... Its £50k+ low-slung, elegant coupe that all discernable gentlemen may aspire to - the top rung of the Jaguar ladder. The car always has been, and still is, the epitome of grace, pace and (if slightly limited) space.
The XK is available in 4 guises - the XK8, and the XKR, both of which ... Read review
Advantages: Big and purry Disadvantages: has a drinking problem, reliability issues???
...the top rung of the Jaguar ladder. The car always has been, and still is, the epitome of grace, pace and (if slightly limited) space.
The XK is available in 4 guises - the XK8, and the XKR, both of which can be had as either a rag top, or a coupe. Earlier models come with a 4.0 V8, with the XKR adding a supercharger to the mix. The more recent versions have an enlarged version of this engine - now 4.2 litres. All cars come with Jaguars ... ...perfect example, 155mph, £50,000 new, Jaguar main dealer XK8 with all the whistles and bells on for the same price as a middle of the range diesel Vectra, or perhaps you were thinking of a poverty-spec 3 series. £20k won't even get you anywhere near the price of a bottom of the range Discovery, or a Merc C class for that matter. And that won't have leather, electric seats, climate control, any alloy wheels, let alone the 18"ers you get on the ... more
The XK8, its been around for a while now. Since 1996 the Browns Lane factory near Coventry has been churning out these subtle beasts. There have been a number of minor changes to the styling and specifications during that time, but ultimately, the car has stayed the same - an evolution and modern predecessor of the heart-achingly beautiful 60's E-Type. Shortly, the production will cease, making way for the next generation XK that no doubt, will be as equally stunning, yet equally as fast as the current model.
Since its launch in 96', the XK series has always been the flagship for the company. Its £50k+ low-slung, elegant coupe that all discernable gentlemen may aspire to - the top rung of the Jaguar ladder. The car always has been, and still is, the epitome of grace, pace and (if slightly limited) space.
The XK is available in 4 guises - the XK8, and the XKR, both of which can be had as either a rag top, or a coupe. Earlier models come with a 4.0 V8, with the XKR adding a supercharger to the mix. The more recent versions have an enlarged version of this engine - now 4.2 litres. All cars come with Jaguars famous J-Gate automatic gearbox, which is happy to give the occupant a nice quite ride, or with the help of the 'sport' button and an enthusiastic right-foot the big motor up-front spin all the way round to its 7000rpm limiter, which is something the car seems to aim for naturally - it WANTS to be going fast - eating up countries as it tears along a motorway.
Put plainly, the curvy Jag is happy to mooch around town, or, you can find a nice open stretch of road, and it will pull your face off.
The ride is firm, never harsh, but occasionally crashy at low speeds, the CATS suspension much happier twisting its way round a country road, or gliding along a motorway, the quality of the ride is certainly something you can live with.
On to the styling. The XK's 'best bit." Sat in a car-park, especially in a shade of silver or a darker colour, the Jag can slip away amongst the euroboxes of today, looking inconspicuous and subtle. However, if you want a bit more 'show' and an even more imposing aura about the car, go for the phoenix red. If you are considering buying the XKR, this is a must - if you own a £60,000 400bhp car, then sod the subtlety, make sure every Tom, Dick and Harry you meet knows about it. The lines of the car are beautiful, looking over the bonnet you sometimes start believing you really are sitting in an E-Type - the big bulging wings and gracious profile make the Jag still one of the most cool cars out there - hell, if it is good enough for a James Bond baddie, then it has to be cool!
If you live in an area besieged by speed cameras, then you do need to be careful with the XK. Even the base model can do 0-60 in 6.4 seconds, and it won’t stop until you deploy an anchor from the back window, or you reach the cars electronically limited 155mph top speed. The XKR however, is in a completely different league. Do not let the fact that these cars can be had for under £25k and are available in silver fool you. These cars are indecently quick, an early model XKR dispatching with the 0-60 sprint in only 5.4 seconds - that’s faster than a modern-day top of the range £40k Porsche Boxster, and the recent XKR's with their slightly larger engines can keep pace with a 911, NSX or anything that an M3 may care to throw at it. The phrase 'license looser' comes to mind!
And now for the pieste-resistance. The price. You can now go out, and buy an immaculate 1998 S-reg car with well below 70,000miles on the clock, for as little as £20,000. That’s a perfect example, 155mph, £50,000 new, Jaguar main dealer XK8 with all the whistles and bells on for the same price as a middle of the range diesel Vectra, or perhaps you were thinking of a poverty-spec 3 series. £20k won't even get you anywhere near the price of a bottom of the range Discovery, or a Merc C class for that matter. And that won't have leather, electric seats, climate control, any alloy wheels, let alone the 18"ers you get on the big cat. And you try making a C-class diesel (the cheapest of which is £23,000) do 0-60 in 5 seconds or sit at 155mph all day long, alright, it might down a really really steep hill with a rocket strapped to the boot, and even then it wouldn’t look half as good as the Jag would even if it was parked on a council estate in Sheffield.
