The exterior styling is definitely sporty, but hardly the prettiest GT out there. The retro-looking front-end feels old-school Jaguar, which is no bad thing. It is from the side where XK's sportiness is the most apparent, while the rear is distinct and handsome. Overall, XK's considerable road presence will command attention without shouting. Inside, the well-designed cabin exudes a classy ambience. XK is positioned as a sporty grand tourer, meaning it has to ride well and also drive well. On both counts, XK impresses. The convertible chassis is less rigid than the coupe's, but still assuredly composed. Grip levels are outstandingly high, and the steering gives good feedback, while the brilliant body control ensures minimal body lean through corners. The new adaptive damping system, which controls all four dampers separately, ensures optimal ride-and-handling balance. Despite the large wheels, XK rides comfortably, and blocks out undue noise equally well with the roof up. Of course, the V8 growl is more than welcome, but less so is the tyre roar over rough surfaces. There are plenty of electric adjustments for steering wheel and seat that allow drivers to get their preferred driving position easily, though we will prefer bigger seats. Front view is good, but rear view is limited. The touch-screen centre console allows for a neat dashboard, but operating the controls will need some getting used to. The well-designed cabin has build quality to match. Fit-and-finish are excellent, as can be expected from a high-end luxury convertible. Cabin materials are attractive and posh, except for some minor switches surprisingly made of relatively low-rent materials. According to JD Power customer satisfaction surveys, Jaguar as a brand took a credible fifth place in 2008. Powering the XK is a 4.2-litre V8 that churns out 300 bhp at 6000 rpm and 420 Nm at 4100 rpm. On the roads, the V8 gives strong urge at higher revs, but somewhat short of pull lower down the rev range. Always keen-to-rev, superbly refined and fabulous-sounding, the V8 gives XK a 0-100 km/h time of 6.3 seconds. The performance is fine on its own, but relatively, the V8 lacks the horsepower German rivals have by a margin. With three shift modes, the smooth six-speed automatic gearbox with paddle-gearshift allows different driving styles depending on selection. XK's two-plus-two tag is no more than a marketing gimmick, although in fairness other automakers started it. Front driver and passenger enjoy ample head- and leg-room. The rear two seats are too hemmed in to carry passengers, of any size, but at least they serve as storage space for small bags. With the roof down, the boot space is still reasonable for use, and more or less matches what rivals offer. The 4.2-litre V8 surprisingly returns 8.85 km/litre, but drive aggressively and the figure will rapidly decrease. Maintenance, repairs, road tax and insurance are all expected to be costly. Depreciation of older Jaguars is much steeper compared to BMW and Mercedes-Benz. But with XK, things could improve. Being an excellent car, along with the fewer XKs on the roads would support the second-hand market values. Expect steeper depreciation compared to BMW 6-Series or Mercedes-Benz SL-Class though. Costing so much money, the value cannot be measured through performance figures or equipment level or even the badge alone. The key lies in whether the driver can make an emotive connection with XK on the roads. To us, XK fits the criteria, in a way not many performance cars can. It is cars like XK that will rejuvenate Jaguar, and the motoring scene. Standard equipments include 18-inch alloy wheels, leather interior, 10-way adjustable seats with driver and passenger memory, dual-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, keyless start, Bluetooth connectivity, front and rear Park Assist, and in-dash six-CD changer. Safety equipments include airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) and Trac Dynamic Stability Control. In addition, there is a pedestrian safety system that uses airbags to prop up the bonnet to minimise injury to pedestrians during a frontal collision. Any environmentally-conscious person should not be looking at XK in the first place. A performance convertible with 4.2-litre V8 is far from being “green”; the carbon dioxide emission level of 269 g/km, and the potentially awful fuel consumption are proof of that. It must be said however that some rivals are even more polluting.