2007 Jaguar XK

click the pic above to view a gallery "I say, that's a very fine Grand Tourer" said the delightful young man sharing a cookout in the street with his companion pit bull. At least that's how it sounded as it filtered over the transom of the XK while motoring through a questionable section of town. His actual verbiage may have been closer to "Yo, that $#!t is hot," but such is the bliss of driving the 2007 Jaguar XK Convertible, that it immediately transforms your mood and renders the world cheery. Some vehicles have an inherent sense of self-loathing, almost apologizing for having an internal combustion engine and wheels. The Jaguar XK has no such identity crisis. While it's not the ultimate performer in its segment, if you derive pleasure from Grand Touring, the Jaguar XK has a brace of wily charms to woo your considerable pile of dollars. %Gallery-4582% The XK's styling is unmistakably Jaguar, with strong haunches and a low-slung form. The grille harks back to the D and E-Types, ovoid with a tasteful crossbar of brightwork capped by the snarling Jaguar insignia. Introverts will hate this car; it's not for inconspicuous motoring, especially in the vibrant shade our tester came in called Frost Blue. The aluminum body is wrapped tightly over the 19-inch wheels, and a sharp crease through the middle of the flanks breaks light with a cleanly defined line aligning with the cuts for the front and rear fascias. The nose and tail, however, aren't quite as perfectly drawn as the previous generation. The headlights look awkward from some angles, almost like the eyes of a fish. The lamps wrap into the fenders in an elongated way that stretches and softens their shape, making the corners of the car less strong. The tail is more succesfully shaped, but the soft corners, an ill-conceived spoiler, and lots of chunky bumper fascia add up to something that's not one hundred percent graceful. A convertible top isn't helpful at pulling the styling together, either, even though the car was designed first as a convertible, then endowed with a roof for the coupe. None of this is to say that the XK is a bad looking car. It's great looking, in fact. Subjectively, though, the styling left us wishing for something more lithe and musclebound. The looks will age well – in twenty years this car will still garner comments from passers by. The coupe's roofline is slick, without the kitsch of a cloth top profile, but avoiding the current retractible hardtop fashion pays dividends. The cloth top saves weight versus folding metal, and it stacks compactly enough to leave a modicum of useable space in the trunk. The cargo hold isn't shopping-spree large but a couple of soft bags fit well, and the back seat offers some additional storage space. There's no way an actual human can utilize the rear seats, so you might as well toss stuff back there. The presence of LATCH anchors would be a …
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