For one or two people, however, the XK works just fine. There is considerable interior room for two large adults, and an extensive array of engineering and convenience features to keep them comfortable.
Most importantly, the latest XK ragtop is pretty rigid with its aluminum monocoque body, which means it doesn't shake or twist or vibrate on bad surfaces, and that makes riding in it much more relaxing.
That body also the weight that the 4.2-litre V-8 has to hump around, and that helps to deliver a 0-100 kmh time of 5.9, which is only decent for a car as expensive as it is. It doesn't seem to matter too much, however, since the prolonged exposure to the sun or the wind or something that comes with driving a convertible seems to dull the urge of nearly everyone who drives one to go fast. It's like you just mellow out, dude.
If you do harbor an urge to wring the car out, Jaguar assures me that the new XK is much more responsive than the previous model, which was no slouch in the real world, so I guess that's good.
I much prefer the more sophisticated interior and the range of useful new toys that can be added, including the radar-based active cruise-control (which can help you from running into the back of another vehicle, for $2,800) and the GPS navigation system ($3,900) that will keep you from getting lost.
There are also Xenon headlights ($1,150) which don't excite me, 19-inch wheels ($1,600) that are probably worth it, and a Victory Limited Edition package ($4,000) that includes a lot of useful gear.
The best interior toy of them all is the paddle shifter package on the six-speed automatic transmission (which is included in the base price), since it lets the driver shift up or down to suit the particular driving moment. It makes getting to the passing range easier, for example, and allows you to bring up the lovely exhaust note without going any faster while passing through a tunnel.
Those are the kinds of real world moments you have to look for when the adulation of the masses instead enough.
 |
| (Photo: Jaguar) |
That body also the weight that the 4.2-litre V-8 has to hump around, and that helps to deliver a 0-100 kmh time of 5.9, which is only decent for a car as expensive as it is. It doesn't seem to matter too much, however, since the prolonged exposure to the sun or the wind or something that comes with driving a convertible seems to dull the urge of nearly everyone who drives one to go fast. It's like you just mellow out, dude.
If you do harbor an urge to wring the car out, Jaguar assures me that the new XK is much more responsive than the previous model, which was no slouch in the real world, so I guess that's good.
 |
| (Photo: Jaguar) |
There are also Xenon headlights ($1,150) which don't excite me, 19-inch wheels ($1,600) that are probably worth it, and a Victory Limited Edition package ($4,000) that includes a lot of useful gear.
The best interior toy of them all is the paddle shifter package on the six-speed automatic transmission (which is included in the base price), since it lets the driver shift up or down to suit the particular driving moment. It makes getting to the passing range easier, for example, and allows you to bring up the lovely exhaust note without going any faster while passing through a tunnel.
Those are the kinds of real world moments you have to look for when the adulation of the masses instead enough.
Article Gallery