Several years into his tenure as chief design executive for Jaguar Cars, Ian Callum continues to refine his vision of the leaper. Newly facelifted and featuring improved underhood motiviation for 2010, the Jaguar XK (now called Portfolio) continues onward, with improvements at all corners. From nose to tail, this cat is ready to pounce.

What is it?
A two-seat personal sports car, the new XK is the direct descendant of the E-type convertible. With a long nose and short rear deck, the XK is a throw back to the great grand tourers of the past with a heaping dose of modern technology tossed in for good measure. It might look a bit garish with the full Austin Powers/Union Jack paint job we wanted to slather on our test vehicle, but the history is certainly there.

What’s it up against?
The BMW 650i, Mercedes Benz SL550, and Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet models all slot up to the Jag, both in pricing and power, though the Porsche runs about 40 horsepower or so shy. Predatory dealer pricing may cause a fluctuation, but the MSRP on each of these cars are within a couple of grand of each other. We doubt that’s of much consequence to shoppers.

Any breakthroughs?
Most importantly, a new 5.0-liter V8 engine holds sway under the bonnet (hood) while the transmission selector knob of last year’s Jag XF lets you select your gears as well as operate traction and Dynamic Stability Controls. Gone is the traditional Jaguar J-gate gear lever.

A minor issue but one that potentially amounts to major savings is seeing previously optional gear now come in the XK as standard issue items.

How does it look?
The new XK is typical Jaguar as we remember but with important new design cues. Gone are the “poseur” fog lamps from the front fascia (we say they’re poseur because it seems that most drivers utilize the fogs regardless of whether a fog is present or not). In place of the lamps are two vertical intakes that are possibly there for brake cooling.

The fine mesh grille area is reminiscent of the last generation XKR high performance model, while the lightweight aluminum-alloy side flanks lay out in a manner similar to an Aston Martin (doubtless another Callum design influence.)

Stepping to the rear reveals the details of the XK’s bustle-butt. Well finished nonetheless, with a lip spoiler at the top of the boot lid, as well as an underbumper diffuser flanked by twin exhaust tips, it is still our least favorite part of this cat.

And on the inside?
The interior of the new XK is a handsome mix of two-tone, featuring a gray dash and door panel area with double-needle stitching throughout. Brushed aluminum accents add a slight amount of bling to the area, while contrasting color leather, ivory, in our test example, finishes off the cockpit. The driver and passenger seats are infinitely adjustable and offer ventilation as well as heating abilities. The rear seats are not really inhabitable by anything other than shopping bags or the occasional pet. Perhaps it’s time to just finish it off as a storage area without the leather seating (and those silly rear seat belts).

A 525-watt Bowers & Wilkins audio system kept us entertained with Sirius Satellite radio while cruising through like a couple of wanna-bes in Palm Beach. So too the pedestrians pausing to take a look at Tata Motors’ latest and greatest. Cruising al-fresco in the XK is a quiet enough experience by itself, but a rear seat noise baffle stands at the ready inside the trunk to kill some of the wind buffeting that will occur at higher speeds. With South Florida in the grips of its annual monsoon-like afternoon rain showers, it’s good to know the convertible roof can go from stowed to fully closed in 18-seconds.

But does it go?
Yes it does – and with a serious feline-like purr to boot.

The base 4.2-liter, 300-horsepower V8 from the 2009 model has given way to the new 5.0-liter 385-horsepower engine found in the 2010. A vast improvement (85 more ponies and 70 more lb-ft. of twist), at this premium level, the old powertrain needed addressing immediately. Heck, even the six-cylinder Camaro produces at least that much horsepower! A direct injected unit now known internally as AJ-V8 Gen III, it features a faster 0-60 time of 5.2 seconds, down from 5.9 seconds for the model it replaces. EPA ratings peg it at 16 mpg city/22 mpg hwy – pretty decent for a luxury car that weighs in at 3,739 pounds. Incidentally, that’s 88-pounds more than the coupe, owing to stiffening of the unibody.

At speed we really like the feeling of shift points with the six-speed ZF 6HP28 transmission, and its paddle shift levers located behind the steering wheel. Quick, responsive gear changes brought out our inner boy-racer, for great results. Adaptive dynamics worked seamlessly in the background varying ride quality depending on the road surfaces we were plowing over. Electronically measuring and adapting at the rate of over a hundred times a second, it provided a ride that, at the end of the day, did not leave us feeling beat up.

Adaptive Dynamics are a feature that comes from the XF, and allowed us to set it and forget it. The results were a firmness that we preferred to the normal “grand touring” ride that more traditional Jaguar owners might like. A remapping of the throttle and quicker automatic gearshifts got us up to speed in a jiff. Dynamic Stability Control is a four-mode device offering “Normal, Winter, Trac DSC, and DSC off” to totally disable DSC. Drive at your level of comfort, we say. Steering was direct and pointed us where we wanted to go, with no fuss or muss. We actually did feel guilty tossing it into a turn, but we remind ourselves that this is a GT style car.

Why you wouldn’t buy it:
Pass on the Jaguar XK Portfolio Convertible if you need to tote more than yourself and a passenger. Wait, isn’t that why there’s a Range Rover Sport taking up space in your other garage slot? The XK is the perfect complement.

Why you would buy it:
Because cougars are attracted to Jaguars – and that’s what this sexy car is about.

Leftlane’s bottom line:
This cat is a serious improvement over the model it replaces and shows that Jaguar is, once again, ready to pounce. It won’t ever be a volume model for Jaguar, thanks to relatively limited demand for high-end droptops (though it will no doubt continue to handily outsell the related coupe), but for those who dare sample England and India’s finest, the XK Portfolio delivers.

2010 Jaguar XK Portfolio Convertible base price, $88,150. As tested, $90,300.
HD Radio, $300; Special paint, $1,000; Destination, $850.

Words and photos by Mark Elias.

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