the atmosphere Speed limit signs suddenly appear irrelevant...

As always, the interior is a visual delight, awash in leather and wood with supportive seats and ergonomically superior control layout. Ninety percent of XK sales are convertibles and it's easy to see why: the XK is a car that practically begs to be taken on a top- down city cruise where you can watch all the other drivers watching you. But this time we also sampled an XKR coupe. Although the convertible's thick- ly padded top sharply limits noise intru- sion when it's up, the coupe is quieter still. On the interstate, at 80 mph there's 2005 XK- and S-Type Jaguars only a faint rustle of air past the outside mirrors, a distant hum from the power- Fast But Not Flashy train and occasional muted tire thumps to suggest you're hustling along. Our test car was fitted with the optional Handling Pack: handsome 20- inch BBS wheels fitted with sticky Z- rated, ultra-low-profile footwear, enor- BY CRAIG PETERSON The S-Type R receives a restyled Type R's retuned suspension sharpens mous cross-drilled Brembo brakes with front end with a deeper bumper chin its already prodigious handling qualities striking red calipers, lowered ride 2004 WAS THE YEAR OF THE COMPLETELY and larger air inlets for the twin engine with less final understeer then before height, uprated springs, stiffer anti-roll new XJ sedan. Aluminum bodywork and oil coolers. and improved on-center steering feel. bar and a retuned CATS (Computer suspension reduced weight and, in the The rear gets a new bumper and tail- For a sedan it does a convincing imita- Active Technology Suspension) that 390hp supercharged XJR we sampled, lights plus a raised trunk line. Coupled tion of a pure sports car. Yet there's no adjusts shock damping in realtime. made this the fastest, best-handling big with slicked-up side rocker panels, the penalty in ride comfort. The S-Type is Just as the adaptive cruise control is Jaguar ever. overall look is cleaner and more muscu- equally happy cruising silently through all but invisible, CATS also works behind This model year Jaguar focused their lar. All S-Types get an aluminum hood urban centers or diving for the apex of a the scenes to control body motions. attention on the XK- and S-Type mod- to improve weight distribution. curve on one of the twisting two-lanes Thanks to a fast microprocessor and els. Although both platforms are carry- Inside, the supportive and sumptu- that snakes across the spine of the some clever programming, CATS makes overs, there have been some major ous leather seats and surfaces can be Balcones Escarpment through the Hill continuous adjustments to maintain an refinements to each. In the case of the complemented for the first time with Country. 'With its newly attractive price, air of serenity under conditions that supercharged S-Type R, Jag's answer wood-free trim, including a new brushed- the exclusive S-Type R is a comparative would have other cars porpoising wildly. to the BMW 545i Sport, there's even a aluminum fascia. bargain as a stylish, high-performance This is the XK for the serious driver. price decrease to $58,995, down over It's a new, trendier treatment for a alternative to a Mercedes or BMW. Although it's a two-ton coupe, the sus- four Large from the 2004 model. Jaguar and we like it although we sus- Jaguar's best-selling XK sports car, pension upgrade makes it feel much Three S-Types are available: 3.0 V-6 pect most buyers will opt for one of the available as XK8 coupe ($70,495) or lighter and more nimble. Thrown into a ($44,895 base price), 4.2 V-8 ($51,995) classic Jag wood-trim packages, sever- convertible ($75,495) and supercharged sweeper at triple-digit speed, the XKR and the S-Type R performance model. al varieties of which are offered. XKR coupe and convertible ($81,995 turns-in crisply, takes a set and simply All three now get the six-speed auto- The 4.2 V-8 model gets a VDP (aka and $86,995, respectively) was blessed tracks through with virtually no body roll. matic introduced on the 2003 S-Type R, Van den Plas) option ($3,000) with pre- with a number of improvements two The process seems so effortless and and the last two share the superb AJ8 mium interior appointments including an years ago but also receives styling drama-free that speed limit signs sud- 4.2-liter V-8. Normally aspirated, it's electronic rear sun shade plus unique tweaks. A mesh grille, a larger, lower air denly appear irrelevant, applying only to good for 294 hp in the 4.2 model; in the 17-inch alloy wheels and auto-leveling intake and full-width grille splitter give lesser cars. R, topped with a big Roots-type inter- Xenon headlamps. the front end a more aggressive look. That's the attraction of the latest Jag- cooled supercharger, power jumps to Optional: a radar-based adaptive Deeper side sills and rear bumper, along uars. The competition may offer models 390 hp and 399 foot-pounds of torque. cruise control that automatically main- with larger exhaust tips—quad outlets on with more power, speed or handling tains a safe following the XKR—lend subtle hints to the XK's prowess—even all three attributes com- What’s Hot distance by reducing substantial performance potential. bined in a few cases. But none offers the Sensuous styling power or even lightly Three gorgeous new multi-spoke scintillating blend of luxurious accommo- Performance, handling braking when needed. wheel designs are offered in 18-, 19- dations, high performance and unique, Exclusivity It works so unobtru- and 20-inch diameters and are fitted classic styling found in the new XK- and What’s Not Not quite a Benz or BMW in pure performance sively that many won't with sticky Z-rated low-profile rubber on S-Types. Those shopping for both pedi- Price of admission know it's on duty. the supercharged XK-R, all-season tires gree and exclusivity need look no farther On the road, the S- on lesser models. than the nearest Jaguar store.

24 | AUGUST 2004