by Josh Max

NAVIGATING YOUR JAG ON FAMILIAR CITY STREETS and outlying subs poses no real hazards; your biggest worry is the Man catching you pushing the speedometer. In Los Cabos, Mexico, where you’re flogging the all-new new XK, ya gotta watch out for cows, buzzards and goats as ya whip it down the desert highway at 125mph. Today’s your lucky day, though; the obstacles keep out of sight as you ease this spankin’ sports sedan through little villages, get stuck behind the occasional overloaded truck full of chickens, and take those mountain turns like an expert skier on the slalom. The 4.2l Jaguar V8 engine growls and grunts when you start it up. Your steering responds to the flick of a finger when dodging coyotes, the sound system rattles the needles off the cacti and you can’t help but think of your pals back home sitting in traffic.

This whip replaces the Jaguar XK range introduced in 1996, so you know you’re totally up-to-date. It’s more of a sporty grand tourer than a “sports car,” and the sooner you understand that, the better. It’s light for its size due to an all-aluminum body and doors—the better to haul its 3604-pound ass in. And speaking of hauling ass, the XK both does and doesn’t.

From a dead stop, ya notice the balls; when passing, it takes its time. Stamp on the brakes from high speed and there’s no skidding or noticeable effort, but if for some reason ya smash into that mountain, the aluminum body absorbs significantly more energy per pound of material weight than steel when deformed.

Overall, it’s a great new ride, leaps and bounds over previous models, though a few more bucks than comparable whips in its class. If you’re a Jag nut, you’re sold. Now, bust out the tequila.

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