Friday, June 6, 2008
Updated: 16/06/08
Following my recent post on Jaguar's future schedule, the revised XK and XKR has now been spied undergoing testing in Northern England. Although changes to the front seem minimal with the exception of restyled front apron and air ducts, at the rear, lights will be slightly tweaked and should feature LED's. The electric aerial has been ditched in favor for a receiver located on the boot-lid. The interior should also receive a nip and tuck to keep it looking fresh and will feature the JaguarDrive rotary gear-change.
What we don't have confirmation on yet is the engine in the 2009 changed XK; it's most likely to receive the new 5.0 V8 in place of today's 4.2, but some insiders suggest that the engine isn't ready for production quite yet. Whichever engine is used, count on more than today's outputs of 298bhp (XK) and 416bhp (XKR).
Engineering changes will be limited to chassis mods garnered from the XKR-S. That means the XK could potentially receive a quicker steering rack, revised suspension, Alcon brakes and up to 20in wheels with specially developed Pirelli rubber. A Paris motorshow debut is likely in October, with UK sales starting in summer '09 with a price-tag of £62,000. The outgoing model has been on the market since 2005.
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