by David Finlay (30 Aug 05)

Previewed earlier this year as the Advanced Lightweight Coupé, the new Jaguar XK sports car will go on sale early in 2006. In its initial form it will be available only with the naturally-aspirated 4.2-litre V8 engine already seen in the XJ saloon range, but with a claimed 0-62mph time of 6.2 seconds and a standing quarter-mile capability of 14.4 seconds it approaches the performance of the previous supercharged XKR.

The reason for this is the all-aluminium construction it shares with the XJ. This gives the new car a kerb weight of 1595kg which in turn leads to a 10% improvement in power-to-weight ratio compared with the old XK. Body stiffness, meanwhile, has gone up by 31%. Less weight should also mean more efficient use of fuel, and although Jaguar does not yet have specific consumption figures there is talk of a 6% reduction in CO2 emissions.

Jaguar has also attended to other aspects of the outgoing XK, which was launched back in 1996 and has been feeling like an old design for several years now. In particular, that car received a lot of criticism for its packaging, since it seemed almost unbelievable that something which took up so much road space was so cramped inside.

Despite the official 2+2 designation, rear passenger room is unlikely to be a consideration for most customers. More importantly, the new XK offers more space up front; there is, for example, 20mm more headroom than before.

More . . .

Back to Product Features index
Back to main Features index