Jaguar XK D/head
JAG SHOWS THAT LESS IS MORE
It seems a little churlish to say I was disappointed when a Jaguar XK convertible arrived for test.
The delivery guy rang the doorbell quite unexpectedly because I thought the XK had been cancelled to be replaced by an XKR several weeks later.
However, I decided it was best to make do with what I had and, as it turned out, that was no bad decision. Both cars have an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph, so theres no real advantage there in having the supercharged and more expensive XKR.
Where the supercharged car does score is in acceleration. It will do 0-62 mph in 5.3 seconds but the normally aspirated XK takes a second longer. Its really quite fast enough, and a second hardly adds up to much as the great scheme of life passes by.
Anyway, having the supercharger would have overlaid a whine to the superb soundtrack of the XKs 4.2 litre V8 engine and that might even have spoiled the experience of bumbling along country lanes with the electric roof lowered listening as the glorious engine noted bounced off hedges and walls.
Ive said before in this column that Im some sort of saddo when it comes to such things but cars like this are as much an aural enjoyment as they are a flat out, chuck it about type of pleasure.
The XK comes as both coupe and convertible, just as the E Type did when it shook the motoring world back in 1961. Enthusiasts have never quite recovered from the day Sir William Lyons pulled the covers off his then new creation at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961.
All the magazines clamoured to get into it, with a gargantuan effort to achieve 150 mph in the car. Id hate to say Jaguar cheated on this, but its generally agreed the coupe they supplied to prove 150 mph was possible in this bargain yet beautiful sports car had been specially fettled, to put it mildly.
Sadly, the E Type went on to become like Elvis, rather portly and probably unable to wiggle its hips at anything in a meaningful way but still with a powerful voice. Then we got the XJS, all soft boulevard cruiser, before the XK coupe turned up in 1996. That was great, but based on the XJS so its appeal was limited.
This new XK, launched last year, is the business and shows how far forward Jaguar has managed to move in 10 years. It is the most advanced Jag ever with bonded and riveted aluminium construction and great strength theres no hint of scuttle shake or shimmy in the convertible, even with the roof down.
Its currently the only Jaguar model achieving its sales targets although the new XF saloon is tipped to do the business come the end of this year. Everything else is in the doldrums because there has been too much reliance on Jaguars of yesteryear for inspiration and the days when that formula would work have long gone.
As a Jaguar fan, like many British drivers, I find the companys waning fortunes rather sad. But the XK proves that they can still do it and I hope that they get the chance to survive.
Where else would you find a British throroughbred convertible with a tasty V8, great performance yet offering 25.2 mpg, and a price tag of £65,995 – reasonable by supercar standards? The answer is you wont.
Maurice Hardy
Annette’s View
They say theres no room for sentiment in business, which is why Jaguar has been through another ownership hiatus with Ford this year. The American giant spent £1.6 billion buying Jaguar in 1989 and has never really nurtured it as it should.
Sadly, sentiment is what Jaguar’s business has been all about. I have always loved the classic Jags, the Mark II and S Type that inspired the current S, the William Lyons XJ that still influences the current slow-selling XJ saloons, and the E Type that lives on in the XK.
Sadly for Jaguar, the world has moved on but the XK could help it rise again. I had an XJS for a year, which I hanker after, but I lust for an XK now Ive driven it. Thats the type of feeling Jaguar needs to engender once more.
OK, so there are better sports cars out there. You could buy a Porsche 911 and shake your fillings out as you arrived a minute or two earlier. But the XK brings speed and refinement. Theres no bouncing along on rock-hard sports car suspension yet the car still handles and gives great driving pleasure.
Thats the combination I want. I only hope others want it, too, in sufficient numbers to keep Jag viable. Like me, it needs a rich sugar daddy!
Car: Jaguar XK convertible
Does it fit your ego?…
0-62 mph: 6.3 secs
Top speed: 155 mph
Bhp: 300 @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 310 lb ft @ 4100 rpm
…and your wallet?…
Price: £65,995
Urban: 16.5 mpg
Extra urban: 34.9 mpg
Combined: 25.0 mpg
CO2 emissions: 269 g/km
Insurance Group: 20
Best bits: super style; gorgeous engine note; good economy.