Jaguar XK

The XK series (XK8, XKR, and XK) is a modern Grand Touring coupe and convertible from Jaguar. Production began in 1996 for the 1997 model year, replacing the XJS, and continues through a second generation today. The XK8 was the first 8 cylinder vehicle produced by Jaguar, introducing the new Jaguar AJ-V8 engine.

See Wikicars' comprehensive Jaguar XK Review.

Recent Changes

 * For 2011, in yet another way to celebrate its 75th Anniversary, Jaguar has launched a limited edition of 175 unit XK at the Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance called XKR175 Coupe. Powered by the standard 510 hp mill, the special cat is dressed up with revised aerodynamic package, a different rear diffuser, a larger rear spoiler, 20-inch alloy wheels and red brake calipers, Jaguar's Ultimate Black paint, numbered sill tread plates, Warm Charcoal' leather with 'Cranberry' stitching, Piano Black trim veneer and a $104,500 price tag. Despite this, the car's electronically-limited top speed has been raised to 174mph (280km/h).

Body

 * Coupe
 * Convertible

Engines

 * 2007 XK - 4.2 L AJ-V8 V8, 300 hp (224 kW) and 310 ft·lbf (420 N·m)
 * 2007 XKR - 4.2 L AJ-V8 Supercharged V8, 420 hp (313 kW) and 413 ft·lbf (560 N·m)

Extras
Option Packs
 * Luxury Sports Interior
 * Aluminium Interior Trim
 * Poplar Veneer Finish
 * Wood/Leather Steering Wheel

Optional Features
 * Keyless Entry
 * Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
 * Active Lighting
 * Jaguar Premium Surround Sound
 * Heated Front Windscreen
 * Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)

Wheels
 * Optional Carelia 19" alloy wheels
 * Optional Senta 20" alloy wheels

Pricing
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Gas Mileage
As seen on the FuelEconomy.gov website, the City/Highway MPG averages are as follows:

Engine and Transmission
Specifications, details, graphs, pictures and other information regarding the powertrain is placed in this section.

Performance
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Reliability

 * RECALL ALERT: Jaguar recalling 5,048 2010-2011 XF and XK with 5.0-liter engine over potential fuel starvation

Safety
The new XK has introduced a world first in pedestrian safety. In numerous pedestrian collisions with vehicles, head injuries occur when a pedestrian's head impacts with the bonnet of the vehicle. However, the injuries are not usually sustained from the bonnet itself, rather the bonnet deforming and the pedestrian's head colliding with the engine block underneath.

Jaguar's innovation is to have sensors in the front bumper that determine if a pedestrian has indeed been struck and this then triggers two pyrotechnical charges that instantaneously lift the bonnet, providing extra distance between engine and head. In effect, the bonnet becomes the exterior equivalent of an airbag: The hood's sheet metal may not be soft, but it's much more accommodating than a solid engine block.

Ideation Sketches
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Bodywork

 * Liquid Silver
 * Botanical Green
 * Emerald Fire
 * Porcelain
 * Lunar Grey
 * Pearl Grey
 * Frost Blue
 * Indigo Blue
 * Midnight Black
 * Ebony Black
 * Salsa Red
 * Radiance
 * Winter Gold

Leather

 * Caramel
 * Charcoal/Ivory
 * Slate Blue/Ivory
 * Warm Charcoal

Veneer

 * Aluminium
 * Burr Walnut
 * Poplar

Main Competitors

 * Aston Martin DB9
 * Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
 * BMW 6-Series
 * Lexus SC 430
 * Cadillac XLR
 * Audi R8
 * Maserati GranTurismo

Unique Attributes
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Interior
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Resale Values
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Criticisms
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Current Generation: (2007–present)
Jaguar unveiled an all-new 2006 car, called simply the "XK", at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2005.

The XK uses the epoxy-bonded and riveted aluminium monocoque chassis introduced with the latest XJ saloons and is offered as both a coupé or convertible. In a quite different manner to the way sports cars are usually designed, the coupé is based on the convertible. This meant that the engineers could design the convertible without the drawbacks of the car looking like, and actually being, a coupé with the top chopped off. This, coupled to the ultra-rigid aluminium monocoque, makes the XK convertible exceptionally rigid for a car of its type, offering an extremely impressive driving experience.

Initially powered by a 300 hp (225 kW) version of the 4.2 L AJ-V8, a supercharged version with 420 hp (313 kW) was launched in late 2006 (again, in both coupé and convertible forms) known as the XKR.

The new XK closely resembles the ALC Coupe concept which was first seen at the 2005 North American International Auto Show. The designer, Ian Callum, was also responsible for Aston Martin's DB7 and Vanquish coupés, which explains the similarities in design among the three cars.

The new XK's grille is inspired by that of the 1961 Jaguar E-Type.

The XK convertible was introduced for 2006 at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. It weighs 1635kg and features a fully-lined triple-layer roof cloth top that will open or close in 18 seconds.

Current XK prices are £60,995 for the coupe, £66,559 for the convertible, and for the XKR: £70,995 for the coupe and £76,995 for the convertible.

