RE: Jaguar S-Type R: Spotted

RE: Jaguar S-Type R: Spotted

Author
Discussion

soad

32,829 posts

175 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
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How do these compare to XJR (Hannibal Lecter drove one!)?

Patrick Bateman

12,143 posts

173 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
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These have always appealed, just not as much as the M5.

405dogvan

5,326 posts

264 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
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soad said:
How do these compare to XJR (Hannibal Lecter drove one!)?
The latest TV Hannibal had a Bentley Arnage in the first 2 seasons - in the other movies he was in jail mostly so I can't remember him having a car at all??

Diderot

7,263 posts

191 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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martinmiller said:
I've owned both a S-Type R (late model in black) and a XF SV8 (grey with spice leather) and can't recommend either of them enough. The S-Type is possibly the nicer to drive, it actually feels lighter / smaller. I say feels because I don't believe it is. However it takes a certain type of driver to accept that interior. Which of course is where the XF wins. The interior is truly innovative / modern / not Germanic.

I regret selling both cars and if I ever need a 5 seat car to cover ground (very fast) again I know I'd be back in either of them.

Martin
Snap! I also had an 07 XKR. S Type R more special than the XF and the XF had crap seats. Great engines though.



The Leaper

4,937 posts

205 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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I had an S-Type 4.0 V8 for 3 years followed by a 4.2 V8 for 11 years. Hankered after an R but never got one. The non supercharged cars are very good, less stressful and a bit cheaper to run. Had no real problems with either car even though I did over 200,000 miles in aggregate.

Article mentions the XF SV8 as the successor and is probably correct. However, I now have an XF 5.0 V8 non supercharged, the often overlooked model which is rare in the UK. Has 385 BHP and is a delight. Proper Jaguar experience all round in my view.

R.

jamieduff1981

8,022 posts

139 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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405dogvan said:
The S Type is hard to love in any guise - even if you get the looks (and they're always been contrived IMO - I think the Rover 75 probably did a better job in overall shape, if not quality perhaps!) the drive is just underwhelming in most cases

There's a place for everything of course - old chap a few doors down from her indoor's grandparents has a BRG one which he cleans pretty-much every day and it looks 'right' on his drive, in front of a bungalow, next to the perfect lawn etc.

It will never be cool - painting it in modern metallics is putting racing stripes on a pig - even a big engine just isn't going to be enough to make it cool (esp when the same power package is available in much more appealing cars - e.g. XJs)
It's funny because Evo mag reckoned the S-Type R was a better chassis than the E39 M5 and relied on its traction control less. They said the E39 could go faster with the electronics switched on, but the S-Type had the edge with them switched off.

I much prefer the S-Type to the straight 6 engined E39s though. Most of my driving is on roads with corners, living in the countryside in Scotland. The S-Type also rides significantly better than the E39.

As for the interiors - well I agree the 1999 interior was horrible, but I much prefer the 2002> S-Type interior to the E39. Infact I've hated every BMW interior I've ever been in. They're screwed together ok but as design and aesthetic exercises they are the diametric opposite to "my cup of tea".

daemon

35,724 posts

196 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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405dogvan said:
soad said:
How do these compare to XJR (Hannibal Lecter drove one!)?
The latest TV Hannibal had a Bentley Arnage in the first 2 seasons - in the other movies he was in jail mostly so I can't remember him having a car at all??
In the novel Hannibal (the follow-up to The Silence of the Lambs), FBI special agent Clarice Starling drives a Roush Mustang with a Momo steering wheel. Dr. Hannibal Lector drives a Jaguar XJR and a Mercedes Maybach.

VladD

7,853 posts

264 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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405dogvan said:
The S Type is hard to love in any guise - even if you get the looks (and they're always been contrived IMO - I think the Rover 75 probably did a better job in overall shape, if not quality perhaps!) the drive is just underwhelming in most cases

There's a place for everything of course - old chap a few doors down from her indoor's grandparents has a BRG one which he cleans pretty-much every day and it looks 'right' on his drive, in front of a bungalow, next to the perfect lawn etc.

It will never be cool - painting it in modern metallics is putting racing stripes on a pig - even a big engine just isn't going to be enough to make it cool (esp when the same power package is available in much more appealing cars - e.g. XJs)
Well that's one opinion. I had a 3.0 V6 Sport and loved it. More individual than the alternative German equivalents and far more classy. As for cool, maybe not for those who carry an iPhone and drive an Audi, but for those will a bit of class, they are very cool. I'd agree with you that an XJ is nicer though.

VladD

7,853 posts

264 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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Patrick Bateman said:
These have always appealed, just not as much as the M5.
I think the Jag would appeal more to someone who was considering an Alpina rather than an M car.

daemon

35,724 posts

196 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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VladD said:
405dogvan said:
The S Type is hard to love in any guise - even if you get the looks (and they're always been contrived IMO - I think the Rover 75 probably did a better job in overall shape, if not quality perhaps!) the drive is just underwhelming in most cases

There's a place for everything of course - old chap a few doors down from her indoor's grandparents has a BRG one which he cleans pretty-much every day and it looks 'right' on his drive, in front of a bungalow, next to the perfect lawn etc.

