February 15, 2006. Copyright 2006, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Jaguar XK -- the beautiful new sports car that must not fail
By Neil Winton

LONDON, February 15, Graphic News:  JaguarÕs new XK sports car is more than just a pretty face; it must signal the way for the companyÕs survival.

Jaguar hopes that the new XK, which will be available in both coupe and convertible form when it goes on sale in Europe and the U.S. this spring, will start a comeback for the financially troubled company, which has seen its overly ambitious plan to make 200,000 cars a year slashed back to around 80,000 in 2006.

Jaguar lost £430 million ($750m, EUR 630m) in 2004, as its impressive but dated-looking XJ, S and X type models struggled in the marketplace. That was an improvement on 2003Õs £600 million loss ($1,045m, EUR 880m). In November 2005, JaguarÕs owner, American car giant Ford, injected £1.2 billion ($2.09 billion, EUR 1.8 billion) into Jaguar under a reorganisation plan. But Ford for its own part is trying to dig itself out of deep trouble in the U.S. because its traditional gas-guzzling line-up of humongous Sport Utility Vehicles are being undermined by leaner, meaner products from Japan.

The XK though, with its beautiful, flowing, evocative lines, is meant to show that the bad times are over, and new Jaguars are modern, trendsetting vehicles, not throwbacks to former times.

Unfortunately for Jaguar, its design has been hampered by new European Union safety legislation which insists that extra precautions are taken to mitigate the damage done to pedestrians in car accidents. This has led to the installation of the Pyrotechnic Pedestrian Deployable Bonnet, which forces the XKÕs bonnet to pop up a few inches if the car hits a pedestrian, to create a cushioning effect and lessen the impact of the engine.

This is good news for anyone unfortunate enough to be hit by the Jaguar, but explains why the XK looks a bit fatter in the face than the designers would like.

The XK coupe, priced at £58,955 in Britain, $70,490 in the U.S., and EUR 76,300 in Europe, and the convertible, costing £64,955 / $75,495 / EUR 86,700, is powered by a 300 bhp 4.2 litre V8 engine, with a six-speed automatic gearbox which incorporates a paddle-shift manual override, like Formula One cars. This is a luxury car, so the price includes standard features like touch screen satellite navigation, powered leather seats, radar cruise control which automatically keeps a safe distance from the car in front, and the usual alphabet soup of acronyms signifying computer control of skidding, braking and traction.

The car, which is constructed using lighter, stronger aluminium like the big XJ flagship saloon, sprints from a standstill to 62mph-100km/h in 5.9 seconds. It is bigger than the car it replaces, and provides a much more comfortable, roomy interior. According to Jaguar, the car was designed initially as a convertible, so it doesnÕt suffer from the flexing and shaking that marred the driving experience of the previous model, which was introduced in 1996. Top speed is limited to 155mph. Later this year there will be a cheaper, 3.5 litre model, and by the end of the year, a hot XKR. In 2007, expect a V-8 diesel-powered version.

But if the XK doesnÕt sell like hot-cakes, you can kiss Jaguar goodbye.
/ENDS