German Car Zone

PowerPoint presentations can be boring affairs, but one slide in Jaguar's presentation of its new 5.0-litre V8 engine made me sit up and take notice. According to some real-world data collection, most drivers spend 95 per cent of the time with the engine below 4,000rpm and 80 per cent below 2,500rpm. That would suggest that high-revving engines are wasted on the average driver. This piece of information was central to the development of Jaguar's new naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8. We tried it out for size in the updated XF saloon and in the facelifted XK Convertible.

In the Metal

It's fair to say that the outgoing XK had few critics when it came to its exterior styling. It represents a more modern Jaguar with sharp, graceful lines that hold just the right level of muscularity. Unsurprisingly, the 2010 model year version receives only minor tweaks, including new front and rear bumpers and mirrors. The redesigned rear lights, featuring LED graphics, are perhaps the most obvious difference, along with new wheels and colour options.

Jaguar has spent more time on the XK's interior. It now features the XF's unique rotary gear selector and a revised centre console to match. Other details - such as the white illumination for the instruments and chrome highlights on the electric seat switches -raise the overall sensation of an individual, high quality interior. Importantly, you feel like it's a special car just by sitting into it.


Full Story: The Car Enthusiast - 2010 Jaguar XK 5.0 V8


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