Our friends at
Wheels 24 have managed to grab these scoop shots of the completely undisguised Jaguar XK replacement, captured during the filming of a commercial in South Africa. As predicted the production XK bears a very strong resemblance to the
Advanced Lightweight Concept shown at the
Detroit show in January.
As is the norm, the production car has been toned down slightly from the concept with detailing such as the front brake ducts missing from the car pictured, however; these may make a reappearance on the expected range topping Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations tweaked version.
We can rejoice though that the majority of the design has made it through to production. Some similarity with its stable mates at Aston Martin were inevitable (not least because they are both penned by Ian Callum and share structures), but the XK looks every inch a Jaguar with the trademark style and grace expected of a Jaguar combined with muscular haunches that give the car a real ready-to-pounce stance.
Thankfully the overly rotund, golf bag friendly rear of the outgoing XK has been replaced with a much more integrated and sexy swollen rear arch that flows smoothly into the rakish roof line and hatchback opening. No doubt you'll still get two golf bags in there but it is a much more complete styling solution than the oft criticised previous generation XK8.
Expected to be offered with an extensive range of engines starting with the V6 entry level version and stretching to a full blown supercharged V8 ensuring plenty of pace to go with the grace. Expect 170mph and 0-60mph in 5 seconds for the range topper. The lightweight construction should yield benefits not just on the test track, but also at the fuel pumps. It will be interesting to see whether Jaguar continues the roll out of diesel engines by dropping one into the new XK; market trends suggest such an offering may be popular in Europe, although less so in the XK's biggest market, the US.
The XK's weight will also no doubt benefit the car's handling prowess. The XK8 was always a competent machine in this respect, but the new XK should prove to be even better. The cars sporting intentions are made clear by the big brakes sited behind the huge spoked alloys that, as you can just make out from the images, are shod with the overtly sporting Pirelli P-Zero Rosso rubber.
We haven't managed to capture any interior shots yet, but expect much of the ALC's features to be carried over. We hope to bring more official details of the new XK soon, straight from the leaping cat's mouth; we'll pass them on as soon as we get them. We'll also be driving the new XK when it is launched in the New Year, so watch out for the review on the main
Road Tests page.
Dave Jenkins - 14 Apr 2005