It will never be cool - painting it in modern metallics is putting racing stripes on a pig - even a big engine just isn't going to be enough to make it cool (esp when the same power package is available in much more appealing cars - e.g. XJs)
Well that's one opinion. I had a 3.0 V6 Sport and loved it. More individual than the alternative German equivalents and far more classy. As for cool, maybe not for those who carry an iPhone and drive an Audi, but for those will a bit of class, they are very cool. I'd agree with you that an XJ is nicer though.
+1

I've had several S Types and loved them. Cheap as chips compared to the german stuff, and the post '02 facelift cars are great.

Also, had an X350 XJ which just takes it to a different league altogether, and still at a fraction of the german kit.



9mm

3,128 posts

209 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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VladD said:
Patrick Bateman said:
These have always appealed, just not as much as the M5.
I think the Jag would appeal more to someone who was considering an Alpina rather than an M car.
I ran an E39 M5 for four years and have had a 2004 facelift STR for two.

Both great cars but very different to drive , despite contemporary road tests comparing them, usually with the E55 Merc.

Both M5 and STR need thorough suspension checks. Worn bushes, springs and shocks can ruin them, as will cheapo tyres, although they'll still feel good to someone coming from a lesser car. It can easily cost £2000-£3000 to refresh the suspension on either car and new set of tyres and wheel refurb another £1100 or so. A £6K high miler can easily turn into a very expensive purchase. As mentioned, the valley pipe is a known failure item and it WILL go. Less well known is the water pump - more susceptible on the <04 cars but something I would change as a matter of course on any car with 80,000+ miles. It's a cheap and easy job. Plugs should be changed at 100K miles.

I had more odd problems with the M5 than I've had with the Jag, usually sensor related. Both had wiring issues caused by corrosion. Both return about 19mpg overall. Stories about '35mpg on a run' should be disregarded. Budget 19mpg.

Both cars are expensive to maintain to the right standards so expect to see plenty which look good but with pattern parts and rubbish tyres.



Patrick Bateman

12,143 posts

173 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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27 'on a run' is a more realistic figure for the M5, I'd assume the Jag wouldn't be a million miles away.

jamieduff1981

8,022 posts

139 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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9mm said:
I ran an E39 M5 for four years and have had a 2004 facelift STR for two.

Both great cars but very different to drive , despite contemporary road tests comparing them, usually with the E55 Merc.

Both M5 and STR need thorough suspension checks. Worn bushes, springs and shocks can ruin them, as will cheapo tyres, although they'll still feel good to someone coming from a lesser car. It can easily cost £2000-£3000 to refresh the suspension on either car and new set of tyres and wheel refurb another £1100 or so. A £6K high miler can easily turn into a very expensive purchase. As mentioned, the valley pipe is a known failure item and it WILL go. Less well known is the water pump - more susceptible on the <04 cars but something I would change as a matter of course on any car with 80,000+ miles. It's a cheap and easy job. Plugs should be changed at 100K miles.

I had more odd problems with the M5 than I've had with the Jag, usually sensor related. Both had wiring issues caused by corrosion. Both return about 19mpg overall. Stories about '35mpg on a run' should be disregarded. Budget 19mpg.

Both cars are expensive to maintain to the right standards so expect to see plenty which look good but with pattern parts and rubbish tyres.
I agree entirely on the need for suspension newness and good tyres. People (even on PH) still seem to think the engine is what milage measurements are all about. Maybe I drive like a dick, but any car I've taken beyond about 80k has been pretty shagged suspension-wise. Never to the point of failing MOTs - but bad enough to not drive well. Most PHers think I'm an idiot for spending money on new bushes, balljoints and dampers on my cars - preferring instead to drive soggy messes in to the ground and laud themselves on their financial frugality. Not for me.

Another point - one should be careful drawing conclusions from these cars at this age - most people do not maintain cars above the absolute minimum to get through an MOT. Any big saloon with 400bhp and any manner of road holding abilities will give its suspension a hard time. To find out what a car is really like, it needs to be one on good suspension.


Patrick Bateman said:
27 'on a run' is a more realistic figure for the M5, I'd assume the Jag wouldn't be a million miles away.
Correct. There's minimal difference in running costs between the S-Type R and the 2.5 V6. Both weigh almost the same and both need the same power to maintain cruising speed. The V8s have taller final drives and cruise at a lower RPM than the V6s which means they both burn near enough the same amount of fuel.

monthefish

20,439 posts

230 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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405dogvan said:
The S Type is hard to love in any guise - even if you get the looks (and they're always been contrived IMO - I think the Rover 75 probably did a better job in overall shape, if not quality perhaps!) the drive is just underwhelming in most cases

There's a place for everything of course - old chap a few doors down from her indoor's grandparents has a BRG one which he cleans pretty-much every day and it looks 'right' on his drive, in front of a bungalow, next to the perfect lawn etc.

