Coupe or convertible, the interior of the new XK8 is just this side
of opulent with its walnut instrument panel, leather-trimmed woodrim steering
wheel and aromatic leather upholstery.
It's also generally roomy up front--there's a little less headroom in
the convertible than the coupe--with seats that combine all-around comfort
and lateral support as well as any in the sport-luxury realm.
The rear seats, though fabricated from the same excellent materials,
are another story. Like most cars that characterize themselves as two-plus-two,
the XK8's rear seat area is essentially a nicely upholstered parcel shelf.
The XK8 has rear seating because Jaguar product planners believe the
demand for two-seaters is exactly equal to the market for eight-track cassettes.
But whenever we hear that plus-two designation, it invariably makes us
wonder: plus-two what? Jack Russell terriers? Ducks?
Never mind. The XK8 isn't about passenger capacity. It's about fast,
elegant motoring, something it delivers with exceptional competence and
zeal.
The zeal comes from Jaguar's all-new AJ-V8 engine--aluminum block and
heads, dual overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, variable cam
phasing, 290 horsepower, 284 pound-feet of torque.
Let us stress the all-new part. This is a Jaguar engine, developed from
scratch, and at 441 pounds the lightest in its class. It shares nothing
with Ford's corporate 4.6-liter V8, although Ford will probably employ
the Jag V8 in future Lincolns.
The AJ-V8 is a beautiful piece of work--excellent thrust right from
idle, sophisticated power music from the exhaust--and it delivers enough
punch to propel these sophisticated cars to 60 mph in less than seven seconds.
It takes just over 17 seconds to reach 100 mph, and top speed is electronically
limited to 155 mph. That's pretty brisk for a car in this weight class--3673
pounds for the coupe, 3867 for the convertible--and the XK8's stopping
power is just as brisk.
Stimulating acceleration is only half the story. The XK8 also delivers
an inspired blend of ride and handling--decisive response combined with
limited body roll, excellent weight distribution and impressive grip from
its 17-inch Pirelli P-Zero tires.
Jaguar's chassis and suspension engineers have done exemplary work here.
The XK8 has the supple feel the luxury market demands, but it also has
the right-now reflexes that separate sporting machinery from ordinary cars.
The key to this, as always, is chassis rigidity, and the index of how
well the development team did its work is the convertible's handling performance.
Although the softtop version is a little heavier, the result of added structure
to compensate for the absence of a steel roof, its handling is indistinguishable
from the coupe.
In two days of touring, including a long, lonely stretch of mountain
road that's one of California's best sports car exercise arenas, we were
unable to provoke Jaguar's new cat into the slightest hint of unseemly
behavior.
We tried all sorts of unlikely capers--entering decreasing radius turns
(turns that tighten up) too fast, tramping on the brakes in mid-turn--until
the co-driver finally said enough was enough. Through it all, the XK8 never
missed a step.
If we could add one thing to the XK8's dynamic recipe, it would be a
manual transmission. Jaguar's J-gate automatic shifter allows the driver
to select specific gears, but like all automatics and semi-automatics,
it's just not the same. On the other hand, Jaguar product planners feel
there isn't enough demand in this market to justify the substantial investment
required for a new manual transmission, and they're probably right.
For all its back road competence, high-speed stability and high-tech
power, the XK8's number one appeal is its head-turning good looks, a factor
that figures high in the driving experience. Even in Santa Barbara, a community
that has a high percentage of automotive exotica, the XK8 stopped traffic
and elicited questions from passersby: "How much? When can I get one?
Can you pick me up after work?"
With its handsome proportions and smooth lines, this is a stirringly
beautiful car. If there's any fault to be found, it's in the color pallette,
which doesn't include a true red but does include a couple other metallic
hues--an electric blue and dark green olive--that seem inappropriate to
us.
Aside from that, though, the XK8 ranks as one of the best-looking cars
on the road. Amazing grace on wheels.
Naturally, the convertible got lots of attention in sunny Santa Barbara,
particularly when we raised or lowered the top with the car in motion.
The top--a power-operated affair (with a glass rear window) that latches
itself automatically--will go up or down at speeds up to 10 mph. Why this
is significant isn't clear to us, but it certainly attracts attention.