I settled into the car’s lengthy cushioned seats, cooled leather, of course, then couldn’t resist lifting my hand to touch the soft suede covering of the A-pillar and windshield header. The finely stitched caramel-colored leather is used, too, on the inside of the doors and the dash, which are trimmed with burl walnut wood.
And, to “top” that, it is open overhead.
It’s the 2011 Jaguar XK convertible.
Sunday noon, after church, Jan and I and the powerful, burbling cat headed south for 50 miles to the Denver Press Club and memorial service for old friend Bill Pride, who died late last month. I teamed up with Pride 40 years ago on the news desk of The Denver Post; we spent leisure moments visiting often of cars, or newspapering or baseball. Pride was proud of his Dodge Dart and International Scout vehicles.
At Christmas time four years ago, after I reported in a column that two new rear-drive sedans delivered to me, a BMW and Lexus, had become stuck from a 2-foot snowfall in northern Colorado, Pride sent this e-mail to me: “Great column yesterday on Lexus and BMW tryouts. Wish I’d known sooner, I could have come and hauled you out with my ’91 Isuzu Rodeo (or, if I still had the ’72 Scout, that would have done it, too).”
The Jaguar, in its second year of ownership by Tata Motors of India, is still produced at its Castle Bromwich, England, factory.
Its three-layer, well-insulated convertible top will, with the touch of a power button, stow away at the back in 18 seconds. That cuts the trunk space from 11.7 cubic feet to 7, so travel light.
Such a nice cabin; those comfortable seats are bolstered, of course, though not to the point of assaulting a guy when he crawls in and out of the car. It is referred to as a four-passenger auto; the rear-seat cushions are too short and legroom too tight to accommodate adults. Hidden away behind the rear seat backs are two aluminum hoops which will be deployed for protection if the car’s sensors detect possibility of a rollover.
The Jag’s sideview mirrors dip for safer view when the Jag is place in reverse, and they also can be set to fold in when the car is locked.
A 385-horsepower, 5.0-liter direct-injected V-8 had been added to the standard XK for ’11, replacing the 4.2-liter V-8. A pop-up rotary gear-selection knob, an attraction of Jaguars for a couple of years, controls its smooth, 6-speed transmission, with optional shifting from paddles at the steering wheel. In Sport mode, the transmission will downshift instantly for immediate acceleration and remain in lower gears for improved rpm.
A highlight of the $89,000 XK model is a 525-watt surround-sound with HD and Sirius satellite radio from Bowers & Wilkins. All this offering from a too-tiny on/off/volume control knob. Available, for a $20,000 premium, is the XKR convertible, with a 510-hp supercharged engine.
Jaguar this year has celebrated its 75th anniversary. Its first car was the SS100 in 1935, and bringing prominence to the marque was the XK 120 in the late 1940s.
A look back
Thirty years ago this month I reviewed in The Denver Post a 1980 Triumph TR8, borrowed from Roger Mauro Chryslerville, 7200 W. Colfax Ave. Excerpts:
The newest and hottest auto on the market this summer is the 1980 Triumph TR8 sports car from England. A return to high performance with the V-8-powered two-seater comes during observance of the 30th anniversary of the TR series. The car’s acceleration is the fastest of any I have driven this year. The 5-speed floor shift is well-positioned and slaps easily into reverse. Downshifting is smooth and easy out of any gear except 5th. Handling is impressive; wheels are 13-inch and turning circle only 31.6 feet. The test model, with sticker price of $12,427, included air conditioning for $600, cast alloy wheels, AM/FM stereo, tachometer and clock. The TR series began in 1950 with three prototypes; the first production car was the TR2 which was refined into the TR3 in 1955. A restyled TR4 showed up in 1961 and the popular TR7 was introduced in 1975.
2011 Jaguar XK Convertible
$89,000
(price as tested)
MPG City 16 Highway 22
Vehicle type: Premium luxury convertible
Wheelbase: 108.3 inches
Length/Width/Height: 188.7/74.5/52.3 inches
Weight: 3,924 pounds
Engine: 5.0-liter V-8
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Fuel mileage: 19.3 mpg
Fuel tank: 18.7 gallons
Warranty: 5 years/50,000 miles basic
Competitors: BMW M6, Mercedes-Benz SL, Porsche 911, Chevrolet Corvette
Built at: Castle Bromwich, England
THE STICKER
$88,150 base
Burl walnut trim, heated/cooled seats, shift paddles standard
$850 Destination
PLUSES
Interior finish
5-liter and rotary dial
Bower & Wilkins sound
MINUSES
Rear seat space
Fuel mileage
