Jaguar XK (2011) – Facelift Friday

The ‘Jaguar XK’ name goes back to the 1940s, when the XK120 was launched. After several decades of absence, the magical letter combination returned in the 1990s on an all-new Jaguar XK, available as a 2+2 coupé and convertible. That car got a successor in 2005 and that is the generation that matters today. Although the second modern Jaguar XK is clearly recognizable as the successor to the first, it also looks clearly fresher, more modern and different. The car from 2005 is therefore a design by Ian Callum, who also drew the Aston Martin DB9, among other things. No wonder that this XK is often mistaken for an Aston Martin.

As is usual with Jaguars, this last XK lasted quite a long time. Eight years to be precise, with the car undergoing extensive modernization in 2011. That Jaguar was serious, is evident from the large amount of modified parts. The brand did not make it easy by only adjusting the front bumper and headlights, but also mounted new front screens. Take a good look at the connection of the bumper to the headlights in the sliding plate below: completely different. The more flattened, more modern light units give the post-2011 XK something Maserati-like and make it look more confident and certainly more modern. At the rear there are a lot less changes and we note the new LED taillights as the most important change.

The last

You can already feel it coming: this Jaguar XK is not the only one that we can label as ‘the last’ today. That also applies to this episode of ‘Facelift Friday’. After more than seven years (!) it has been just as beautiful as far as we are concerned, although that does not mean that we will never continue with it. Since August 2015, more than 380 cars have been reviewed here young to old and from everyday to hyper-exclusive. The very first was the Alfa Romeo 156, still one of the most talked about facelifts. In all that time, the section itself also regularly underwent a facelift. The ‘sliding plate’ with old and new, however, remained a fixed value and was also the first image at the top for a long time. For the occasion, we have returned that for once today. You can of course also discuss facelifts on AutoWeek.nl in 2023, namely under the news items about current update rounds. We will also continue to cover older cars, including in ‘Fancier Wanted’ and ‘In the Wild’.

Sadly, the end of a long-running series. The undersigned even feels like repressing his sadness with the totally irrational purchase of such a last generation XK, which he finds a simply beautiful car in both forms. Participate? The used copies are just one click away…