Jaguar XK Coupe road test
The XK is the Big Cat’s throw of the dice in the competitive world of the two (plus two)-seat coupes, and it is up against some very stiff competition with the likes of the Audi R8, Maserati GranTurismo, and the BMW 650 coupe. Now in its second generation the XK is available with the choice of a single engine type and either as a coupe or for those that love the wind in their hair a soft top convertible. Even with its movie star good looks and bucket loads of refinement and class, the cars in this segment live and die by their performance and handling – how does the Jaguar XK match up?
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Out with the old and in the with the new for the Jaguar XK 2010MY; the previous 4.2 litre engine has been jettisoned in favour of an even bigger unit, namely the brand new AJ-V8 Gen III which is a naturally aspirated 5.0 litre V8 petrol engine. Delivering 385 hp of power and 515Nm of torque the new XK benefits from a 25% increase over the outgoing 4.2litre engine, and performance is impressive, as the equally notable six-speed automatic gearbox smoothly and confidently puts all that power to good use as it propels the driver into a smug, satisfied feeling of authority over other road users. A further enhancement over the 4.2litre XK is the debut of the JaguarDrive Selector and starter, which has come over from the mighty XF, which imbues a certain sense of occasion whenever the cat is woken up. Glancing through the usual plethora of statistics the XK underperforms slightly in the 0-62mph test compared to its rivals losing the race by a few milliseconds to the Audi R8, BMW 650, and Maserati GranTurismo, however a time of 5.5 seconds is hardly evidence of slack performance while top speed has been electronically limited to 155mph. For those interested in CO2 emissions the more powerful 5.0l engine has actually seen a slight improvement on emissions coming down from 269g/km to 264g/km, likewise fuel efficiency has seen a slight improvement over the 4.2l with a respectable 25.2mpg on a combined cycle. Preciously little difference is evident between the coupe and the convertible versions, however for the reviewer the note of the engine in the enclosed cabin of the coupe is something else.
Read the full Jaguar XK Coupe road test
RoadTestReports.co.uk provides road tests reports written by members of the Guild of Motoring Writers. These reports are complemented by car reviews submitted by the members of the public who drive the vehicles day in day out.
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