Nameplate says Jaguar, performance says sports car

It is a curious but fair question to ask of a hot and luxurious car commonly referred to as the Cat: Will this dog hunt?

For Jaguar, with a tightening leash under Ford Motor Co. ownership, today's test car, the 2007 Jaguar XK convertible, will have to prove it can track down elusive new and younger buyers.

When I wrote last month that the luxury sedan Jaguar Vandenplas would appeal to loyalists, I drew criticism from those aficionados for daring to challenge the brand by saying I feared it would not attract those not already in the know.

The basic response was: ``I've owned Jaguars since the 1970s and the Vandenplas continues that great line."

The good news is, when it comes to this test car, I'd recommend that anybody shopping for a two-seat luxury performance vehicle with a bold look and everyday drivability for almost $90,000 should shop it against Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, and others.

And that's before Jaguar even launches expected hot-rod versions of this aluminum/alloy sports car.

After all, the test car had ``only" 294 horsepower at the reins of its 4.2-liter V-8 engine.

Maybe it was the way the three-mode automatic, six-speed transmission handled that power, but it sure felt like more. And sounded like more, as well, with a deep, resonant burble emitted with even a slight punch of the accelerator.

Sure, Jaguars are noted more as European cruisers than sleek, heart-of-the-target speedsters. And yet this version had ``sports car" emanating from the firm grip of its tightly bolstered seats, out along the long hood accented by a Mustang-like center bump, and especially over the muscular rear fenders.

``Aston Martin?" I was asked more than once while parking the Jag.

I simply showed people the Jag-tags affixed over the functional air ``gills" behind the front wheel wells to clear up any understandable confusion.

Out of parking lots and on the road, I found it quite nimble despite its weight in excess of 3,900 pounds. And that weight, owing to aluminum and Jaguar's decision to not go with a hardtop convertible, is so well distributed, so hidden by the ultra-stiff body construction, that it is barely noticeable. I would have guessed this car was several hundred pounds lighter.

And while 294 horsepower is nothing to sneeze at, I attribute much of the fun-factor to the car's adaptable six-speed transmission: normal automatic; sport mode automatic, which changes to suit your driving; and sequential manual, which means shifting with paddles on the steering wheel.

Unlike many sequential manuals, there was no forward lurch in upshifts and, in fact, upshifts even at redline were transparent. Just like a Ferrari, Lamborghini, or other high-performance supercars, the Jag ``blipped" the gas on downshifts. This takes away any shock to the drivetrain when going from a high gear to a lower gear at speed. It's a racing technique that can be good for your car.

Because of a wheelbase that has grown by more than half a foot over previous models, front legroom is downright outrageous. That expanded wheelbase sits beneath a body that is really no longer, putting the front and rear wheels out on the corners where they belong.

There's a rear seat in the XK, but I'd call this a 2-plus-(sort of)-2 configuration, given that anyone actually sitting on that tiny rear shelf should be placed there only because they are being punished.

Safety gear includes electronic stability control, dual front and side air bags, and sturdy ``hoops" that pop up behind the seats during a roll over.

Computers monitor the suspension, the DVD navigation is superb, and Bluetooth wireless technology is standard.

To jack up the $80,000-plus base price, you need only go, as with the test car, into the realm of an advanced technology package ($2,500), which adds articulating front lights (they move in corners) and active cruise control, and a luxury package ($3,500) that adds leather dash, heated wood steering wheel, 19-inch alloy wheels, a 16-way power driver's seat with four-way lumbar adjustments, and other leather appointments.

This is the finest effort I have seen by Jaguar reaching back for the redolence of its past, but building a bold car that just might appeal to a new breed of buyers.