is one of the more beautiful cars on the road today. It is instantly recognizable as a Jag, which is a good thing considering the terrific design heritage the company has. The XK continues with that reputation.
In writing about other Jags, I've voiced my displeasure with the touch screen interface so I won't belabor the point again here. I will say the iPod interface was seamless. It worked as advertised, and the sound system in the XK is terrific. And the nav system, available through the touch screen, is easy to use. But it is a bit difficult to view in bright daylight.
The V8 is nice and strong but while driving, I kept thinking how much more engaging this car would be with a six-speed manual. Jag is all about luxury, so maybe the right option would be a dual-clutch setup to engage the driver a bit more.
The XK looks terrific, delivers a pleasant ride and has outstanding curb appeal. This car makes people stop and look at it.
MOTORSPORTS EDITOR MAC MORRISON: The XK symbolizes Grand Touring: Attractive, classic lines, a good amount of power, great sounds and an excellent blend of sport and luxury when it comes to the ride/handling balance.
Speaking of the design, several people went out of their way to approach me to say how much they like this car's appearance. It's hard to disagree with them.
The V8, tuned to sound like the roar of a large jungle cat, gets me every time, but I'd like this Jaguar to come standard with just a little more power. However, it does have plenty of get up and go, and probably more than a lot of buyers ever feel the need for.
The steering is on the overboosted side, but not so much that you feel disconnected from the road. In damp conditions, be judicious with the throttle to avoid the rear end from coming loose, because it does not take much for that to happen. It's easy to catch, though, and you can provoke the same action in the dry if you feel like tossing the car around. The relatively compliant suspension makes the XK easy to control at all times.
If I owned one of these, I think I'd see about having the rear "seats" removed. It's the same way I feel about Porsche 911s. Seriously, what's the point? OK, you might be able to cram someone back there for a short emergency trip, but I'd rather just jettison the weight. Then again, that probably wouldn't look very attractive when you were done.
I was surprised to discover that even though this car features Bluetooth connectivity as well as an iPhone jack, it does not feature voice dialing. (Unless I missed something, but I even read the manual and didn't see any instructions for such a function). That makes placing calls a pain, and the lack of functionality is out of place on a luxury car that costs this much money.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: Even after a few years on the market, this car is still stunning to look at and people at the gas station still approached me to take a gander at it. Last year it received the updated 5.0-liter V8 which delivers good punch, sounds great and is hooked to a quick-shifting ZF automatic gearbox. Downshifts come at the perfect time and the manual gear select function isn't half bad either.
As Mac said, the steering is a little too boosted and could use a touch more heft to improve feel, but it does make placing the car where you want and when you want quite easily. The aluminum intensive chassis is tight and is light on its feet sitting on a well tuned suspension.
Also echoing what has already been said above, the car is more grand touring than sport. So comparing it to a BMW 6-series or a Mercedes CL-class is more fitting than, say, a Porsche 911 and there's nothing wrong with that. It is good looking, has a good amount of performance, while mixing in luxury and comfort.
How could it improve? Yeah, a manual or a dual-clutch gearbox would help raise the excitement level some, but I would only want to see that in the XKR version which is supposed to be the more performance oriented feline. Keep the base XK and supercharged XK the way they are because they're close to being ideal in grand touring terms, minus the interior's touch screen interface which saps up precious time from your life and requires pinpoint accuracy.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR-AUTOWEEK.COM BOB GRITZINGER: I think this might be the best Jaguar ever, for its fine balance between a pure luxury car and a capable sports car. The car is quick, and feels light enough both through the steering wheel and the seat of the pants to give you the impression it's a lightweight sports car. At the same time, there's enough plush leather and trim in the interior and enough refinement to the exterior styling to reassure that this is a marque that knows a thing or two about taste.
While I don't mind the cool rising shift knob, I yearn for a proper Jaguar J-gate shifter instead of knobs and paddles, but that's a small complaint in the big picture. This is one special cat.
EDITOR WES RAYNAL: I agree, this XK is as close to the definition of grand touring as you'll get: Silky body, decent power, sounds good and a nice ride/handling balance. I too got attention when I stopped at a store to run in quick. Everyone loved its looks. Thanks to the 85 hp boost it got last year the car is quick enough for me and nicely balanced but I agree with Morrison that the steering could use a dial back on the boost.
I liked the interior and have no problem with the knob shifter thingy--don't miss the J-gate at all, in fact I never liked it much anyway. The only thing that keeps turning "liked" the interior into "loved it" is it's just a tiny bit tight in there. Then again I ain't getting any skinnier.
I thought the $83,000 sticker wasn't bad, either.