If all thus sounds too good to be true then think again, it is. It’s so good, my family bought one. And to put the cherry on the cake, the service we received from the Jaguar main dealer, even though they were making peanuts on the car, was exceptional. We went all the way down to a Coventry dealership a 2 hour drive from where we live, and the service we received was amazing, everyone was very helpful, the test drive was great - the route was perfect even taking in, rough back roads that gave the suspension a work out. And it hasn’t stopped there. The after sales service from the garage in our hometown has been equally good, and so far there have been no problems at all with the car.
So then, a £50,000 coupe for Vectra money - what more can I say? Ohh...apart from the fact that unless you are less than 5ft the rear seats are a no-no.
Advantages: Pure Sexiness, Raw Power, Extravigant Luxury Disadvantages: None I can think of!
...for £11,000 (complete with full Jaguar service history) on a 1999 (P) plate.
Ok, onto the car;
As you look at the exterior, you are reminded of the old E-Type and the Aston Martin DB9. The bodywork lines are all smooth, with items such as headlamp washers neatly tucked inside behind a chrome plate that is incorporated into the lights. My model sports 18" Alloys, with Pirelli P-Zero (186mph+ rated) tyres, although 19" wheels are optionally available ... ...fit snugly under the roof-line, with the windows automatically lowering and closing a few millimetres when doors are opened and closed to ensure an air-tight fit. As you move around the car, you can see the body-lines stretched perfectly to the rear, where two chrome exhaust pipes issue (and make a statement that this has a *real* engine!)
Opening the door reveals a swath of tan leather, (that several large cows obviously gave up the hide for), ...
LennyMan 18.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Jaguar XK8 4.2 Coupe
Advantages: Very inexpensive to buy Disadvantages: Potentially very expensive to run
...XKR and servicing at a Jaguar main dealer is expensive, although obviously less expensive if you use a independent specialist. My servicing costs have averaged £410 per 10,000 miles using an independent specialist, but I may have been lucky. Always budget for a possible very large bill. Fuel consumption however is perhaps not as bad as it could be at about 20 to 24 mpg which is better than some comparable cars, such as Maserati coupes, Astons etc. ...
AndrewPo 16.06.2008
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Jaguar XK8 4.2 Coupe
Advantages: A dream on four wheels Disadvantages: Don't think I can afford one any time soon!
...but a beautiful navy blue Jaguar XK8! I pointed out to mrbrowneyeduncle that it looked a little messy sat there in the middle of the garden, and he promptly handed over the keys in order for me to take it for a spin, thus removing it's presence from the grass. Well, what's a girl supposed to do?...;) Firstly the interior of the car is spectacularly classy. Cream leather seats and a mahogany finished dashboard really create a feeling of extravagance! ... ...been slightly sluggish yet the Jaguar is far from that! In fact I positively flew out of the driveway after putting my foot on the accelerator. Another nice feature of the Jaguar is the hybrid gearbox. This means that it will function as a manual gearbox, alongside an automatic, offering 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears. This is really useful for country roads as removing your foot from the accelerator leads the car to slow down as a manual car would. Also, ...
missbrowneyedgirl 29.05.2002
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Jaguar XK8 4.2 Coupe
Advantages: It is a dream both to own and drive Disadvantages: Overseas influence
...long-term Jaguar image any good. (Could you imagine Ferrari announcing a model to compete with say a £30000 TVR?) I like the fact that even in Britain Jaguars are not common and have a degree of exclusivity. If Ford dilutes the Jaguar image, it may never manage to restore it. ...
dohare 14.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Jaguar XK8 4.2 Coupe
The Jaguar XK8 is quite simply the best car I have ever driven. The engine is beautiful smooth, refined yet extremely powerful. The engine a 4.0 V8 produces some 290bhp and the torque is equally impressive. What I think really works with this car is the exquisite mating to the 5 speed automatic gearbox. The box is smooth yet makes very quick and precise gear changes. The handling is good for a car of this size and despite the size, it is relatively ... ...there are better handling cars in this class perhaps the Porsche 911 it is the overall aspects of the car that make the XK8 great. Added to this is the fact that the XK8 is glorious to behold. If I were to describe the car I would say it is both the beauty and the beast rolled into one. ...
j.cuthell 24.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Jaguar XK8 4.2 Coupe
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