

Related:
Ciao, Kittycat: Magazine Publishes Official Photos of New Jaguar XK [internal]

Italy's La Repubblica posted some official photos of Jaguar's new XK coupe, looking like a dead ringer for the Ford brand's Advanced Lightweight Coupe concept — introduced at the Detroit show early in 2005. The next-generation XK coupe and convertible will be powered by a 4.2-liter V8 — with a supercharged model likely — hooked to a ZF six-speed automatic. The aluminum body provides more rigidity at a lighter weight than the previous model (3516lbs vs. 3715lbs), facilitating a likely guv'nerd top speed of 155mph. Some suspension and driveline architectures were adapted from the current XJ sedan. The new XK is set to launch in mid-2006 as a 2007 model.

Jaguar XK - foto ufficiali [Autoblog.it]

Related:
Jaguar Advanced Coupe: All in the Ford Family; Jaguar Will Rely on Products for Its Turnaround Strategy [internal]