Yeah, those are definitely good looking. I think they've improved the look since the debut in '07, but I think the improvements are with tricks like air ducts, valances and that sort of thing. I guess I'm still thinking that the '97-'06 models are a more aesthetically pure good looking vehicle, while the '07 up are definitely more modernized styling and looks good at the moment. Looking back at them someday the '97-'06 will look classier and the '07 on will look more gimicky. Just my two cents.

 

The '97 to '06 is by far my favorite; even if money were not a factor. It's lines are classic. The new ones are nice, certainly more powerful with cool features but the look like so many other cars on the road today. The XKR150 is an engineering marval but XKR100 is a work of art.

Mark

 

I agree on that. I owned an '08 Miata retractable hard top prior to my XK8, and that is the ONLY thing about the miata I like better (I really didn't enjoy the driving experience all that much, which led to its' demise). Anyhow Matt, I keep thinking there HAS to be a way to make a flip down into the back seat and flip up over the retracted top some sort of hard cover. I have seen the current hard covers that require the manual removal and placement into the trunk, but I want to be able to pull over to the side of the road, not get out, have the cover flip down into the back seat area (I would sacrafice the back seat for it) and put the top up and visa-versa. I miss that. Can someone please make this LOL.

 

I can't resist commenting on this..from an esthetic standpoint, the 97-06 model xk's win 'hands down'. From an engineering standpoint, the changes made to the 04-06 model years give them certain advantages in reliability.Notwithstanding,the 97-06 classic lines are the modern successer to "the all time classic Jaguar, the XKE series"

Stan I (stainless)

 

I just fell in love with the XK... bought my XK without knowing a thing about them. After coming here and learning/researching, decided the 05/06 variant was more my thing. Money wasn't an issue... I was looking at the Audi R8 the day before. I didn't even consider buying it after realizing I would be worried parking it anywhere.

The 97-06 just has class, elegance and in the 4.2 SC, a fair bit of power.

However, I did get smoked from 0-90 by an Audi S4 the other day. That makes me want to get the twin-screw upgrade really, really badly.

On a side note, I hated the 07-09 variants, but after the 09 they improved the looks quite a bit. I still would rather have my 05... with the exception of that 510 horsepower... I do want more HP.

 

I think my 2000 XK8 convert is just about the greatest looking car that is on the road today. The simple lines of the front end and clean lines of the rear end along with all the rest of the car is classy as hell. I'm not after power or high speed. Just love driving a beautiful car. My wife is not a car person, but loves to drive this car (and drives it as a daily driver). The new ones, even the 06 models look bulkier that the clean lines of the 2000 convertible. I don't think Jaguar will ever build another car that will compare to it. Just like they have never built another car to compare to the XKE. But this one comes close.

 

Bought my xk8 in july, 2011. ! Right off a Lexus Dealer showroom ! It was the most elegant car in the whole place !!, Right next door there is a Jaguar Dealership and I thought that those new Jags looked like so many other cars on the road......To me this body style and interior may someday be revered in the same way as the ''55'' T-Bird and ''57'' Chevy.

 

Or, perhaps the XKE?

 

you should like the front on 2012 then. Slight changes, like the shape of the headlights. And the lower valance is out there to knock a pedestrian off their feet, onto the hood where the pedestrian safty system, small charges to blow the back of the bonnet up to propel the person over the roof instead of through the windshield...I guess its a big issue in the UK. Theyre not fitted in the US, or maybe its a survival of the fittest thing....if you're SO Stupid to step in front of a car, you shouldn't be able to reproduce
I prefer the lines of the 97-06, but everything else about 07 and up is better. except the popup shifter. was touted originally in sales literature as "SURPRISE AND DELIGHT". More like Im surprised and NOT delighted that the shifter is stuck in park or gear and I need a tow truck now....actually theyre not really and issue on the XK much. Especialy when compared to the XF.

 

Better car?
Overall - the current gen is hands-down the winner. All aluminum chassis, throaty exhaust and all ....

Aesthetic?
X100s are more ..... curvaceous .... ? Is that even a word? The current gen, edgier ....

And I've said this before - no more tonneau cover!

 

Maybe it is just the 27 year old in me but I WAY prefer the 07+ model!
Don’t get me wrong I don’t love my 03 XKR any less, but when I can afford to upgrade I will!!
Which by the way if anyone out there wants to straight trade for an 07+XKR for a clean 03 XKR, drop me a line.
I love the classic look of the E type too, but change is good! And I am glad the 07+ looks the way it does. On top of that I lOVE LOVE LOVE the new XJ!
Has any of us thought of putting this poll in the 07+ section, maybe then I can get more exposure for a possible trade!
Hopefully I am not distancing myself from the regular x100 crew!

