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Heavy Fourth of July holiday traffic was left behind in the Big Thompson Canyon Sunday afternoon when I guided the Jaguar XK convertible onto the bend to the right at Drake and headed up Devil’s Gulch Road.

It’s a special drive, a favorite of mine; only five months ago I tested the Cadillac SRX Turbo in a foot of snow on the same road.

This week, though, it was time for the wonderful rear-drive Jag – the narrow roadway was clear and the creek alongside was running full.

The XK is a good handler; steering’s somewhat slow, but paddles on the steering wheel quicken its shifts and a dynamic mode setting stiffens suspension and adds to throttle response.

After maneuvering dozens of twists along the way, the soft-top Jag reached the Glen Haven General Store, famed for its 25-cent coffee and homemade cinnamon rolls. While afternoon showers kept the Jaguar’s top in place, it can be dropped out of sight in 18 seconds.

A thought turning in my mind as I drove the sleek Jaguar was “wheels,” as in 20-inch Selena wheels, a $5,000 option on the XK. Five thousand bucks for a set of wheels. The alloys are a three-way split, including chrome accents, on a five-spoke design. Promoters of the Selena wheels say the look gives a feel of speed, even when the wheels aren’t moving. Well, maybe.

With those costly wheels, the sticker price on the XK rose to $95,225.

Among highlights are its caramel-colored, soft-grain leather seats and nicely stitched leather dash, with a Bowers & Wilkins sound system. A long-used touchscreen navigation setup begs for an upgrade, and the cramped rear seat is poorly designed and too tight for use even by kids. Cargo space is 11.7 cubic feet with the top up and only 7 with it down.

Silky-smooth performance is delivered by the Jag’s 385-horsepower, 5.0-liter V-8 engine and 6-speed automatic transmission, and the throaty exhaust adds to the pleasure of the drive. Distinctive is the rotary gear selector which pops up in the center console for control of the transmission. The XK, driven 450 miles of which 80 percent was highway travel, averaged 20.7 miles per gallon of premium fuel.

It received a good lookover when Jan and I were greeted at the grand opening of Pro Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram expanded facility by John Schenden, owner, and business associate Fritz Hitchcock, BMW mega dealer from California.

The Jaguar, in its second year of ownership by Tata Motors of India, is still produced at its Castle Bromwich, England, factory.
A step up in performance is offered with the ’11 Jag XKR, boasting a supercharged 5.0-liter developing 510 horsepower.

Notes from e-mail

Q: I would beg to differ with W.R. in last week’s column. I drive a Toyota Avalon and don’t consider myself a geezer. I guess if you like four doors for older people to access with leg and rear footroom, happen to enjoy a comfortable ride with good handling and decent fuel economy, I think that fits more with intelligence and common sense. I happen to like my car. – A.K.

A: Boy, Alan, W.R. found your sensitive side, didn’t he? I wouldn’t share this information with everyone, but I’ll tell you that the last time I drove a new Avalon, Jan found it much to her liking, and she’s no geezer, either.

Q: Bud, I just returned from a vacation in northern Europe, and two years ago I was in eastern Europe on a tour with the CSO Chorus. On both trips, I noticed how good-looking the small cars were. The French cars, the German cars, the Fiats, even the Fords were really good-looking cars. The small economy cars were really sharp. The small cars in the U.S. market are rather stodgy and plain-looking. Is that because the auto manufacturers are trying to sell the bigger cars and SUVs first, and making the small cars ugly by comparison? If Ford, GM and Chrysler made economy and compact cars for the American market that looked like the European offerings, they could beat the pants off Japan. – E.M.

A: Things are changing, Elliott, as indicated by introductions over the past year of the Ford Fiesta and Chevy Cruze, for which styling has found favor with most everyone.

Q: Bud, regarding the little Fiat you wrote about last week. Is it all-wheel drive? – J.S.

A: No, John, it is of front-wheel-drive configuration.

Q: Bud, I noticed in a Chevrolet advertisement earlier this week that a car called the Cruze is the best-selling car in the country. I’m not even aware of what a Cruze is, and it is the best seller around? Where have I been? – C.W.

A: Well, Clarence, I featured the new Chevy Cruze in the Saturday Drive column of May 14. It is a replacement for the Cobalt. It has excellent, tight steering, and in a drive to Estes Park and back and several other missions, it averaged 33.5 miles per gallon.

2011 Jaguar XK convertible

$95,220

(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: 20.7 mpg

Fuel tank: 18.7 gallons

Warranty: 5 years/50,000 miles basic

Competitors: Mercedes-Benz SL550, Porsche 911 Carrera, BMW 650i, Chevrolet Corvette

Built at: Castle Bromwich, England

Parts content: United Kingdom 70 percent; Germany 15 percent; U.S./Canadian 1 percent

THE STICKER

$89,000 base

$5,000 Selena 20-inch wheels

$350 HD radio

$875 Destination

PLUSES

Sleek exterior

Luxurious leather interior

Smooth 5.0-liter V-8

Nice ride

MINUSES

Rear-seat joke

Fuel mileage