Jaguar XK8 Coupe (2006) CAR review

Jag XK? Looks like a re-badged Aston DB9 to me!

You're excused. The new XK is the work of Ian Callum, the man responsible for DBs 7 and 9. After a slightly acrimonious departure from Gaydon he decided to make the best-looking Jag coupe he could. There wasn't much wrong with the old XK - not in 1996 at least. But at ten years old, the XK felt about 30. Cramped, unstable and with an interior ambience straight from a MK1 Granada. And they were the highlights. But the new one is much smarter: better looking, lighter, faster and roomier.

What's clever about it?

If gadgets light your fire, not much. But in fact the whole car is clever because it's constructed from aluminium. It's not an Audi-style aluminium spaceframe clothed in alloy panels but a proper aluminium monocoque constructed from extruded panels. Why is aluminium clever? Because it weighs very little and weight is the sworn enemy of sports cars, dulling turn-in, hurting braking and acceleration and gobbling up more of the planet's resources.