The Jaguar XK makes for a great used car, with its lightweight, bonded and riveted aluminium monocoque clothed in aluminium body panels, and a choice of a reliable 4.2 or 5.0-litre V8 under its long bonnet – supercharged in R versions. And with prices starting at just £6000, it’s also a great bargain.
Not to be confused with its predecessor, the XK8 of 1996-2006, the XK was launched in 2007 and expired in 2014. The two were different, but from launch to its 2009 facelift, the XK used the same 300bhp 4.2-litre V8 that had seen service in later XK8s. From 2009, the XK gained an all-new 380bhp 5.0-litre V8 with direct injection.
The R version’s supercharger raises the 4.2’s power to 420bhp and the 5.0’s to 503bhp. There’s a 4.2 Jaguar XKR-S (launched in 2008 and limited to 200 copies) but it has no more power. Instead, its chassis has been tweaked to make better use of it. And, yes, there’s a 5.0 XKR-S with 542bhp (as much as the XJ220).
As well as the two engines and their derivatives, there are two body styles: coupé and convertible. Prices start at around £8500 for a 2006-reg 4.2 convertible with 98,000 miles. Feeling brave? You could have a 2009-reg 5.0 convertible with 215,000 miles for the same price. It’s a reminder that, if looked after, an XK can rack up the miles without complaint.
The model was designed by Ian Callum, who was in part inspired by the E-Type. (Check out the grille and the way the cabin tapers over the rear haunches.) Its aluminium monocoque is far stiffer than the XK8’s, which helps handling and ride comfort. The 2+2 cabin is roomier and more modern than the XK8’s clubhouse affair (there’s no wood for a start) but don’t expect to fit more than the regulation golf clubs in the boot.
The 2009 facelift brought the new 5.0 engine – it’s smoother and more eager to rev than the 4.2 and the exhaust pops and bangs invitingly – and other things such as a new diff and Bilstein variable dampers in place of Jaguar’s Computer Active Technology System (CATS), with its Comfort and Sport settings. The Bilstein set-up feels even sportier.
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Costly 2 seat luxury
There are many good points to owning an XK, but it is a costly luxury and only has two useable seats.
With RFL approaching £600 per annum, high insurance, costly servicing and parts and 20mpg normal, plus they eat rear brakes and tyres, so they are not cheap to own or run.
Also not mentioned above, is that there is very little rustproofing of the steel subframes and suspension arms. So while it may look a million dollars on top, the underneath can be horrible (also a feature of the F-Type). There are also issues with electrics, I needed two new batteries in 3 years of ownership and suffered strange warning lights intermittently.
They steer and ride well, but the standard brakes are marginal from high speed and the XKR 5.0 cannot deploy its ample power on wet roads or in modern traffic.
Whilst it is a stunning car I
Possibly one of the last