Review of the new Jaguar XK Convertible Range

When evaluating a car like Jaguar's XK Convertible, it's worth remembering that, despite its long British tradition, we're not really the target market. Big convertibles sell in vanishingly small numbers here. They may be assembled in Birmingham, but a big share of these drop top Jaguar XKs will go west, aiming their sleek noses at the wide open roads of the USA. That's not to say this model is an irrelevance on these shores. How can any car that looks this good and which features such a mouth-watering technical specification be anything other than a very welcome addition to the domestic motoring scene?

Unlike many premium convertibles, the Jaguar relies on a fabric roof rather than the voguish folding hard top, but there are valid engineering reasons for doing so. Folding tin tops require a whole host of heavy electric motors to operate and the ethos of the latest XK is clever design and light weight. It may be a mere 1.5cm longer than the old XK8, but thanks to that advanced aluminium construction, its weight has plummeted to 1,635kg. The 'body in white', the car's metalwork before being painted, tips the scales at a mere 287kg - fully 20 per cent lighter than the old XK Convertible. What's more, that weight loss doesn't come at the expense of body rigidity, the latest car being 50 per cent stiffer than its predecessor.

Let's put that weight figure into perspective. A Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet tips the scales at 1,660kg, making the Jaguar a week's shopping lighter but are we really comparing eggs with eggs here? Maybe not. Let's pick on BMW's 650Ci Convertible. Here, you've got 1,900kg of Munich lard to shift. That's a couple of big-boned Bavarians as ballast on top of the XK. Even the entry-level Mercedes SL has to cart 1,715kg up the road. The Lexus SC has to manage 1,743kg. Now you can see where a decisive advantage is building for the Jaguar. It's not only lighter on its feet than any of its rivals, but this has instant benefits in terms of acceleration, braking, cornering, fuel economy and emissions. All the important bits, in other words.

"Jaguar have managed to build the one vital ingredient into the XK Convertible - drop dead desirability"

The hood does its stuff in a fraction less than 18 seconds, stowing neatly beneath an aluminium tonneau, so you should be able to go from open to closed or vice versa in the time it takes for a set of traffic lights to change. The car is edgier, more angular than you expect upon first acquaintance, but the curve of the waistline up over the rear wheelarch gives it a really powerful look. Next to the XK, the Mercedes, the BMW and the Lexus all look decidedly bloated. Take its stance for instance. Whereas the XK8 was undeniably elegant, it couldn't really claim to be especially dynamic in appearance. The long front and rear overhangs compromised cabin space and dated the design a little. The latest car keeps the same basic premise, but tones up the whole look significantly. Designer Ian Callum had a tough task on his hands. He couldn't afford to alienate existing Jaguar customers with a gratuitously radical design, but by the same token, he had to avoid becoming hidebound by Jaguar's heritage. What Callum has achieved is a tautness to the bodywork that's new to Jaguar. The car looks sinewy and muscular, the sheet metal stretched over something seriously purposeful. There's no love it or hate it about the XK Convertible. It just looks right.

There's also a welcome injection of practicality to the XK. Whereas the XK8 was astonishing in having such a huge 'footprint' but such a tiny passenger compartment, the XK is a more spacious car altogether. The high hipline remains, but Jaguar have worked at making the interior feel a good deal lighter, even with the hood in place, with a low scuttle and clever use of colour combinations. The wheelbase has increased by 162mm. Up front, there's way more room around the pedal box and beneath the steering wheel.

Jaguar are confident that the lion's share of XK sales will come from this soft top model and as such have designed the car from the ground up as a convertible - the coupe model being, in effect, a convertible with a tin top added. This is the opposite of most design processes, where engineering budget is ploughed into the coupe and a set of tin snips are taken to it at a later date to form a rather wobbly drop top. The £66,097 standard car gets a 300bhp 4.2-litre V8 similar to that in the latest XJ saloon. Due to the XK's weight loss plan, this car will jet to 60mph in 6.0 seconds - fully 0.3 seconds faster than the old car. The top speed of the XK is electronically-limited to 155mph, although should you possess a lighter right boot you should realise a meaningful six per cent saving in carbon dioxide emissions over the old car. Need more power? There's a 420bhp XKR version, priced at £76,097.

High technology features offered on the XK include adaptive bi-xenon lights, switchable TRAC stability control and traction control, Protec dynamic headrests and adaptive cruise control plus, there's the option of a tyre pressure monitoring system and run-flat tyres. The brakes have been upgraded with larger, ventilated discs featuring four-channel ABS. Unlike most digital ABS systems, Jaguar use analogue valves in the hydraulic control unit that subtly vary the brake pressure at each wheel, allowing drivers to benefit from better steering response during particularly heavy braking. The latest models feature revised door switch packs, column stalks and a choice of wood of aluminium trim inserts. Externally, the telescopic ariel is concealed within the boot spoiler.

The refreshing thing about the Jaguar XK Convertible is that it doesn't need to play the heritage card. It's good enough in its own right to stand up to and face down the best of its rivals without having to fall back on notions of character or badge equity. Expect this car to be renowned as the class standard bearer for some time to come.