Special editions
XKR-S

The XKR-S was released in July 2008 as a limited edition of only 200 cars sold exclusively in Europe, 50 of which were sold in the UK market, and all 50 were pre-sold before the car ever arrived in Jaguar dealer showrooms. The XKR-S was available as a coupe only, and featured several modifications over the standard XKR, firstly the engine management system was altered to increase the top speed (which was previously limited to 155 mph) to 174 mph, although this was still a restricted top speed, making the XKR-S the fastest production Jaguar since the XJ220. The XKR-S had unique 20 inch Vortex alloys which were an inch wider than the standard 20 inch XKR items, a subtle aerodynamic body kit that reduced lift, the Alcon brake discs and calipers from the XKR Portfolio model, along with its Bowers and Wilkins sound system, and was only available in metallic black with charcoal luuxury sport leather seats and a unique piano black finish on the dashboard.

XKR Portfolio

The XKR Portfolio was released in early 2007 featuring exclusive Celestial Black paint and 20-inch Cremona five-spoke alloy wheels. Interior enhancements included, as standard, an engine-spun aluminium veneer, or an optional Satin American Walnut veneer.

There were no performance enhancements to the 4.2-litre supercharged engine, however the brakes were substantially upgraded with the use of Alcon 6-piston calipers on 400mm crescent-grooved discs at the front, and 4-piston calipers on 350mm discs at the rear.

Motorsport
Apex Motorsport has developed a Jaguar XKR GT3 racing car for the FIA GT3 European Championship. Based on a stripped-down XKR chassis, and using the 4.2-litre supercharged V8 engine, power output has been increased to approximately 500bhp. Originally intending a short development schedule and launching the car at the Silverstone GT3 race in May 2007, development proved problematic and the car's entry into the championship was delayed, but has run successfully in the 2008 championshp.

First Generation/Origins (1997–2006)
The 1997 XK8 was available in coupe or convertible forms and with either a supercharged 390 hp (287 kW) or naturally aspirated 290 hp (213 kW) engine. The supercharged variant is known as the XKR. The first-generation XK series shares its platform with the Aston Martin DB7. Both cars are derived from the Jaguar XJS, though the platform has been extensively changed.

Both the XK8 and XKR are limited to a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h) by a computer governor, giving them a lower top speed than the car they replaced.

The XK range came standard with 18-inch alloy wheels, and 19 and 20-inch wheels were available for additional cost. A navigation system and self-leveling xenon headlamps are standard with the XKR and as options for the XK8. Jaguar’s Adaptive Cruise Control was an optional feature available on both models. Both come with all-leather interior, burl walnut trim, and side airbags.

The XK series price at launch was £47,950 for the coupé and £56,850 for the convertible.

Competitors include the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, BMW 6-Series, Lexus SC 430, Cadillac XLR, Audi R8, and Maserati Spyder.

Special editions
Several limited-edition XKR coupes and convertibles have been produced to mark important events in Jaguar’s history.

XKR Silverstone

The first was the 2001 XKR Silverstone, launched to celebrate Jaguar's entry into Formula 1. Only 250 were released in North America, on a total of 600 worldwide (first edition: 100 (For Europe only), then 500 more (sold worldwide)). It featured a Platinum paint finish, high-performance package (same engine as the standard XKR, but improved transmission, suspension and brakes and 20" Silver BBS Detroit wheels) and custom interior.

To celebrate the launch Jaguar invited buyers of these cars to the Formula One test day at Silverstone on 13 April 2000.

XKR 100

The XKR 100 followed in 2002, of which 30 coupes and 270 convertibles were sold in North America. The XKR 100 featured an Anthracite paint finish, 20-inch modular wheels, Brembo brakes, and custom interior.

XKR 400

The XKR 400 was an upgraded performance version of the existing XKR, launched in August 2003 and available in both coupé and convertible models. Special features included black, silver and grey paint, Alcantara seat inserts and black dashboard.

XKR Portfolio

The XKR Portfolio emerged for the North American market in 2004. Two hundred were released in North America: 100 in Jupiter red and 100 in Coronado blue. It featured 20-inch BBS Detroit alloy wheels, Recaro sports seats with contrasting leather trim, and an all leather steering wheel.

XK Victory

The XK Victory was launched to celebrate the XKs success in the American Trans-Am race series.

4.2-S

In Europe the 4.2-S was unveiled at Geneva on 1st March 2005. Features for the 4.2-S Four included new exterior and interior colours and two distinct veneer options for the instrument panel, polished door treadplates with chequered-flag emblems and embossed, leather-edged floor mats. The revised white Jaguar badge on the bonnet also feature chequered accents. New 19" Atlas wheels plus cross-drilled Brembo brake discs, red wheel badges and red brake calipers were also fitted. The 4.2-S had a carbonfibre-veneer dashboard, with elm veneer as a no-cost option and unique 20" split-rim BBS Perseus wheels.

XKR-R

Jaguar also produced a concept car called the XKR-R which was very similar to the production XKR, but with a more powerful engine and improved handling. The naming convention is similar to that of the S-Type R special edition. Unlike the S-Type R, it remained a concept car and was never put into production.

The XKR-R was built from the ground up using new, modified and custom-built parts. The suspension was lowered by 30mm over the standard XK8 and fitted with 20-inch R-Performance wheels. At the rear the suspension utilized the rear floor area from the S-Type saloon together with its rear axle. The gearbox was replaced with a customized Tremec T-56 six-speed manual and mated to an AP Racing twin-plate clutch.

Worldwide
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Design quirks and oddities
The first-generation XKR appeared in Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec.

Awards

 * Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards: Engineering and Technology Award 2006
 * Top Gear: GT of the Year and Car of the Year awards in 2006.