Great Britain’s better-known contribution to the upscale sporty coupe and convertible automotive niche is the affordable… sort of… Jaguar XK-Series. However, with Jag’s introduction of its brand new F-Type dedicated sports car for the upcoming model year, the 2015 XK Coupe and Convertible variations are rumored to be longer, plusher and more oriented toward comfortable touring. Such concessions are expected to result, first of all, in for-real rear seating, thus more rear passenger comfort, though it’ll doubtless remain accommodating only 4 gussied-up galavanters. Additionally, some exterior tweaks and a few added creature comforts will give both 2-door iterations a more sedate, though certainly no less unique, profile. Oh, and trunk space should also be bumped up from the 11.7 cubic feet found in 2014 2-door hardtop trims and the 11.1 cubic feet presently available to the drop-tops.

It is also expected that 2015’s more leisurely XK-Series will continue to be available in the entry-level XK Touring, the distinctly un-base-like XK Base, the supercharged XKR, the up-powered and also supercharged XKR-S and the track-ready XKR-S GT, again also boasting supercharged muscle. The first 4 trims should once more come in both coupe and convertible flavors, while the GT is expected to be offered only as the delectable coupe entrée.

In any case, look for all trims to retain such luxury touches as leather upholstery, heated power-adjustable front seats, full power accessories, memory for driver's settings, cruise control, telescoping tilt-wheel steering, parking sensors, a rear-view camera and dual-zone climate control.

From there, differences such as upgraded premium audio systems, larger and more exotic wheels, up-tuned suspensions and, of course, up-powered engines should again differentiate the merely knighted trims from the ruling class. The XK Touring, for example, will likely return boasting 19-inch wheels, while all other XK manifestations flaunt 20-inch wheels and performance tires. Performance front seats, meantime, should again replace still-impressive sport front seats in higher trims, with all versions again packing a standard GPS navigation system and Bluetooth hands-free technology interfaced, along with various audio systems, into a good-size touchscreen display.

Options, it’s expected, ought to once more include the lower trims remaining eligible for optional bling that comes standard in higher trims, such bling doubtless to include once more upgraded leather, added techno-features and increasingly more exotic exterior and interior colors, trim materials and added safety features.

For the XK Touring and the XK Base, look for the normally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 powerplant to again mate with a 6-speed shiftable (with standard paddle shifters) automatic transmission. This combo is once again expected to throw down 385 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque with mileage figures of 16 mpg city/22 highway.

The midlevel XKR coupe and convertible are slated to retain a supercharged version of the 5.0-liter V8, again with the 6-speed shiftable automatic, all of which should garner 510 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque. Then the XKR-S and -S GT versions ought to return with a tweaked version of the supercharged 5.0-liter (again with the 6-speed shiftable automatic) that’ll pound out 550 hp and 502 lb-ft of torque. And believe it or not, each of these super-blown mills, up-powered or not, is alleged to get a rather respectable 15/22. And by the way, those who live in northern climes should once again be aware that all XK trims will be available only with rear-wheel drive (RWD).

Anyhow, standard safety features across the 2015 XK lineup likely will again include 4-wheel antilock brakes (ABS), traction and stability control, front side-mounted airbags with head-protection chambers, daytime running lights and turn-signal-integrated mirrors. Also returning should be a pre-collision safety system, self-leveling high-intensity-discharge (HID) headlights and a remote antitheft alarm endowing all XK trims, with the XKR and higher variants flaunting standard adaptive headlights and an adaptive cruise control system with forward-collision warnings, each of which should remain available to lower trims as optional equipment.