Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrr! (Jaguar XK8)

Member Name: missbrowneyedgirl

Product:	Jaguar XK8
Date:	13/04/01 (783 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A dream on four wheels

Disadvantages: Don't think I can afford one any time soon!

I have just been a very lucky missbrowneyedgirl! It is somewhat of a tradition in our family to have Good Friday fish and chips at my Uncle's house, so the browneyed family arrived there promptly at 12:30 and what was sat in the garden but a beautiful navy blue Jaguar XK8!

I pointed out to mrbrowneyeduncle that it looked a little messy sat there in the middle of the garden, and he promptly handed over the keys in order for me to take it for a spin, thus removing it's presence from the grass. Well, what's a girl supposed to do?...;)

Firstly the interior of the car is spectacularly classy. Cream leather seats and a mahogany finished dashboard really create a feeling of extravagance!

One thing I thought was odd about the car was they keys. There is an ignition key plus a remote-control type key for locking and setting of the alarm. Being used to a Mercedes, I thought this was a little odd as the ignition key could easily be mistaken for a Ford key. However, I didn't let it put me off and soon I had the big cat's engine purring.

One thing that really surprised me about this car was the responsiveness. My experience of automatic cars has always been slightly sluggish yet the Jaguar is far from that! In fact I positively flew out of the driveway after putting my foot on the accelerator.

Another nice feature of the Jaguar is the hybrid gearbox. This means that it will function as a manual gearbox, alongside an automatic, offering 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears. This is really useful for country roads as removing your foot from the accelerator leads the car to slow down as a manual car would.

Also, I did get a chance to really put my foot down on an open road whilst using the automatic gears and it really has to be experienced! The feeling of that engine dropping two gears then hurling you away is one I will remember for a very long time!

As I have mentioned, I am quite used to driving both the Merc
edes C and E class automatics which are both big cars, Although the Jaguar isn't quite that big, it is quite deceiving as the bonnet is very long yet the back of the car is short. I think this would take some getting used to although I am willing to give it a good try!

The driver and passenger seats are roomy and comfortable and as you would expect adjust to any driving position. It is however a little cramped in the back and wouldn't really be suitable for transporting more than two adults on a regular basis.

All in all, I am completely sold on this car after just one hours drive. All I need to do now is find the cash to buy myself one! Seriously, if you get the chance, do give this car a test drive. Jaguars have a terrible reputation of being old man's cars (probably because you can't afford one until you are old!) and this model really is the exception to the rule. Next to the R1, I can't think of anything I would rather drive!

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