Jaguar’s design team under Ian Callum faced a tough challenge in creating the new Jaguar XK Coupé and Cabriolet. ... But, at the same time, it was important for the future of the company it would appeal to a new, younger generation of buyers....In its place the new XK has a thoroughly modern interior with aluminium highlights – although you can opt for wood if you must!...Its structure and body are made of aluminium (just like the new XJ saloons) with the result that the new Cabriolet is a significant 135 kg lighter than the previous model. ...Less weight gives engineers an opportunity to improve the performance (the new car’s power-to-weight ratio is 10% better), sharper handling and improved fuel efficiency. ...The acceleration is impressive, with a 0-60 mph time of just 5.9 seconds for the Coupé, and just one tenth slower for the marginally heavier Cabriolet. ...I wasn’t expecting great things from the six-speed automatic and envisaged having to use its Formula One-style ‘paddles” to extract maximum response. ... Select ‘sport’ and you begin to wonder what sort of telepathy is reading the road, the way this car seems to predict corners and select a lower gear on entry....It also gave me a chance to appreciate how well the soft top insulates the driver, not only from the elements, but also from wind and other road noise. ...Like the Cabriolet, this a very bonnie car and I fancy there are even some hints of the E-type in the look of the rear tailgate, although – unlike its forebear – the XK’s door isn’t side hinged....Just as Ian Callum’s design team have blended tradition with modernity, so the engineers have produced a car that is worthy of the XK badge, but also delivers new levels of the sort of driver satisfaction that younger owners will seek. ...But, compared with others at this fairly exclusive end of the market, the £58,955 asking price for the Coupé (£64,955 for the Cabriolet) seems pretty competitive.
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Jaguar's new XK is a real driver's car 
