So, what’s the XK like? Well, if you go faster than 130mph I can report that the front end starts to get a bit light. You lose some of the “feel??? from the wheel. And this, in one of the strangest games of consequences ever, is because of the need to provide a decent-sized boot.
Here’s why. EU rules say that the compulsory high-level centre brake light has to be mounted within a certain distance of the rear window. And because the rear window on the XK convertible is small, so it’ll fit in the boot without taking up too much space, the only place to fit the brake light is on top of a big rear spoiler. And because it’s so big, the front of the car starts to “lift??? at speed.
Of course, you wouldn’t expect there to be a similar problem in the coupé, which has a big rear window, but this is Jaguar, a small company that’s been losing money hand over fist in recent years. So thanks to a need to economise, both models get the same spoiler. So both have the same high-speed handling issue.
You see a similar thing going on with the aerial. Most cars these days have one inside the front windscreen, hidden away. But because the Jag has a heated front windscreen, and the heater elements mess with the reception, it comes with exactly the same sort of electric antenna you used to fit as an after-market accessory to your 1976 Ford Cortina.
And to think this car is made in the same factory that used to churn out second world war Spitfires. Though, of course, back then British ingenuity wasn’t at the mercy of American next-quarter accounting.
Because of these two little things the Jaguar is not a car from which you walk away saying “I have got to have one even if it means cutting out my own tongue???. It’s not a car that stirs the soul and breaks your heart. Instead it’s a car you’ll decide to buy after a logical process of elimination.
Yes, a 6-series BMW is faster, but come on. This is not a car that stirs your soul either; just your stomach. It’s hideous. And with that silly iDrive malarkey it’s also far too complicated.
So what about the Mercedes SL? Well, unless you can have the AMG growler, the answer’s no. It’s just a bit too boring.
The Jag, on the other hand, isn’t. It is pant-wettingly pretty and it makes just the most visceral, animal snarl when you boot it. On the move this turns into a muted version of the noise you got from 1970s American muscle cars. You’ll adore it.
You will also adore the simplicity of the undersides. It rides on proper suspension, not some oleohydrypneumatic nonsense, the controls work brilliantly and while the back seats aren’t big enough for hitchhikers, or even their carrier bags, the front is spacious and wonderful.
There’s only one small thing. The Aston Martin V8 Vantage. This comes from the same company, Ford, was designed in essence by the same man and has basically the same engine. But it sounds even better and is even prettier to behold. So, would you always think, if you had the Jag, that you’d bought second best? Honest answer? Yes. But there is another way of looking at it. Aston Martin has a properly crap reliability record whereas the latest figures put Jag ahead of every other car maker in the world except Lexus. So what you have with the XK is a reliable way of enjoying at least some of the Aston magic.
VITAL STATISTICS
Model Jaguar XK 4.2 convertible
Engine 4196cc, V8
Power 300bhp @ 6000rpm
Torque 310 lb ft @ 4100rpm
Transmission Six-speed automatic
Fuel 25mpg (combined cycle)
CO2 269g/km
Acceleration 0-62mph: 6.2sec
Top speed 155mph
Price £64,995
Rating 4/5
Verdict A spectacular savannah cruiser and more reliable than the Vantage
Via Jalopnik and Times Online