 

+1. The new-generation dashboard looks as if Hyundai made it. A massive downgrade from our 'Spitfire-wing' wood.

 

Although I believe this subject has been tossed around quite a bit , I would like to add my two cents if I may...

I think both the pre and post 2006 XKs are stunningly beautiful automobiles. As said so well by others, the pre-2006 carries the more "traditional" and very beautiful Jaguar lines. For me it instantly brings up memories of the old XKE (a good thing). The lines of the post 2006 are clearly more consistent with the Aston Martin upon which I am certain it was based (we all know Ian Callum penned both cars), then with anything that had ever come out of Jaguar's design studios.

So, what is so bad about that? I drive the post 2006 car and am stopped virtually every day by people who just want to gawk at the car and share with me their deep desire to one day own their very own copy of this magnificent machine. The descriptors I hear?

"Stunning"
"Gorgeous"
"Beautiful"
"Breathtaking"
"I don't want a BMW or a Mercedes, I want that!"
"Sexy"
"Sex on wheels"
"OMG!"
"That's a Jaguar?!" (I took it as a complement)

Frankly, the only place I have ever heard anyone insult the Aesthetics of the post 2006 car is on this website...

Like I said, my 2 cents....

 

I'll wait a few years and hopefully add a newer XKR. I like both cars.

 

love the old one.

 

When I went shopping for my XKR I looked at 07-09 and 01-06, I found the over all classy lines and wood dash, just had way more appeal to me. The 07+ seemed all about function, nothing about style. I still remember driving my first E-type, and while the modern XKs really are totally different, the 03 I ended up with just has a similar feel and it's rare enough around town to be really special.

mjw

 

The 2012 is better in just about every way, but the old one does have a lot of appeal. I talked my parents into an '03! I love the XK8 too. But... the new one is a great styling feat and is very modern. It, like the 97, took a few years to mature. The styling requires big wheels it seems. Odd thought, imagine any 2012 model Jaguar with 15" or even 17", even 18" wheels. They would look spindly and hideous. Especially like an 07 XK. All that said, an 07 is fast and incredibly efficient, lighter and now has more powerful engines.

The 2012 XK is far prettier now. In all, I liked the 2007 car a lot. Today, the chintzy chrome, antannae from the X308, the gills, and the funny shaped headlamps look dreadful in comparison to the 2012. Like afterthoughts.

 

Although, I'm sure the current XK series has all of the modern upgrades regarding suspension and engine (certainly horsepower), in appearance it just doesn't have the sensuality of the previous generation. It looks like the original series with the mumps, sort of bloated or swollen. The 97-06's carry forward the classic lines of the revered XKE while still appearing modern. The 07+s just don't have the classic proportions. It's the same reason I can't stand the look of Lamborghinis as compared to most Ferraris, kit car looks vs. instant classic. It is why my small collection of cars inlcude the ones they do. My 2002 XKR fits right in with the others, like my 78 280Z and my 72 Pantera, classic, elegant, timeless design. Beautiful!

 

I am 100% agree with you. the lights on the newer model dose looks close to the Z

 

There's only a few cars that have so struck me that I actually pulled off the road and went back to have a closer look at them. I remember each one well...

1. 1972: While delivering newspapers, I stopped my bicycle, got off and walked round and around a black 1968 Dodge Charger R/T with shiny slotted mag wheels and a white Hurst shift ball. My heart began to race!

2. 1993: In a sea of boxy and sharp edged cars I saw a third generation dark blue Mazda RX-7 parked in front of a dealer. I damn near got rear-ended slowing down to pull into the lot...

3. 1998: In a high-end retail area of Kansas City (The Plaza) I saw my first XK8 - a black coupe. I parked my 1979 Z-28 two blocks away to run back and salivate over the most beautiful automobile I had EVER set eyes upon.

4. 2004: Same area of KC as above, I stopped while on a date with my wife to walk back and ogle a Silver 2003-04 Bentley Continental GT - Stunning!

Hands down. My wife and I certainly prefer the "Oh My God!" beauty of the 97-2007 XK. A 2003 XKR-P is our daily driver and - no kidding, nearly every day someone comments on the lines of our car. That will make anyone's day a little better

The new XK? I think the pics below will make my feelings quite clear...