2010 Jaguar XK And XKR Announced For Australia

JAGUAR AUSTRALIA has revealed the full details of the 2010 XK range, bringing new engines, new looks, a new interior and an improved drivetrain to the line-up.

Starting at $224,200 for the 5.0 litre V8 coupe, it's also more expensive across the range than the 2009 model. But with a refreshed aesthetic and bigger, brawnier engines, Jaguar will be hoping that buyers will recognise the extra value and performance now on offer.

The 5.0 litre V8 is an all-new unit, and comes in two flavours. In naturally-aspirated guise it delivers 283kw and 515Nm of torque, and when fitted with a supercharger churns out a mighty 375kW and 625Nm - both substantial increases over the 4.2 litre V8s they replace.

The naturally-aspirated V8 powers the XK coupe and convertible, while the supercharged variant sits in the performance-oriented XKR coupe and convertible.

Thanks to the newly-developed direct-injected engines (which are also shared with the XF and XJ range), the XK coupe runs from 0-100km/h in 5.5 seconds, while the XKR coupe accomplishes the same feat in just 4.8 seconds.

Top speed for both cars is electronically limited to 250km/h.

Backing up the new V8 is a new six-speed ZF automatic gearbox, which features manual control via a pair of steering wheel-mounted paddles. In the XKR, drive is then taken from the gearbox to the rear wheels via Jaguar's new Active Differential Control limited-slip diff, which electronically varies differential lock-up to prevent wheelspin and improve power delivery.

Continuously-variable dampers take over from the old model's two-stage dampers, and work to improve both ride comfort and cornering performance.

Further enhancing high-speed stability is the XK's standard stabilty control, traction control and ABS.

On the exterior, Jaguar has subtly refreshed the XK's bodywork to bring it up-to-date. New front and rear bumpers are the most obvious change, along with LED tail-lights, side repeaters and clearance lamps.

New wheel designs round out the rest of the exterior changes, with the XK receiving 19-inch alloys as standard and the XKR getting a set of 20-inch wheels.

Along with the exterior, the cabin has also been updated for 2010. The biggest change is the addition of the round JaguarDrive gear selector from the XF sedan, which takes pride of place alongside the push-button starter on the centre console.

New electrically-adjustable heated and ventilated seats are now standard equipment, while door trims have been revised with more luxurious leather appointments.

The 2010 Jaguar XK range starts at $224,200 (before on-road costs) for the base XK coupe, rising to $247,500 for the XK convertible and topping off with the XKR coupe at $255,000 and the XKR convertible at $278,300.

The order books are open now; customer deliveries are expected to begin early next year.