.switchModelImage('//cdcssl.ibsrv.net/autodata/images/?IMG=USB70JAC111A0101.jpg&width=390','3/4 Front Glamour 2007 Jaguar XK','3/4 Front Glamour 2007 Jaguar XK'); "3/4 Front Glamour 2007 Jaguar XK")
.switchModelImage('//cdcssl.ibsrv.net/autodata/images/?IMG=CAB70JAC112A0109.jpg&width=390','Grille 2007 Jaguar XK','Grille 2007 Jaguar XK'); "Grille 2007 Jaguar XK")
.switchModelImage('//cdcssl.ibsrv.net/autodata/images/?IMG=CAB70JAC112A0102.jpg&width=390','3/4 Rear Glamour 2007 Jaguar XK','3/4 Rear Glamour 2007 Jaguar XK'); "3/4 Rear Glamour 2007 Jaguar XK")
.switchModelImage('//cdcssl.ibsrv.net/autodata/images/?IMG=CAB70JAC112A0113.jpg&width=390','Rear Profile 2007 Jaguar XK','Rear Profile 2007 Jaguar XK'); "Rear Profile 2007 Jaguar XK")
- Calculating Prices Please Wait
Vehicle Min Max 2007 Jaguar XK N/A N/A 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG N/A N/A 2012 Porsche 911 N/A N/A 2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S N/A N/A Average Not Available 
Used Car Price RangeCurrently Unavailable
Vehicle Min Max 2007 Jaguar XK N/A N/A 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG N/A N/A 2012 Porsche 911 N/A N/A 2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S N/A N/A Average Not Available Based On: 10% down, 5% APR, 60 months
Estimated Monthly PaymentCurrently Unavailable
MPG city hwy 2007 Jaguar XK 18 27 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG 12 19 2012 Porsche 911 18 25 2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S 14 21 Average 16 23 MPG18 City | 27 Highway
Save
2007 Jaguar XK Review Summary
What reviewers liked most about the 2007 Jaguar XK:
...priced well under the $100,000 barrier.
- Edmunds.com...16 miles per gallon city, and 25 miles per gallon highway, thus no gas-guzzler tax to be paid.
- New Car Test DriveOut in the hills the XK continued to impress. The car tackles the twisties with real poise yet never seems to stiffen its ride or responses to the point of severity. The paddle-directed fast upshifts and blipped-throttle downshifts lend real sporting character, and on several occasions we found ourselves drawing to a stop and pulling on both paddles to find neutral, the way it's done in Ferraris and Lamborghinis. That's how authentic the experience is.
- Car and Driver
What reviewers liked least about the 2007 Jaguar XK:
Somewhat stylish, the tail-lamps are a bit too busy.
- New Car Test DriveBoth the XK coupe and convertible only accommodate four soft-pack overnight bags.
- Cars.comThe more cynical among us took issue with the inevitable burl veneer and leather interior, accusing Jaguar of resorting to its clich?d image when designing the cabin. For customers who feel the same way, there is a brushed alloy treatment that banishes any sight of timber.
- Car and Driver
Best one-liners about the 2007 Jaguar XK:
In a word, the all new 2007 Jaguar XK is a gorgeous sports car.
- New Car Test Drive...the most technically advanced Jaguar production car ever built.
- Cars.com
2007 Jaguar XK Introduction
The outgoing Jaguar sports car, the XK8, is 10 years old, and in its later years, had become a patchwork as new technologies like satellite radio, navigation and airbags had to be adapted to it. Its V8 horsepower number began with a 2 instead of a 3, putting it way behind the competition. There were new safety and emissions goals to be met. So they threw out the XK8 and replaced it with a brand new car from the ground up, the first aluminum-chassis sports car in Jaguar's six decades of production. They've changed the name, too, in the process, from XK-8 to XK 4.2.
The all-new 2007 Jaguar XK 4.2 is the successor to every XK dating back to the first one in 1948 and, as such, it is Jaguar's franchise player. The XK's main competitors are the Mercedes-Benz SL, the BMW 650, and the Cadillac XLR.
