Magus Cars India

IT’S GOT ONE OF THE BEST interiors in the business. What joy to sit here, gazing at the magically animated virtual instruments, or at the vents and clock sitting on the dash like a little bowl of fruit, the soft hides with their neatly plush stitching, the structural-looking wood, the dreamy blue illumination.

The sense of occasion, and yes, even of humour. Which is all very well, but cars are for driving. How about if it was as good moving as it is standing still?

Snap judgment says that idea is pure fantasy I just got picked up in one. Here in central Paris the traffic’s bad and there are three of us so I Hop into in the back. Within 50 yards I get irked. This is another of those big saloons where they’ve firmed up the ride because it’s supposed to be sporty. Idiotic, I’m thinking. If you want a sporting car, don’t buy a big saloon.

Still, while I’m back here, might as well make myself at home. There’s loads of room to stretch (it’s a long wheel base) and I’ve just jumped in from a journey on particularly chilly public transport. I set the bum- warmer to stun, wind up the temperature of the rear vents and jet them in my direction. The B&W stereo is beyond extraordinary. The rear seats caress my weary form, even though they aren’t actually very softly padded as they’re hollowed out to give plenty of headroom in this swoopy car. Parisians are staring gobsmacked at it, and peering in at me having made the understandable but incorrect deduction that I must really be someone.

As speed builds, I decide the ride isn’t such an issue. It never goes smooth, no, but neither does it get worse. More important, there’s no shake or shudder, barely any impact noise, no sharpness as it hits bumps or aftershocks when they’re passed.

And let’s cut to the chase here. The reward for this controlled tautness is that this Jag, big though it is, behaves remarkably like a not-big car. Out of the city I’ve taken to the wheel. And it’s now spearing down a decidedly difficult stretch of road. The camber is uneven and the surface has been patched-up more often than a footballers marriage.

The Jag doesn’t care. It stays level, and there’s no fight from the steering. As the road starts to curve and then twist and then corkscrew and then hairpin, the car just stays with it. When big cars try to be sporty, usually this is where it all goes to pieces. Some of them might have all sorts of fancy active suspensions that do keep them on the road all right, but things just go into lockdown: harsh damping and shuddering bodywork and a burgeoning sense of the absurdity of it all. The X] on the other hand stays fluent and agile. It feels all perfectly natural, like it’s not pulling any special tricks- though it definitely must be.

Of course, if a car doesn’t weigh like a lardy limo, it’s less likely to drive like one. And, sure enough, the XJ is about 150kg lighter than the mainstream German opposition. Not to mention lighter than the smaller XF. Couple this pie-avoiding bodyweight with a rather magnificent set of engines and the good news keeps on coming. This is the naturally aspirated 5.O-litre V8, the one that came to the XJ and XF last year, with 385bhp and cam-profile switching and direct Injection and all sorts of techno goodness. It’s an imperial thing. The torque is marvelous, delivered good and early to the tune of a lovely pillowy V8 exhaust. Squeeze higher up the revs and it doesn’t flinch.It does 0-100 in 5.7 seconds, and overtaking is mighty. Still not enough? Well there’s a 51 0bhp supercharged one over and above that- the most excellent engine out the XFR and XJR

Then the 275bhp V6D. It’s staggeringly quiet for a diesel As smooth as that wonderful V8 petrol? Course not, doesn’t be daft. but given the fact it has torque to spare hits 100 in 6.4 sees, 250kph and makes !5kpl in the official Tests you can see why this’ll be The one everyone buys.

We end this trip with a motorway haul and a return to the city centre, because with a car in this class these are fines one and two of the job description - hooning about in the countryside will, sadly, never be more than a delightful side project. At big, straight-line speed the XJ is at least as quiet as it needs to be, and has a lovely effortless subtlety to its steering that makes it easy to guide it almost subconsciously within its lane. In town you sure notice its bigness, but the swish progression of the throttle and brakes both help lubricate your way through the traffic.

