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Jaguar Cabrio's Shaping Up

As well as lifting the lid on Jaguar's hot new coupé, the mag's spies have also managed to get the XK convertible into their viewfinders. This week's mag has the best pictures yet of the drop-top that will take on BMW's 6-Series Convertible and Porsche's awesome 911 Cabrio.

By Chris Thorp

20th April 2005

Unlike the hard-top XK, the cabrio won't be officially unveiled until the Geneva Motor Show next March. As a result, this variant is yet to venture out into the open without any disguise, but Jaguar fans can rest assured that none of the coup΃©'s style will be lost with the removal of the roof.

While early indications were that engineers were working on a folding metal hard-top for the XK, this project is now thought to have been dropped in favour of a more traditional canvas lid. Despite the elaborate cladding added to the prototype seen here, the hood is clearly visible. Taking the place of the rear seats fitted in the coup΃©, the roof mechanism allows the soft-top to be hidden beneath the bodywork when owners want open-top motoring.

Inside, the cabin will be trimmed to luxurious standards and share many components with the XJ saloon. Along with the firm's trademark hooded dials, high-quality leather trim and deep carpets, there will be hi-tech touch screen sat-nav combined with an in-car entertainment system.

Part of the reason for the staggered launch of the coup΃© and cabrio is down to the high standards set by Jaguar bosses. They wanted no compromise in ride or handling, so the convertible is still undergoing exhaustive development work to fine-tune chassis rigidity and air-suspension settings.

Both naturally aspirated and supercharged convertibles will be offered, with the flagship promising effortless performance. The XKR - set apart by four exhaust pipes - will feed power through a modified and strengthened version of the XJ saloon's six-speed automatic gearbox to the rear wheels. Thanks to an advanced traction control system, the cabrio is expected to manage the sprint from 0-60mph in little more than five seconds.

As a result of the extra work involved, the XK convertible won't go on sale in the UK before the end of next year. Prices and specifications are yet to be confirmed, but base models will be priced at around ΂£5,000 more than the equivalent hard-top.

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