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| Road Test: Jaguar XK (2006-) |
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| Exotic Sports |
by: Gavin Conway |
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Jaguar XK (2006-) Gallery
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| DRIVING RATING: |
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Jaguar's confidence in the XK's capabilities is such that it took us to some of the fastest roads on the planet. These are the road that spear across the wine region in South Africa's Cape district, roads where 120mph corners are commonplace, and where visibility is good enough that you can see for such a terrific distance that a 140mph cruise feels as safe as 30mph on the M1 on a Friday afternoon.
So how did it actually cope? Well, the level of grip on offer is pretty phenomenal and the chassis is marvellously neutral, in that it doesn't feel as though the front or rear will let go first, but rather, you'll go into a gentle four-wheel drift. Understeer simply isn't on the menu unless you turn all of the traction and stability control programmes off - and then only if you are pushing harder than you ought on a public road.
As a GT, the XK is an absolute five-star car. As a sports car, it's a five-star GT, meaning it lacks the rawness, edge and feedback through trouser-bottoms and fingertips that you'll find on our default car in this class, the Porsche 911 (for the record, we're tired of trotting out this line, so could somebody please make a better sportscar than the 911...).
As a GT, though, the XK is fabulous and as good a way to cover ground in great comfort and even greater speed, as we've found.
This is a chassis that can also plainly handle a whole lot more power - which means the supercharged XKR should be well worth the wait.
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Introduction This new XK is lighter, faster and roomier than the car it replaces... |
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