Jaguar XK Trip Around Cabo

Ever read one of those road trip stories in an automotive magazine and wish you were in the driver's seat? Well, I did it. Read on about my fantastic journey to Cabo San Lucas and a tour of this desert-and-ocean land in a racy Jaguar XK

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When I woke up at the Only&Only Palmilla resort (voted "Best Latin American" resort by Conde Nast), the birds were singing. The sky was bright blue, the Pacific Ocean was mighty lovely and the mountains beyond on San Jose Del Cabo's peninsula were majestic.

The Jaguar driving crew met us at breakfast for a brief technical presentation. The 2007 Jaguar XK, I learned, may be the most technologically-advanced car in the world. And it is, perhaps, also one of the most beautiful.

The night before, while we ate dinner right on the beach, Jaguar's Head Designer Ian Callum told me he and his team were determined to synthesize a grand touring (GT) vehicle and a sports car. That is, the XK was built not only for comfort and luxury on long drives, but also to satisfy sport car fan's need for speed, power and agility.

The launch of the 2007 Jaguar XK also marks a big shift in Jaguar's brand image. So, Jaguar is spending millions on public relations and advertising campaigns to forever squash the perception that Jaguar is only an "old man's car" that doesn't deliver the same quality and reliability as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

With the new XK media push, Jaguar is hoping to define the brand as a modern British luxury company, much like what Burberry has done with plaid jackets and bags. Images and branding are one thing, but will the XK really stand up to the top cars in its class?

The Road Trip

As I walked over to my slate gray XK coupe, I was excited about the upcoming 150-mile drive around Cabo's stunningly beautiful peninsula, which is full of desert, mountains and ocean views. We started out from the resort at San Jose del Cabo and headed north up the Gulf of California towards La Paz.

During this first leg, I really got into the interior's styling. The XK's interior has a cockpit feel, but is still roomy and quite spacious. The leather and wood veneer make the car truly like and feel like it merits the price tag ($75-$89,000).

The seven-inch screen is hands-down the most handsome and visually appealing I have ever seen. The simplicity in design of the controls and the use of superior-looking materials make the XK an in-class winner.

The keyless, one button start revealed a throaty starting rev. As I pulled away from the porte cochere, I was hoping I could handle this beautiful beast on Baja's windy and mountainous roads.

On the road north to Los Barriles, I let this cat loose. The XK performed with amazing agility around curvas peligrosas (dangerous curves). When it was finally time to pass a rather slow truck, I literally put the pedal to the metal. This moment is when the XK showed its massive muscle under its light aluminum body.

Yes, punching down this accelerator is pure driver's joy. The car speeds effortlessly and then jets easily pas the truck. The roar is pure joy too as this car's sound engineers really figured out how to make this sleek kitty growl.

The 4.2 liter, V8 engine gets a top speed of 155 mph and can go from 0-60mpg in just six seconds. But the XK's most impressive numbers are not under the hood. The all-aluminum body structure - a design taken from the aerospace industry - makes the XK one of the lightest sports cars ever and one of the most rigid. This light body, along with XK's Computer Active Technology Suspension (CATS) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) give the XK some of the best steering, handling and braking of any sports car today.

The XK's sequential shift automatic transmission is one of the car's most interesting features. The normal "drive" mode gives a super smooth and responsive ride. Move to the "sport" mode and it really feels like you are driving a different vehicle altogether. In this mode, gears shift at lightning speed, suspension tightens and braking becomes hyper sensitive.

But the clever engineers at Jaguar didn't stop there. Built into the steering wheel are two "paddles" for shifting gears up and down manually. These paddles truly enhance the driving experience by giving the driving the ability to perform torque-assisted up and down shifting at will.

I decided to try out the paddles while driving during the most mountainous part of our journey from Los Barriles to the sleepy town of San Pedro. The XK expertly climbed these mountains in "sport" transmission mode. But the ability to manually down shift on the ascent or up shift on the curvy descent made the ride even more enjoyable.

At San Pedro, our team made a pit stop at a roadside restaurant. Under a giant shaded palapa, we ate homemade tortilla chips with salsa and the most deliciously fresh guacamole.

At this point, we switched to an XK convertible in a bright racing green color. With the wind racing around us and the sun on our backs, we drove the most straight away part of the trip. Here, I was really able to punch the engine up to more than 100 mph. What a feeling it was to glide over this desert highway on a cloudless, sunny day in this sleek, luxury sports car.

The small town of Todo Santos came into view way too soon, but it was time for a much-needed lunch and bathroom break anyways. Much to my surprise, Italian food was on the menu at Café Santa Fe, which is owned by a Milan-born restauranteur.

Spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and its pounding waves against a desert back drop followed me all the way back to Cabo San Lucas and then onto San Jose Del Cabo and back to Palmilla resort. During my long dip in the resort's infinity-edge pool, my mind lingered back to the day's roaring thrill ride. I couldn't get the memories of Jag XK's curvy haunches and speedy ride out of my head even when I was floating in this gorgeous saltwater pool while looking up at the stars.

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