2011 Jaguar XK Coupe
Base Price: $83,000
As-Tested Price: $83,000
Drivetrain: 5.0-liter V8; RWD, six-speed automatic
Output: 385 hp @ 6,500 rpm, 380 lb-ft @ 3,500 rpm
Curb Weight: 3,651 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 19/18.6 mpg
Options: None
In writing about other Jags, I've voiced my displeasure with the touch screen interface so I won't belabor the point again here. I will say the iPod interface was seamless. It worked as advertised, and the sound system in the XK is terrific. And the nav system, available through the touch screen, is easy to use. But it is a bit difficult to view in bright daylight.
The V8 is nice and strong but while driving, I kept thinking how much more engaging this car would be with a six-speed manual. Jag is all about luxury, so maybe the right option would be a dual-clutch setup to engage the driver a bit more.
The XK looks terrific, delivers a pleasant ride and has outstanding curb appeal. This car makes people stop and look at it.
MOTORSPORTS EDITOR MAC MORRISON: The XK symbolizes Grand Touring: Attractive, classic lines, a good amount of power, great sounds and an excellent blend of sport and luxury when it comes to the ride/handling balance.
Speaking of the design, several people went out of their way to approach me to say how much they like this car's appearance. It's hard to disagree with them.
The V8, tuned to sound like the roar of a large jungle cat, gets me every time, but I'd like this Jaguar to come standard with just a little more power. However, it does have plenty of get up and go, and probably more than a lot of buyers ever feel the need for.
The steering is on the overboosted side, but not so much that you feel disconnected from the road. In damp conditions, be judicious with the throttle to avoid the rear end from coming loose, because it does not take much for that to happen. It's easy to catch, though, and you can provoke the same action in the dry if you feel like tossing the car around. The relatively compliant suspension makes the XK easy to control at all times.
If I owned one of these, I think I'd see about having the rear "seats" removed. It's the same way I feel about Porsche 911s. Seriously, what's the point? OK, you might be able to cram someone back there for a short emergency trip, but I'd rather just jettison the weight. Then again, that probably wouldn't look very attractive when you were done.
I was surprised to discover that even though this car features Bluetooth connectivity as well as an iPhone jack, it does not feature voice dialing. (Unless I missed something, but I even read the manual and didn't see any instructions for such a function). That makes placing calls a pain, and the lack of functionality is out of place on a luxury car that costs this much money.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: Even after a few years on the market, this car is still stunning to look at and people at the gas station still approached me to take a gander at it. Last year it received the updated 5.0-liter V8 which delivers good punch, sounds great and is hooked to a quick-shifting ZF automatic gearbox. Downshifts come at the perfect time and the manual gear select function isn't half bad either.
As Mac said, the steering is a little too boosted and could use a touch more heft to improve feel, but it does make placing the car where you want and when you want quite easily. The aluminum intensive chassis is tight and is light on its feet sitting on a well tuned suspension.
Also echoing what has already been said above, the car is more grand touring than sport. So comparing it to a BMW 6-series or a Mercedes CL-class is more fitting than, say, a Porsche 911 and there's nothing wrong with that. It is good looking, has a good amount of performance, while mixing in luxury and comfort.
How could it improve? Yeah, a manual or a dual-clutch gearbox would help raise the excitement level some, but I would only want to see that in the XKR version which is supposed to be the more performance oriented feline. Keep the base XK and supercharged XK the way they are because they're close to being ideal in grand touring terms, minus the interior's touch screen interface which saps up precious time from your life and requires pinpoint accuracy.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR-AUTOWEEK.COM BOB GRITZINGER: I think this might be the best Jaguar ever, for its fine balance between a pure luxury car and a capable sports car. The car is quick, and feels light enough both through the steering wheel and the seat of the pants to give you the impression it's a lightweight sports car. At the same time, there's enough plush leather and trim in the interior and enough refinement to the exterior styling to reassure that this is a marque that knows a thing or two about taste.
While I don't mind the cool rising shift knob, I yearn for a proper Jaguar J-gate shifter instead of knobs and paddles, but that's a small complaint in the big picture. This is one special cat.
EDITOR WES RAYNAL: I agree, this XK is as close to the definition of grand touring as you'll get: Silky body, decent power, sounds good and a nice ride/handling balance. I too got attention when I stopped at a store to run in quick. Everyone loved its looks. Thanks to the 85 hp boost it got last year the car is quick enough for me and nicely balanced but I agree with Morrison that the steering could use a dial back on the boost.
I liked the interior and have no problem with the knob shifter thingy--don't miss the J-gate at all, in fact I never liked it much anyway. The only thing that keeps turning "liked" the interior into "loved it" is it's just a tiny bit tight in there. Then again I ain't getting any skinnier.
I thought the $83,000 sticker wasn't bad, either.
2011 Jaguar XK Coupe
Base Price: $83,000
As-Tested Price: $83,000
Drivetrain: 5.0-liter V8; RWD, six-speed automatic
Output: 385 hp @ 6,500 rpm, 380 lb-ft @ 3,500 rpm
Curb Weight: 3,651 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 19/18.6 mpg
Options: None
No comments:
Post a Comment