I’ll admit it. When I first saw the spyshots of the new XK, I thought, gawd. That is ugly.
It wasn’t just the Taurus-esque front. I liked the Taurus. And I was definitely not disturb by the Aston Martin body. That’s like saying Angelina Jolie’s lips take up too much of her face. No, what disturbed me was far Jaguar had moved away from its classic shape.
I never fully understood why people pined away for the old. To me, that marked them as either senile or behind the times. But Jaguar was different. I recognized that the first time I laid my eyes on the S-Type or the XJ. This was class, something that had only been captured by Mercedes-Benz or even the old American muscle cars. (I have yet to see it captured by any of the Japanese brands.)
Thus I felt a twist in reality when I saw the production models of the XK. All that class, all that was the past, was suddenly gone. I finally understood why BMW lovers were outraged wrought by Chris Bangle to their beloved 7, 5, and–finally–3 Series even though I personally liked the changes.
But that’s all over and I like the new XK. What happened? Motor Trend.
I am, first and foremost, an enthusiast. Shapes come and go but driving is still an important factor to me. And Motor Trend’s review showed that the new XK had everything I was looking in a driving machine. Does that mean that this new XK is a Jaguar? At this point, no. It’s still too new. Give it a few more years, though, and maybe another wrinkle or two and just maybe I’ll forget the old one.
Or not. They’ll be a lot cheaper to purchase at that time as well.
7 comments so far
Good call on the Taurus front end Joel. No matter how it drives, that’s enough to kill the car for me.
May 5th, 2006 at 8:16 pm
I don’t like ot because it reminds me new eclipse, and looks kinda chip
May 5th, 2006 at 11:17 pm
The car looks better in person than in photos and does retain some classic Jaguar styling cues, most notably the rear haunches - and Ian Callum isn’t going to design an ugly car. However, the sliteye headlights just don’t work for me. They remind me of a shark or something and are way too angular for the flowing lines of the car.
I’m looking forward to the next XJ. Jaguar got burned by making a technological leap while retaining styling so traditional that it’s hard for even XJ fans to tell if it’s the new series or not (at least until you see the tail). The market for upscale sedans wants modern styling as well as the latest technology - hence the new S-Class Merc evoking the CLS500. The next XJ, I predict, will be a very modern rendering of the classic XJ lines. With J. Mays moving to England to have a greater role in Ford’s PAG styling, just as the new Mustang is instantly identifiable as the *new* Mustang, the XJ will be an XJ, no doubt, but be very modern.
May 13th, 2006 at 10:37 pm
Nice car, but the review wasn’t mindblowing. Pretty well writen anyway, cheers.
May 16th, 2006 at 9:10 pm
I personally like this car… jag is having a good turn around with their designs!
May 19th, 2006 at 5:21 am
I puchased this 2007 XK and it is my fifth jag. It will also be my last one. It went in the shop after 77 miles. The console computer is a nightmare on hot days after the car has been in a parking lot all day. It literally cant take any day heat and shuts the car down. The dealership replaced the computer and the day the car came back to me, same problem when I was trying to leave work that day. This car is going to be a nightmare for many others as well. Wait until your insurance company finds out the car is aluminum and calls for special welding that is quite pricey for body work repairs. Looks here are very decieving folks. Dont buy this one. Wish I had’nt.
June 23rd, 2006 at 1:06 am
I really liked the old one, except for its interior, which ws too old-fashioned. The new XK has a stunning interior, and in person, it also looks great from the outside. I just wished they’d finally introduce a manual transmission for it.
July 15th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
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