San Diego Magazine / April 2007 / 2007 Jaguar XK Recaptures Sex Appeal

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2007 Jaguar XK Recaptures Sex Appeal

WILSHIRE BOULEVARD in Los Angeles is bumper-to-bumper with rolling eye candy. Flashy chrome spinners on a Cadillac Escalade ESV’s 22-inch rims twinkle by a Bentley Continental GT. Rides that easily top six figures sit at every light.

I’ve driven from San Diego for an appointment, and cruising alongside the flashiest of the flashy, it surprises me to receive glances from otherwise nonchalant drivers. Either I’m having a good hair day, or it’s my car. The attention culminates when a new car with a temporary plate pulls up alongside. A gray-haired man in a green 2007 Aston Martin DB9 rolls down his passenger window and yells out: “Hey, can I ask what you’re driving?”

“It’s a 2007 Jaguar XK coupe,” I yell back. A brief silence follows.

“Is it just me, or does that look a lot like my car?” he asks.

Okay, really not a car guy.

“Yes, you’re right; it does look similar to your DB9. Ian Callum designed both cars,” I respond, just a bit incredulous.

“Could you please pull over and let me look at it?” he asks. Another brief silence. I decide to play along with the game of “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

“Sure.” What follows is a declined dinner invitation and the DB9 owner’s appreciative scrutiny of a vehicle with a base price $75,000 less than his Aston’s.

The 2007 Jaguar XK is a redesign, long overdue, of the previous incarnation that debuted in 1996. The ’07 may put the XK back in the hearts of Jaguar enthusiasts. It’s sexy, distinctive, aggressive yet comfortable——wearing all the cachet of yesteryear’s E-type Jaguar like a vintage Armani.

Beneath the slick skin is a torque-based engine management system and best-of-class sequential shift that delivers a smooth but powerful ride. Some naysayers will denounce it as a Ford—but Ford owns Aston Martin, too, and since the purchase of Jaguar in 1990, the brand has steadily climbed the J.D. Power & Associates ratings for customer satisfaction. The XK is still built in Great Britain, and European automotive magazines——maybe the toughest audience——have given the 2007 XK numerous awards, applauding everything from its heritage-inspired oval grill to its advanced technologies.

With the coupe’s riveted all-aluminum body weighing in at a nimble 3,671 pounds, the XK has a 10 percent improved power-toweight ratio. The all-aluminum 4.2-liter AJ V-8 puts out 300 horses and does 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds, showing off plenty of torque and better driving dynamics with a larger wheel base. The redesign features 50 percent improved stiffness in the convertible and thrill-ride torsion rigidity in the coupe.

In short, this cat responds like a refined sports car——with an interior so comfortable it still makes a “gentleman’s touring car” statement. The convertible exterior has aggressively graceful lines and an electric top that stows within the body. Streamlined from front to rear, the only chuckle is the rear seat——a child-size briefcase bin.

For some, this year will be all about the coupe. With the adrenaline-pumping supercharged XKR boasting 420 horsepower available for $86,500, the almost-Bond experience can be had for under $100,000. Paddle shifting down from fifth to third gear, the throttle blip growls, and the deep rumble of exhaust reverberates inside the cabin.

It might make you feel juvenile when you break into a spontaneous grin at the cat’s throaty growl, but that’s to be expected when you’re shaken, not stirred.