So it’s easy to drive, slowly or ruddy quickly. But it doesn’t drive itself. This might be an advanced car - especially its engines, body construction and those cabin screens - but it faces opposition that fields lots of stuff it does without: active four-wheel steering and see-in-the-dark and steer-between-dotted-lines and brake- when-you-don’t-have-the-gumption-to. The Jag’s technology is there to serve you, not to replace you. Good grief it serves you well My snap judgment was wrong. The XJ is as brilliant going as it is stopped

aguar, and one that literally took the world by storm.

The XK marked the beginning of the sensual and slippery shapes from Jaguar. The XK 120 got its name from its impressive top speed of 120mp/h (193km/h) – making it the fastest production car in the world at the time. The original XK was also responsible for laying the foundation for the legendary Le Mans winning C-Type and D-Type Jaguars of the 1950s.

The XK name was revived by the company in 1997 with the XK8, which was a contemporary design with beautiful lines but a car that lacked the dynamic qualities to match the best from Germany. The latest generation XK, launched in 2006, aims to rectify these shortcomings. It not only continues Jaguars heritage of producing gorgeous cars but also revives its tradition of technical innovation as well – it has a lightweight, but extremely stiff, all-aluminum chassis.

The XK-R, meanwhile, takes the driving experience one step further by providing tremendous grunt and, supposedly, handling to match. The latest XK has even been hailed as the best new Jag since the iconic E-type of the 60s – high praise indeed. Let’s find out if it’s warranted.

Aesthetics

First things first, this is an absolutely stunning car – if it goes even half as well as it looks, it’ll be a memorable drive indeed. The perfect proportions and exquisite lines of the XK-R convertible certainly drew a lot of attention. But more than that, wherever the XK went, it led to numerous questions regarding the make and model of the car, which suggests that Jaguar has largely fallen off the radar – at least in the US market. On the other hand, it does mean that the XK is more exclusive as a result.

The other thing that you can’t help but notice is the similarity in design between the XK and recent Aston Martins, especially elements such as the high shoulder line of the wide rear fenders. Not that this should be a concern mind you, since the current range of Aston’s are perhaps the most beautiful and elegant cars on the road today. And this similarity is no coincidence either, as Jaguar’s Design Chief, Ian Callum, worked on several Aston Martins when both marques belonged to Ford’s Premier Automotive Group.

Other elements of the design such as the long bonnet and catfish-like face do evoke memories of the legendary E-Type, which is a further credit to design team since today’s cars are required to meet various safety legislations that place great restrictions on design freedom. The XK is also the first production car to feature a Pedestrian Deployable Bonnet System (PDBS). This deploys the bonnet, which is to say it rises up instantly when it senses that a pedestrian has been struck – preventing the head of the victim from colliding with the solid engine block beneath the bonnet, the main cause of fatal injury in such instances.

There are a number of other features that suggest you’re in an expensive car – such as heaters that not only warm the seats but the steering as well to keep your hands comfortable during alfresco motoring on a cold day, keyless entry and start, adaptive headlights that come on automatically even if you go through a small tunnel, side lights that come on automatically when you turn the wheel (which is very handy when you’re parking at night), a parking brake that engages at the press of a button and disengages automatically when you press the accelerator pedal, and an easy to use touch-screen interface that allows you to maneuver between navigation, audio, climate control and various other functions.

The two best features by far, however, are the seats that were infinitely adjustable, allowing you to find the perfect driving position, they even had a knob to control the amount of side bolstering (which is highly recommended on all cars), and the adaptive cruise control that quite literally doesn’t require any driver input on the highway other than steering. You simply set a cruising speed and the car does everything else. If the vehicle in front of you brakes suddenly, the XK-R will brake automatically ensuring a safe distance. The adaptive cruise control will then wait for the road to clear and, when it’s safe to do so, accelerate to the previously set cruising speed. All the driver has to do is take a leap of faith, and thereafter make sure to stay awake in order to steer the car when needed.

