NEW SUPERHERO Aluma-Cat; The Jaguar XK Convertible Is all Alloy, with a new transmission, too.(News)

Byline: MARK VAUGHN

Piloting the new XK convertible down a highway in the Sonora desert of Arizona feels like the right way to enjoy the GT suppleness and speed of a proper Jaguar.

We were moving along at what an English driver would call "a good clip," opting to avoid a triple-digit clip, since neither the car's license plate nor its driver was native to Arizona. Go over a ton here and they can pretty much throw away the key. Even so, it is quite a sensation driving the 2007 Jaguar XK. Along that divided highway winding through the hills and canyons, the Jag was slurping up the miles like a cat at a milk bowl.

Then, in the rearview mirror, way, way back, appeared a red Porsche 911 that had no qualms about triple-digit speeds. As it neared, we noted its Arizona plate and radar detector, suggesting this was a seasoned speeder so good he or she still had a license. "Yee-haw, we got us a blocker!" This Smokey and the Bandit reference had to be explained to XK chief engineer Peter Matkin, who replied politely and with a true English accent, "Yes, right, yes."

If the new XK feels good at under 100 mph, it feels downright alive over that speed. Rocky Balboa or maybe Sly Stallone once said, "You don't really know a person until you loan them money or punch them real hard." With a car, you don't really know it until you get it up over 100 on a winding, swooping road.

Following the Porsche closely enough to keep it in sight for a good 10 miles, we sailed along in a way that you would otherwise attempt only if you hoped to make your screen debut on Cops. The Jag is solid, well-planted along the winding curves, directionally true over any hint of a bump, and smoothly powerful.

The smoothly powerful part isn't new, but the difference with this XK is in the body, all aluminum from whiskers to tail, including the entire chassis and body panels. The aluminum saves 250 pounds vs. the previous XK8 and makes the new XK about 400 pounds lighter than the competing Mercedes SL and BMW 6 Series, according to Matkin.