The new XK is a tasty combination of Jaguar style, traditional British luxury car touches like wood, leather, and quietness, with every system in and under the car updated and improved to meet that very serious competition. It's design, while very, very pretty, is derivative of all previous generations since the XK-E, with some Aston Martin and Ford design cues thrown in (Jaguar's Scottish chief designer Ian Callum designed both the Aston Martin DB-7 and DB-9 sports cars).
As with the last generation, the new 2007 Jaguar XK will come as both a coupe and a convertible, now with a disappearing top that hides behind the second row of seats under a steel cover, instead of piled up under a tonneau cover.
Riding on a much longer wheelbase, the 2007 XK offers substantially more interior space than the 2006 model. The new seats are more comfortable, the gauges are nicer and everything works better. Benefiting from the lightweight chassis, the 4.2-liter V8 propels the XK from 0 to 60 mph in less than six seconds, Jaguar says. Its rigid chassis and the latest CATS adaptive suspension provides a smooth ride and demonic cornering, coupled with accurate steering and powerful brakes.
2007 Jaguar XK Walkaround
The Jaguar XK has been a design icon since 1948, and the new version looks very much the part. The overhangs are shorter, but the signature voluptuousness is in every panel on the car, and the tires and wheels are more prominent in the design.
The stowaway power convertible top added some width to the rear end of the car to accommodate the steel top cover, but both the coupe and the convertible are stunning cars. We don't need those new front fender badges to tell us that it's a Jaguar, and the taillamps are a bit busy, but otherwise the coupe and convertible are a pair of lovely shapes, carefully adorned.
Most of what is underneath came directly from the all-aluminum-chassis XJ sedan introduced two years ago, and that's a good thing, leading to huge weight losses with concomitant gains in stiffness, strength and performance.
2007 Jaguar XK Interior Features
The Jaguar XK has been re-engineered for 2007, and part of that involved stretching the wheelbase by almost six and a half inches to afford much more interior space.
Inside the XK, everything is roomier. The seats have more travel, and there's more room for humans in all directions. Everything inside is new, from the new shifter with a Sport slot to the new dashboard and instrument layout, to the standard touch-screen navigation system.
The seats have undergone a major redesign and they are much the better for it, with longer cushions, more power adjustments, more enveloping bolsters, and generally more long-distance comfort built in. They're upholstered in Jaguar's traditional leather, of course, and set off by the buyer's choice of walnut veneer, poplar veneer, or aluminum trim panels on the doors and dashboard.
The instruments have brand new and more engaging graphics, the layout is better, and the switchgear makes more sense now because of the opportunity to redesign it.
The XK was built up from the idea of a 2+2 roadster. The coupe came after the more complex disappearing hard top design, also as a 2+2. We appreciate what Jaguar is trying to do here, but the rear compartment simply doesn't have room for the average American occupant. Purses, backpacks, briefcases and satchels, maybe, but not real people. At least not very large people, and not for long distances.
All the controls and switches make sense, especially if you're used to Jaguars. Things work pretty much the same way as the previous XK8 and XKR. The new navigation system is big, bright, colorful, clear and useful with a minimum of fuss.
None of the other coupes and roadsters in this small luxury sports car class are exactly swimming in cargo space, and the XK doesn't move the needle here, either, with 10.6 cubic feet in the coupe, 10.0 cubic feet in the convertible with the top up, and only 7 cubic feet with the top stowed.
Dealing with the XK, working its works, discovering it system by system, was a pleasure. No surprises, no weirdness. We did find the A-pillar to be thicker than we'd like, interfering with our vision in some driving situations, but other than that quibble, the car was quick, quiet, comfortable and easy to use, with strong kudos for the touch-screen design and interface.
2007 Jaguar XK Driving Impressions
The 300-horsepower engine in the new Jaguar XK 4.2, newly outfitted with variable valve timing and other improvements for both power and fuel efficiency, wouldn't be competitive with other sports cars in this price range if the new car had a steel body and 700 pounds more weight. But with only the 3600-pound body and chassis to carry around, the engine is pretty darn good. It sounds especially mean and nasty at full throttle because of some extra valves and plumbing in the exhaust system, especially with the convertible top stowed. In sixth gear cruising, though, it's a near-inaudible pussycat.
