The 2007 Jaguar XK will bewitch anyone who gives the car a chance. Some may not, though one look at the XK should at least nudge luxury sport coupe buyers into the cockpit. Jaguar, after all, has much ground to make up in the minds of luxury buyers. It’s been a decade since the last new XK was introduced, and in that time Jaguar has had some pretty notable failures. Jaguar executives, acknowledging the obvious, admit that mistakes were made. As a result, there are waves of buyers with money to spend and little to no emotional connection to a brand that, at its best, could inject desire straight into the heart. The new XK can do that for you, and so it would be easy to say that Jaguar is back, that the intangibles the car gives to people echo the history of the XK and the romance of the cat.
A skeptical public will make that decision.
They will, as always, do it with their wallets, along with shifting patterns of want and desire. That will spell the fate of the 2007 Jaguar XK. It may end up being the car that starts a monumental turning point for a re-energized and legendary brand. Or it may be one of the very best cars no one ever really gives a chance. The contrast is as stunning as this car is…bewitching.
Coupe and Convertible Due at dealerships in April of 2006, the 2007 Jaguar XK will initially be available as a coupe or convertible, with the XKR performance variant probably available a year later. The coupe comes at a sticker price of $75,500, the convertible $81,500. That includes a destination charge of $665 and a long list of standard features, as one would expect from a luxury nameplate such as Jaguar.
Convertible-drive With the top down and driving the 2007 Jaguar XK Convertible, we cruised for miles along the South African coast, content to sit back and take in soaring cliffs that collided with crashing waves, sweeping panoramas that touched upon utter desolation and natural beauty unlike any, anywhere else in the world. Top down, hair streaming and sun shining, the XK served as the perfect companion in a place of intrigue, beauty and power.
Convertible-chassis Even though the 2007 Jaguar XK’s engine is more powerful and the transmission is improved, the most notable change to the new XK is the actual body of the car. The all-aluminum unibody, the manufacture of which is largely accomplished via bonding and riveting techniques, is lighter and stiffer than the previous XK8 – and the competition, according to Jaguar. What’s new to the XK isn’t necessarily new to Jaguar, however, as much of the underpinnings are shared with the Jaguar XJ sedan. The technology is new to
this Jaguar, however, and a quick glance at curb weight specs across the luxury sports coupe/convertible class bears out the benefits.
Coupe-design
The 2007 Jaguar XK is the kind of car that stretched us, adapted to the input provided and kept us interested, while in motion or parked, as looking at the XK is interesting in and of itself. Especially the coupe, which has strong shoulders, taut lines and sultry sweeps of sheetmetal that encase the occupant in an interior that is what one would expect from Jaguar.
Coupe
The coupe is for climbing empty mountain roads, for going fast and flailing a car that submits with a growl and gives the road as good as it gets from you. So that’s what we did: we flew down long and lazy countryside roads inland of Capetown, urging the powertrain onward. With each request, the XK responded smoothly, engine rushing to meet the demand, paddle shifts lightning fast.
Interior-wood grain
The 2007 Jaguar XK Coupe and Convertible comes with genuine wood grain interior trim, offered in walnut and popluar, glossy veneer or matte finish. There’s also a metallic insert interior available.
Interior-metal
The 2007 Jaguar XK comes with optional brushed metallic inserts. Come on – a Jaguar needs wood grain, real and loaded up with shellac, though we must admit that wood grain matte finish looks especially in the cabin of the 2007 XK.
Start button
Punch the start button and step on that accelerator and the result is much fun, thanks to several significant advancements in power and performance. Driving the XK’s 4.2-liter V8 engine – one modified with variable valve timing and a better fuel injection technology – is Jaguar’s six-speed transmission, reworked to offer drivers quicker shifts, adaptive gear changes and more control of torque transfer while driving aggressively. For the first time in a Jaguar, the transmission comes with paddle shifters, upping the fun quotient even more.
Nav Screen - features
Standard equipment includes keyless entry and ignition, DVD navigation, Bluetooth capability, a six-disc in-dash CD changer, and 8-way power driver’s seat adjustment. The passenger’s seat comes with 2-way power adjustment. Inside, genuine wood grain veneer and leather are standard, except when it comes to the shifter, which is wrapped in chrome and leather.
Front seats
Inside, you can enhance the Jaguar XK experience with a 12-way power driver’s seat and a 4-way power passenger’s seat, power thigh and side bolster supports for both, genuine wood trim on the shifter, and a stitched leather dashboard.
Shifter
Just one transmission is offered in the new XK, but it’s a beauty. Jaguar’s six-speed sequential automatic, significantly revised with paddle shifters in lieu of the traditional “J” gate and offering both Drive and Drive Sport (DS) modes, features faster shift times thanks to dual clutches that control the amount of torque delivered during upshifts, according to Jaguar engineers. This means that there is no torque interrupt while shifting, making the total shift sequence take all of 600 milliseconds, according to Jaguar. What this means to drivers is that shifts are virtually instantaneous. Another feature of the transmission is its adaptive gearing, based on driver input and road conditions.
Photos courtesy of Jaguar