The only criticisms, if any, were that the 19-inch chrome alloy wheels on our test car looked like they came straight out of a rap video, although these are optional. The only real criticism, then, is that there are a few sharp edges inside the cabin – small details the likes of which you’ll probably find taken care of in any of its German rivals. All in all, though, it’s a breathtakingly stunning car. And like Jaguars of old, the interiors are luxuriously appointed with wood and leather – although I’d prefer the all-aluminum trim that’s more popular in Europe. More importantly, unlike some Jaguars of old, the XK is not only comfortable but contemporary as well with state-of-the-art electronics that won’t go up in smoke after a shelf life of only about a half-dozen years or so.

Engine: 4,197cc / supercharged V8
Fuel: Petrol
Transmission: 6 speed Automatic / Rear Wheel Drive
Power: 420bhp @ 6000rpm
Torque: 413lb/ft @ 4000 rpm
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h – 4.9 seconds

All the bells and whistles aside, the drivetrain is the real heart of any sports or GT car. And this is where the XK-R leaves you in no doubt about the seriousness of its intentions – the engine and transmission are very much in keeping with the aggressive visual nature of the car. The propulsion provided by the 420 horsepower supercharged V8 is nothing short of epic. The power delivery isn’t manic as you’d expect in a car that produces this much power, instead it’s linear and refined – very much like a naturally aspirated engine. Its feels effortless at cruising speed.

At first, you begin to question if it really produces the claimed 420 horses. It’s only when you display a real sense of urgency with your right foot that the character of the car completely changes. The guttural roar from the active exhaust is intoxicating. While it’s normally very silent, on hard acceleration butterfly valves in the quad exhausts open to provide sensational sound. In fact, my best memory of the XK-R is driving through a tunnel with the top down and accelerator pedal mashed to the floor.

The transmission, which is a regular torque converter automatic, is, surprisingly, even better. It features a sport mode that allows higher shift points and more driver adaptation, which means the transmission adjusts to your driving style. It also offers the now ubiquitous paddle shifts, allowing you to change gears manually if you so choose. Like a semi-automatic gearbox, the XK’s transmission blips the throttle on downshifts, which is a nice touch. The shifts themselves are also just as quick, taking only 600 milliseconds. And thankfully, unlike several semi-automatics, gear changes are extremely smooth and comfortable – offering the best of both worlds.

Ride & Handling

Jaguars have always been famous for their impeccable ride quality. And the XK is no different, it’s almost sublime – that’s despite the massive 19-inch wheels, as well as the fact that Jaguar’s Computer Active Technology Suspension (CATS) is recalibrated on the XK-R to provide more stiffness and better body control.

The all-aluminum chassis means that it feels extremely well put together and responsive. It also gives you the impression of being athletic and light on its feet, but is let down by a suspension set up that errors too much on the side of ride comfort. The end result is that it’s a little too soft to really explore the chassis limits on some of the very tight and snaking mountain roads.

A switch within the cabin to control the stiffness of the suspension would have been a welcome option. In its current set up, the XK-R feels like a very fast and refined GT car, which is really what it is as opposed to a real sports car. For that, perhaps we’ll have to wait for Jaguar to actually build the F-Type – a concept car revealed in 2000 as a real successor to the iconic E-Type. The F Type appears to be an extremely desirable proposition, and is something that Ratan Tata has already hinted that he’d like to see happen. It’s also something that a number of Jaguar insiders have wanted for some time.

The XK-R, meanwhile, is exceptional when cruising on the boulevard, and just as good when hammering along at 85% on any other piece of road – it’s only a little bit that keeps it from being a true sports car. Perhaps the recently introduced, limited edition, XKR-S is better suited to fulfill those needs.

Verdict

All said and done, the XK-R does live up to its hype. It’s very much in keeping with Jaguars rich heritage. It’s exquisite, refined and very fast, making it more than capable of taking the fight to the 6 series BMW and SL Mercedes – it’s also more exclusive at the moment. In many ways, the XK appears to be ultimate GT car.

That apart, Jaguar does need to invest in an intensive public relations campaign to ensure that people know what the brand really stands for – especially in light of its new owners. And while the company does have its hands full tackling issues such as fuel economy and CO2 emissions, which are at the forefront of people’s minds, its new range of cars look very promising indeed. And that bodes well for the future.