With awesome styling and performance to boot, the Jaguar XK coupe is a popular first choice for those seeking a British-built sports car from an established and trusted brand. This model began production back in 1996 and replaced the iconic XJ-S.
The Jaguar XK was also the first model to take advantage of Jaguar’s brand new AJ-V8 engine, and in 1998, a supercharged version was added to the range. If you are a fan of the Jaguar XK coupe, you might be wondering whether this is your ideal dream car or not. This in-depth review will give you the rundown of the XK coupe, so you can make your own mind up whether to buy one or not!
What the Jaguar XK coupe is like on the road
In standard form, the new and used Jaguar XK coupe comes with a 5.0-litre V8 engine which has 380 brake horsepower on top as standard. For those that are after even more power there is the XKR and XKR-S models which feature supercharged versions of the AJ-V8 engine, offering 503 brake horsepower and 542 brake horsepower respectively.
Regardless of which model you go for, all three engine choices offer breathtaking performance; for example, the standard XK will take you to 60 mph in just 5.6 seconds, whereas the supercharged XKR-S is 1.4 seconds quicker.
Handling on the road is as you would expect for a car of this size and from Jaguar, although I would have to admit that the ride can be a little bumpy over rough roads. The good news is that the handling of the XK coupe does get better the faster you drive, although I wouldn’t obviously advocate driving like a speed demon in built-up urban areas and exceeding any posted speed limits!
Steering on the Jaguar XK coupe is pretty precise, and offers a lot of feedback on the road – especially when driving around bends. The model that you want for “comfortable” suspension is the XK, while the XKR and XKR-S are firmer and too firm respectively.
How good (or bad) is the interior?
Although the driving position of the Jaguar XK is pretty good, one might find that the seats can be a bit uncomfortable on long journeys as they are narrow. This model features a decent touch-screen infotainment system, but it can be a bit tricky to use on the go.
In terms of practicality, the Jaguar XK has two rear seats but considering how low the roof line is in the car and how cramped the space is, you wouldn’t be able to find them useful for anything more than storage for some shopping bags.
The good news is that there is plenty of space at the front seats, with enough headroom and legroom to satisfy even the tallest of people!
As standard, the Jaguar XK coupe comes with leather heated seats, leather upholstery, built-in satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity and climate control. The XKR and XKR-S models feature active suspension as standard, although this is an optional extra on the standard XK model.