Overall, maybe ironically but maybe not, the XK interior feels more luxury-oriented than the flagship XJ sedan. It's all the burl walnut, and especially the seats. The XJ seats are both lusher and sportier, with more bolstering; the XK seats, as often criticized since 1996, are too hard and especially too flat. The driver slides around in them during hard cornering. This is a case where springing for the optional Recaro seats makes sense, even for two grand. Maybe you can buy just one seat, for one grand.
The big walnut-and-leather steering wheel has four thick spokes, and the cruise control and sound system buttons are half-tucked behind the hub. It feels like a luxury car steering wheel, so we'd love to see the optional performance steering wheel and Momo shift knob, for $300. We'd probably go for it. Anything to get the XK8 feeling more like a sports car than a luxury car. In that mood, we'd also like to wipe out the vast expanse of dark walnut on the dash, and replace it with brushed aluminum. We'd also make sure the leather upholstery was black, not the light gray of our test car.
There are two pop-up cupholders in the center console, which isn't very deep; but the glovebox is good, and the owner's manual that may be stored in there isn't thick, unlike those for most German cars.
There's tons of leg room. The driver's left knee can't even touch the door, while his right knee comes in comfortable contact with the tunnel that's padded by the leather. There are soft spots under each elbow, too.
As for the rear seat, we tested it for five hours of errands with two boys back there, seven and nine years old. The 5-foot, 10-inch driver only had to slide his seat forward a couple inches, so he wasn't too cramped, and the kids found room for their knees and feet. They managed. And there was plenty of room for groceries in the trunk. Child seat tethers are standard.
