2007 Jaguar XK Coupe & Convertible: South African Hustle & Flow

Kimatni Rawlins, 01.21.06



Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Cape Town, South Africa where the land is as picturesque as in DreamWorks’ Madagascar; seaside deep breaths are pure like ivory, and the locals inquisitive and inviting. How much sweeter does the fruit get? The journey (20-hour flight time) across the Atlantic to reach the beautifully intoxicating home of Nelson Mandela was educational in two respects: One, I was able to study the South African way of life – and two, Jaguar had carefully scripted a “table of contents” which mandated two full days of drive time in their 2007 XK Coupe and Convertible.

Without exaggerating its attributes or overstating the immense presence of Jaguar’s latest work of art, it is truly remarkable. The hustle of the XK allows it to rip around tracks Le Mans style and flow through traffic with a posture that garners admiration all over. It’s what the British strive for when engineering and designing their vehicles, beginning with the XK’s iconic predecessors: the D-Type, E-Type, XJ and XK8, which ultimately became Jaguar’s best selling sports car. Jaguar evolved from a racing lineage, and the competitive thoughts of XK Design Director Ian Callum must have been inextricably ominous because Porsche just launched the Cayman S; the Aston Martin V8 Vantage (like Jaguar, owned by Ford) is available; and Benz stays atop charts with its cadre of coupes and convertibles including the SL.  So as the antiquated XK8 body slid from contention, the only direction for Jaguar was to take on the colossal assignment of mastering Jaguar’s most complete coupe and convertible ever!  Said Callum, “it looks just like a Jaguar should – powerful and exciting. That power comes from a sense of tension, muscle and form and is very much part of the new design language we are creating.”

First introduced at the 2005 Frankfurt International Auto Show, the new XK offers much to talk about. And the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about at all. That’s not the case here. The all-aluminum, 2+2 configured frame with its 6-speed Jaguar Sequential Shift transmission and 4.2-liter V8 rated at 300-horsepower combine enough ingredients to devise Jag’s formula of replacing the previous model with two, a sports car and a Grand Tourer. New technology within includes a 7” touch-screen display, Jaguar Smart Key (keyless start/entry), Bluetooth, and rear park assist.

Jaguar is looking to attract the attention of its core buyers with the new XKs. Females represent 30% of this mix with the group being very affluent and usually old enough to know the words of any Sam Cooke track. Of the mix, 70% of the vehicles are expected to be convertibles, which will retail for $81,500. The coupe goes for $75,500.

So let’s see why one of Jaguar’s profilers would want to purchase a 2007 XK.  On the performance side it gets a good 5.9 second time from 0 to 60 and tops out at 140 mph. The impending supercharged XKR model will be far more superior once it’s unleashed. When accelerating you should use the gearbox’s Sequential Manual shift mode to control rpm for maximum thrust.  You may also set the transmission in Drive Auto and Sports Auto. In Sports Auto the transmission will hold your selected gear until you redline. My vehicle wore Pirelli 19” ZR tires (18” base with 19” & 20” options) and reacted to road maneuvering via its CATS and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), all of which work in tandem to keep the vehicle on level playing ground.  From behind the wheel the XKs were phenomenal! The South African roads were like autocrosses swirling around mountainous terrain while showing off the beauty of the ocean. Third gear was my favorite as I chased other Jags like squirrels in the woods.  An attempt by two sport bikes to overtake me proved worthless as the Jag literally clawed the swooping corners of our route. I retired both of them! 

Inside, the high door panels house 16-way adjustable seats and one-touch window controls. The combo of the super slick aluminum and black leather was fresh and clean. Wood is available but seems too traditional for the times.  Head and leg room is greater than in the previous model but the rear seats are still made for show. Its Alpine sound system is stale as with most British sports cars. Their systems are made for their “core buyers,” which I guess don’t appreciate elevated sound waves. I was fulfilled by Jr. Gong’s Grammy winning “Welcome to Jamrock,” but couldn’t feel the bass or the power of the max volume levels.  Its door pockets are tight and not deep enough to store much.

After two days of heavy driving it was time to head home. Indeed the XK left its footprints back in South Africa. I still have fond memories of beautiful landscapes and of the kids waving, smiling and chasing the Jags. There was no contempt or jealousy.  Just appreciation. Appreciation for a work of art!