The new six-speed automatic with manual control, a Sport mode, and shifter paddles on the steering wheel, is about three levels of sportiness better than the outgoing transmission and the old, dreaded J-gate shifter. The new twin-clutch transmission allows extremely quick, positive shifts between gears, with little or no lurching on upshifts and a nice, growly throttle blip on downshifts. This is an improvement on the similar ZF transmission Ford uses in the Aston Martin DB9, now with better hardware and software. It can sense aggressive driving and adapt accordingly, limiting upshifts in long corners in Sport mode, and giving instant multiple downshifts when conditions are right.
The engine/transmission combination is good for about 5.9-second 0-60 times and 14.4-second quarter-mile sprints, according to Jaguar, with an electronic speed limit of 155 mph. Interpolated European fuel numbers are comparable to EPA numbers of 16 miles per gallon city, and 25 miles per gallon highway, thus no gas-guzzler tax to be paid.
Hugely stiffer than the outgoing car on the basis of its riveted and bonded aluminum construction, almost 50 percent stiffer in bending and much stiffer in torsion, the XK offers the kind of silky smooth ride and demonic cornering that great sports cars have always had. It's helped by the completely retuned CATS adaptive suspension system with faster-acting, smarter shock absorbers that work with the engine and transmission to immediately react to the situation and driver's intention. The tuning is roughly 10 percent stiffer in the front and 4 percent stiffer in the rear than the old car. There are several assist modes to the CATS system, including completely off, for track days.
Another byproduct of the stiff chassis is the steering accuracy. It's without question the tightest, heftiest, and quickest Jaguar power steering in history, but nowhere near the point of skittishness. Solid, stable, and planted. The traction control system now features a Trac mode that keeps everything on but allows a higher threshold of yaw, letting the car get sideways in corners for those owners who go to Jaguar Club track days.
The new XK models are fitted with a choice of 18-, 19-, or 20-inch wheels and tires. Base tires are Continental P245/45ZR18s front and P275/40ZR18s rear. Optional Dunlop SP Sport 01 asymmetric high-performance tires are fitted on XK models with 19-inch wheels, 245/40ZR-19 tires on the front and 275/35R19s on the rear. Optional Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ultra-performance tires are 255/35ZR20s for the front and 285/30ZR20s for the rear.
The XK's new ABS brakes are much larger than those on the previous model, and much more powerful, considering the reduced weight of the car, with braking starting at the very top of pedal travel, where we like it. No fade whatsoever after a long downhill switchback workout.
Although the weights and balances between the coupe and the convertible versions, which we drove back-to-back, are close, there's really no discernable difference in the way they drive, except that the convertible with the top down generates more sound in the cockpit and more admiring glances from the other drivers than the coupe.
2007 Jaguar XK Final Word
The all-new 2007 Jaguar XK is an absolutely gorgeous sports car for today that will appeal broadly to successful men and women looking for the latest in sleek affordability. It has a couple of styling and design items we'd change instantly if we bought one, like the badges on the front fenders, but otherwise, we are simply smitten by this beautiful new Jag and the way it drives down the road, changing direction like the big cat it's named for, but coddling the couple of adventurers inside like an English nanny.
NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Jim McCraw filed this story from Cape Town, Republic of South Africa.
Find used inventory of the 2007 Jaguar XK in your area. We have thousands of used vehicle listings around the country.
New Car Quick Quote
Find more information on Jaguar vehicles
- Affiliate Program
- |Advertising Opportunities
- |Buy Auto Leads
- |About Us
- |More Info
- |Need Help?
- |Mobile
- |Terms of Use
- |Privacy
- |Jobs
CARSDIRECT IS AN INTERNET BRANDS COMPANY. COPYRIGHT 1999-2012 CARSDIRECT.COM, INC.