Exotic Luxury

Jaguar positioned its new XK as an evolutionary restyling, but it’s entirely new from the low-profile tires up. It doesn’t look a thing like the old XK-E that captivated automotive hearts back in the 1960s and never fell out of style.

But what it retains is the old XK-E’s demeanor. Some sports cars look aggressive, others luxurious, and still others cute or just odd. Few look truly exotic.

The car I test-drove for a week was a coupe—sleek, with a breathtakingly flowing roofline that sloped perfectly into the rear deck. There was even a jumpseat, albeit for extremely tiny people, located under the large rear window. A convertible model is also available, but this was the GT, in a green that was darker than “British racing green,” almost black in some light.

Structurally, the new XK is 31 percent stiffer than its predecessor. That helps handling, steering, and safety. Features include keyless entry and start, navigation, headlights with speed-sensitive swivels that can shine around corners, adaptive cruise control, and a six-speed automatic transmission that finally comes with steering-wheel tabs for manual operation (allowing you to avoid the odd J-shaped shift-lever gate). The test car interior had a cool, almost BMW-ish sterility with brushed metal finishes. I liked it, but you can choose a warmer blend of colors and wood accents.

The high-tech, 4.2-liter V8 engine—which tops 300 in both horsepower and torque—delivers a 0–60 burst of 5.9 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. Impressive, as is the computerized active suspension that keeps the all-aluminum, but still just 3,750-pound, Jag under tight control.

Anyone willing to spend more than $80,000 for an XK will be seeking intangibles with the tangibles, performance in the exotic package.