| The Jaguar XK has been such an iconic beauty, its voluptuous fenders flowing without interruption back to the 1954 Jaguar D Type racing car and the 1957 XKSS, that refinements to its body are almost a no-win situation.
But it's hard to argue with the 2010 XK's lightly tweaked nose.
And the XKR, described here, has some touches that improve its looks over the 2010 XK, itself improved over the 2008 XK (there was no 2009).
The foglamps are moved up into the headlamp cluster, replaced by small vertical vents at the ends of the new bumper, that help cool the front rotors.
There are also vents on the hood of the XKR that open like a clamshell, and add muscle-car flavor.
The XKR also has fender cutouts behind the front wheels to extract more heat.
The XKR has two twin exhaust tips that declare horsepower, complementing and balancing the hood vents.
A horizontal chrome bar has been taken out of the XKR grille for 2010, and that's nice, leaving just neat mesh and a round growling Jaguar emblem that's pretty cool but not quite like the leaping cat that used to be a hood ornament, until deemed dangerous to pedestrians and high-profile to thieves because it was just too cool.
At the rear of the XK are new LED taillamps, which definitely sharpen the car at night, and a lower spoiler, which you can't actually notice.
The XK gets first-in-class visibility to and from the rear, with twin back-up lights and taillight fog lamps to protect you in soup like they have in the British Isles.
The standard 19-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels are gorgeous, and the other four options, including 14-spoke 20-inchers, are nearly as pretty.
The convertible uses a triple-lined fabric top that's secure and quiet even at speeds beyond triple digits.
Jaguar calls the headliner material Suedecloth, and, as they say, from the inside it's almost indistinguishable from a fixed roof.
It goes down or up at the touch of a button in 18 seconds, disappearing under the bodywork behind the rear seats.
The XK looks pretty good when the top is up, not like an afterthought like some sports cars.
But we think you have to really really want a convertible to give up the sleek roofline of the Coupe.
We love wind in your hair and all, but paying $6000 to lose the Jaguar roofline that makes the XK such a beauty in profile, as well as from the rear, maybe especially from the rear, seems unfair to art. |