2006 Jaguar XK-Series Article at Automotive.com

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2006 Jaguar XK V8

Below is an enthusiast article written by the automotive experts at European Car. We test drive the new 2006 Jaguar XK, penned by Ian Callum of TWR and Aston Martin fame.

2006 Jaguar XK-Series Costs of Ownership

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IntelliChoice Value Rating

The chart above shows the purchase price versus ownership cost for each car from a specific vehicle class. The cars with better than average ownership cost/purchase price correlations are the best values, and these best value cars are represented by the dots below the curve. (i.e. the cars that have a lower ownership cost compared to its purchase price.) Those cars, which are worse than average or poor values, appear above the curve.

One way to view the graph is to draw a vertical line through any purchase price. You may see several dots that fall on this line - each of which is a car with a similar purchase price. However, notice the difference in ownership costs of each car represented by the vertical position of the dot. Two cars with the same purchase price can have thousands of dollars difference in ownership costs. This is what separates "good value" cars from "poor value" cars.

What is a good car value?

A "good car value" is one whose cost to own and operate is less than expected. The lower the cost to own and operate a car compared to what is expected, the better the value of that car.

But how do we know a car's "expected cost"?

For each car in the class, IntelliChoice plots the car's purchase price against the total five-year cost to own and operate it as determined by IntelliChoice research. Each dot on the above chart represents a specific car. Generally, we find that as the purchase price of the car increases, the cost to own and operate that car increases. This is why the dots on the graph tend to rise upward and to the right. This phenomenon also makes intuitive sense - as the purchase price rises, financing costs tend to rise, as do insurance, depreciation, taxes, and most other car ownership costs.

This is an important concept. It's normal for car ownership costs to rise as purchase price rises. Therefore, we can't just establish one "average" ownership cost number for each class, since cars in the class have different purchase prices. (This is why the "Relative" shown on each chart is different for cars in the same car class.)

Using statistical techniques, IntelliChoice "connects the dots" to form a curve that defines, for this car class, the relationship between the car's purchase price and car's ownership costs. This curve is our "expected cost" curve. The curve defines, for any car in the class, the five-year ownership cost that we would expect to see at each possible purchase price. If every car in the class were an average value, then all the dots would fall exactly on the curve. However, it's rare that any dot is exactly on the curve. Some dots are a little higher or lower, and some are a lot higher or lower. The dots that are a little lower are better than average car values, while the dots that are a lot lower are excellent car values (A dot that is a lot lower than the curve has ownership costs much lower than expected for a car of its purchase price). Conversely, a dot a little higher than the curve is a poorer than average car value, while a dot that is much higher than the curve is a poor car value.

Value is a relative term, not an absolute term. It is performing better than the logical expectation.

So is a Mercedes-Benz E320 expensive to own and operate? Certainly in an absolute sense. Most other cars cost less. But, when its cost to own and operate is plotted against cars with comparable invoice prices, the E320 costs less. So the E320 is not expensive to own and operate - it is a good car value. The Mercedes does not have low ownership costs, but it has low ownership costs for its invoice price.

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Article From European Car Magazine

2006 Jaguar XK V8 - First Drive

Reborn and girded for battle / Article provided by: European Car Magazine

Rarely is a single new car launch so critical to a manufacturer. It's no secret that Jaguar has been foundering in recent years, and the new XK is literally a fulcrum upon which the company's future fortunes will swing. If the end product is any indication, a new course has been firmly set and the company should expect a significant turnaround.

If nothing else, the new XK is a significant departure from the old car. It has been completely rethought, redesigned, reconfigured, and improved in virtually every way. And it is at once more hardcore and more refined than the outgoing model.

The new XK philosophy began with its design. The company has employed a new big gun, Ian Callum of TWR and Aston Martin fame, to head its design team. You may remember we ran an interview with Mr. Callum last August in which he discussed the Jaguar ALC concept car, and you'll see a lot of similarities between that car and the new XK. The design was critical to reestablishing the car-and to a certain extent the company itself-in the public eye and mindset. Jaguar buyers have traditionally been older, more affluent family types, and in America 30% of them are women. To this end, perhaps, design across the model line had become rather staid and... eh... retro, for lack of a better word. In our August '05 interview Callum noted that while it is important to pay homage to history and heritage, it's just as important to move forward. The new XK, therefore, is the first Jaguar product to really propagate this mindset. To this end, Callum told us, the new XK is a revolution; future models, like the forthcoming S-Type, will be a revelation.

Aside from its new lines, considerable resources were invested in the car's myriad technical aspects, particularly the chassis. Drawing on experience gained from the all-aluminum XJ, the XK has advanced Jaguar's Lightweight Vehicle Technology considerably. The XK's chassis is 16% extruded aluminum, compared to 7% in the XJ. Both convertible and coupe were designed together and it's estimated they share 95% commonality of parts.

Jag's new aluminum chassis positions the new XK favorably against its competition in both structural rigidity and power-to-weight ratio. The use of more extruded and cast components has reduced the total number of joints used from 4,771 in the current coupe to just 2,959 in the new coupe, which in turn benefits structural rigidity. Ultimately, use of the Advanced Lightweight Technology philosophy means more homework in the beginning-the XK team has done a frightening amount of homework in preparing this car-but it makes for a superior product at the end of the day.

In addition to the brilliant new chassis, new technical features abound. The wheelbase has been extended by 6.4 inches, the gearing is about 8% shorter than that on the current car, and the 4.2-liter engine now produces peak figures of 300 bhp and 310 lb-ft. The new XK also features a six-speed sequential-shift gearbox with steering-mounted paddles. Full manual control can be accessed through the paddles at any time, though automatic sport mode is very responsive and will adjust itself to varying driving styles depending on your level of aggression. Considerable time was also invested in creating a duality of driving acoustics, that is, coaxing satisfying noises from the engine and exhaust during aggressive driving while also keeping a quiet, reserved demeanor when the driver just wants to cruise.

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