2007 Jaguar XK Specs, Pricing, Engine, Transmission, Fuel Economy, & Sales

Running on the available 20-inch wheels and Dunlops (18s are standard, 19s and 20s optional), the Coupe bit hard in turns, displaying fine balance and a hint of useful oversteer (the electronic stability-control system has been astutely calibrated to allow a little rotation before cutting in just enough to rein in any slip). The Convertible displays a few shimmies absent from the Coupe, but they're not intrusive. At the push of a button, the softtop, lined with Thinsulate for added noise suppression, lowers behind a solid boot in about 18 seconds.

Convertibles account for roughly 80 percent of current XK sales, but we wouldn't be surprised if the 2007 Coupe eats up a larger share of the pie chart than its predecessor. The hardtop is the real looker, particularly luscious from the rear quarter, where it's all curves and rakish roofline. It's also the choice for enthusiasts, that super-solid structure a particularly fine place to hang four beefy performance tires.

Jaguar expects to sell roughly 14,000 XKs (including the coming R version) per year, at a base price of around $75,000 or so (the Convertible will go for about $5K more), a reasonable prediction given the car's enhanced athletics. But is this svelte and sexy two-door truly ready to run with the autobahn-tuned chargers from Mercedes and BMW? We'll let you know after we get all three wolves together on the dance floor soon.