Jaguar XK

The big cat is sharpening its claws! The Jaguar XK is being revised to keep it at the top of its game, with inspiration coming from the muscular XKR-S.

Our spies spotted both the coupe and cabriolet testing, and as you can see exterior modifications are kept to a minimum – with honeycombed front grilles, side mirror-integrated indicators and LED rear lights the obvious changes.

The current car’s retractable aerial is now out of the picture, replaced by a neat ‘shark fin’ style unit on the boot lid.

The big changes all happen underneath, though. The 4.2-litre V8 – a staple power plant in the XK line since 2003 – could be set for replacement if Jaguar’s all new 5.0-litre V8 is developed in time.

The big V8 is set to be shoehorned into the XFR saloon, and should make it into the XKR to keep the two models in line. It would lead to a decent hike in power over the current XKR’s 416bhp.

Re-calibrated dampers and revised steering from the XKR-S should appear too, sharpening up the XK and XKR in an attempt to appeal to keener drivers.

The drive-select transmission from the XF saloon will appear inside, to avoid the XK lagging behind its four-door counterpart. The updated model could appear as soon as the Paris Motor Show in the autumn, with sales starting early next year – three years after the XK and XKR first hit our roads. Any price rises will be minor, with the current models ranging from £60,995 for a hard top XK up to £76,995 for a supercharged XKR cabriolet.