It will never be cool - painting it in modern metallics is putting racing stripes on a pig - even a big engine just isn't going to be enough to make it cool
How long did you have yours for?

Madkat

1,147 posts

171 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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Always had a soft spot for Fast sort of jags like this but don't ask me to explain why.

I would probably go XJR though TBH.

Greg-

167 posts

191 months

Friday 28th August 2015
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I saw a silver one on the M25 with some really tasteful modifications, looked great.

Dr Jezz

54 posts

118 months

Saturday 29th August 2015
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I bought my first S type after Clarkson took the diesel out on the Nurburgring all those moons ago ... I specced mine as a manual to match and then took mine there along with my Elise - plenty of fun, but surely one of the rarest diesels in the UK being specced with the manual - doesn't really suit it to be honest, but after 60,000 trouble free (only single problem was a clutch lever once ironically, but it was picked up by Jag and returned in a couple of days with an XF courtesy meanwhile) miles in 3 years, I bought an S type R.

Everything 2004 onwards is a step up in quality. It is a superb (great condition) shed next to my Elise and was a hoot last time I took it out at Oulton park - easily as fast as anything there in a straight line, a bit weighty through the corners. Agree with the comment on suspension - after been hoofed over the curbs at Oulton I refreshed the suspension and now with new Goodyear F1 asymmetric 2 on all round, it is transformed and planted at high motorway speeds in the wet. The looks have grown on me over the years and the STR looks completely different to any other S types - the rear actually looks good and there is no chrome to be seen ... I actually prefer it to the XF. I even love the interior and all the toys (the voice activation and very good sat nav option (hate idrive on BMWs) cost me £k3 on my first model, but I had to have it on the STR) ... and it's very fast. Around town stop start around 18.5 MPG with a stupidly heavy R foot, but with good fuel and cruise on the motorway, you can see the far side of thirty until you hit town, or put your foot down at which point it plummets (I average 23/24 all round). I have had the common issue of water ingress into the throttle position sensor after very high motorway mileage over several very wet days, but this is well known and easily sorted (it only happened the once and i still got it home over several hundred miles anyway). I also had the air con issue, which is likewise well known and my local specialist sorted it out for a decent price very quickly and even fixed the tracing on the circuit board related to this issue and popped a fuse on it - no need for worry there I found out to my relief. One problem with headlamp alignment fixed for pence and similar with a coolant hose. I've outlined every issue I've ever had in 100,000 miles of S type motoring everywhere from the S of France, Nurburgring, Oulton Park, Car Limits type day at North Weald (where in the wet it really surprised the boss who's an Ex formula one tester) and no end of long and short journeys. Did I say it was fast, comfortable and not especially expensive to run for a 400 BHP monster? Where else can you buy such a fist in a velvet glove for this kind of money? Do it, you really won't regret it - it makes everything else look over priced and mine is only likely to get replaced by something very, very much more expensive with no more power (but less weight) and probably not as much comfort and nowhere near as much space. It's difficult smile

Edited by Dr Jezz on Saturday 29th August 00:48

wst

3,494 posts

160 months

Monday 31st August 2015
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monthefish said:
And what a gent Steve is for being really concerned about how the driver is. Many others would have lost the head, and been effing and blinding at the driver for almost killing him.
Much respect to Sutcliffe. bow

S-Type R's are properly quick. I had a shot of one overnight and took it down the M40 to London in the evening. Came back about 2am, motorway almost completely empty and reached 140mph without really realising, so slowed right down to <100.

But then the devil on my shoulder had a word, and I started to wonder what 155mph would feel like (having been so close) so I floored it. 155 came and went and I was way past 165 (indicated) before I bottled it - so much for the limiter!!

Was totally paranoid for the next few weeks in case I'd been spotted and got a summons. copjudge (I didn't thankfully)
I knew a chap who lived near the A1 and had one. He was in London for lunch with his wife and had to get back quick because his barber was waiting for him (and trimming his sons hair, while I was being sociable). Called us 20 minutes later as he was pulling off the A1, having just travelled 30 miles.

He once took me for a spin in it. I looked at the speedo and thought it said kph. Nope, it was in miles per hour, the ride was just so good. We might've seen 140 soon after on a convenient bit of A road, all in sheer comfort.

stevemiller

533 posts

164 months

Monday 31st August 2015
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I have had a soft spot for these for some time running another "British" V8 a MG ZT V8. They may be miles apart on attitude but they have a few things in common. They have V8 a given but they are both are sort of retro. Thats where they diverge one manual one auto one loud one more refined. Now I run a supercharged MG so ball park figures of around 400 bhp bring them together again. Now the MG in this state of tune is just a little faster (proved) but still I have a hankering. They do look dam fine in the last incarnation!