X150 XKR 4.2 vs 5.0: Opinions and advice required

X150 XKR 4.2 vs 5.0: Opinions and advice required

Author
Discussion

8bit

4,846 posts

154 months

Tuesday 27th October 2015
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Thanks, not just a simple map then. I've already changed my exhaust, have the Elite RR back box and Spires mid-section. Not sure I fancy changing the supercharger pulley, that's not going to be easy to put back to standard if need be.

sly fox

2,220 posts

218 months

Tuesday 27th October 2015
quotequote all
Nope.

The whole package was quite reasonable, considering it was a 4 hours for the remap on its own, then the remainder of the day for the other parts.

The supercharger pulley + remap has made a significant difference. It does not feel tuned at all- very smooth power delivery , different again in sport mode with gear lever to the left, and it just pulls harder throughout the rev range, and it keener to get to 5-6k revs.

I've no idea of the amount of torque it is producing now, but it's noticeably more accelerative than before. And it wasn;t slow then.

Only downside is that i have been enjoying the power so doing around 16MPG for the past few weeks. Happy with that.


Just had 4 Michelin Pilot Super Sports put on today too, so now i can try and use some of that power a bit more often. The Dunlop SP Maxx were not great in my opinion.

TorqueDirty

Original Poster:

1,500 posts

218 months

Tuesday 27th October 2015
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Well just back from a test drive in the e92 M3 (manual) as this was also under consideration alongside the XKR. Have not managed to drive an XKR yet but there is one not too far away so maybe during the next week I will answer a few important XKR questions for myself too.

The M3 is an awesome car with a brilliant engine but despite being very well screwed together it did not feel quite as luxurious as I was hoping - it was not a well speced car to be fair.

These days being in luxurious and beautiful car that also has impressive sporting credentials is a probably a better mix than being in a high pedigree sports car that is low on the luxury side of things. Lovely seats though!

I'm still tempted by the M3 but I think that 90% of the time I'd not be fully utilising the full ability of the engine and chassis whilst always wishing for something a little more special to spend time in.

Next stop a good shot in both a 4.2 and a 5.0 XKR.

TD







8bit

4,846 posts

154 months

Wednesday 28th October 2015
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Thanks, Sly.

@TD, I'll be interested to hear what you make of the comparison with the M3, that's a car I do find myself occasionally wondering if I should have a go in.

TorqueDirty

Original Poster:

1,500 posts

218 months

Friday 30th October 2015
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8bit said:
Thanks, Sly.

@TD, I'll be interested to hear what you make of the comparison with the M3, that's a car I do find myself occasionally wondering if I should have a go in.
Looks like it will be a while before I get to test an XKR but I have to say the M3 seems to have left an unexpectedly lasting impression.

This might be because it has been sometime since I owned such a broadly capable car - in fact the last one was probably my last e46 M3.

Sadly the things that were not great about the old one seem to have been carried through in to the new one. The steering rack needs to be sharper. You turn the wheel and the car does not turn as much as it feels like it should. Maybe this is an effort to limit oversteer but it just feels wrong. Also the manual gear change is still pretty disappointing - cartilaginous is the best way I have heard it described. It does not snick in to place as I'd like. And the suspension is still a bit too soft for such a focussed car ( this one did not have the optional dynamic damper control).

However the engine and chassis are superb and overall it is still a bloody good package. I am trying not to think about it too much!

Also as winter closes in up here in rural Scotland the RS4 / tweaked S4 option (see Chris Harris and his revo remapped supercharged S4 Avant) is making a good case.

Living at the end of a 1/2 mile dirt track has many advantages - but easy access in a sports car ain't one of them!

TD




8bit

4,846 posts

154 months

Friday 30th October 2015
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Thanks for the M3 report.

Whereabouts in Scotland are you? I'm in Aberdeen so if you're anywhere nearby you're more than welcome to a look and a run in my car if you like. As far as using an XKR in winter goes, I've had mine over the last two and haven't been stuck yet, although care is definitely required!

TorqueDirty

Original Poster:

1,500 posts

218 months

Saturday 31st October 2015
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Hey 8bit, used to be up near your area but now down in the central belt but thanks for the offer any way. Nice car!

Feel like I was a bit harsh on the M3 but it is so good that the small areas where it is not completely perfect seem to stand out all the more because of the brilliance of the rest of the car.

Still might get one!

TD


CarbonXKR

1,275 posts

221 months

Sunday 8th November 2015
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TorqueDirty said:
Hmm, I just realised that there is another question I should be asking and that is how the the newer 5.0 XK (not XKR) compares against the older 4.2 XKR.

If the new 5.0 XKR is too much of a nutter maybe the non supercharged version might be worth a look.

By the way, that was extremely hard for me to type. I can't believe I am actually considering the slower XK model when I could afford an XKR of the same age. That MUST be genuine proof that I am getting old - and the fact that I recently bought some rather nice sheepskin slippers.

Has anyone deliberately chosen the non supercharged version of the 5.0 XK for reasons unrelated to budget? If so what is the conclusion after having lived with the car for a while? Wish you had more poke or glad you did the grown up thing and went for the more everyday usable car?

TD
I deliberately chose the 5.0 XK and it has plenty poke. This after coming from two 4.2 XKR's both X100 and X150 models. Same go as the 4.2 but it's the dynamic suspension, noise and handling that is so much better. Got it in May and did a 3500 mile Europe trip. Most excellent. Try one.. smile

TorqueDirty

Original Poster:

1,500 posts

218 months

Sunday 8th November 2015
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CarbonXKR said:
I deliberately chose the 5.0 XK and it has plenty poke. This after coming from two 4.2 XKR's both X100 and X150 models. Same go as the 4.2 but it's the dynamic suspension, noise and handling that is so much better. Got it in May and did a 3500 mile Europe trip. Most excellent. Try one.. smile
Thanks Jeff. Planning to try the 5.0 XKR next week and maybe the 4.2 as well. Will be interesting to see how they compare.

TD

TorqueDirty

Original Poster:

1,500 posts

218 months

Monday 9th November 2015
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Forgot to add that the 4.2 I have seen has 66k miles on it and is a 2007. Anything major to worry about or are these cars pretty robust? I did hear that the gearbox oil should be changed at 60k so I will look in to this.

As for the 5.0, just how dramatic an improvement is it over the 4.2? The 4.2 is a lot cheaper than the 5.0 (£18k ish vs £31k for a 2009 27k mile 5.0 example).

That is a serious hike just to get in to a slightly fresher 5.0 if I can get 90% of the upside from the older higher mileage 4.2, but if there are light-years of difference between the two cars then the 5.0 might just be worth it.

I'm leaning towards the 4.2 as a first port of call as long it will still be reliable (it has a FSH). If I love it I can always upgrade later I guess.

Thoughts?

Also, I work from home mostly and therefore won't be racking up the miles.

Cheers
TD

iain123

50 posts

103 months

Tuesday 10th November 2015
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Pay attention to the how smooth the auto changes are especially as you come to a halt. Listening out for groaning brakes also as you come to a stop. Also play a CD at volume as the basic media system can be very poor. Mines a 2009 XK 4.2 and has been generally reliable apart from a leaking diff, groaning brakes, a lurching g/box(fixed by an oil change), a noisy electric steering lock and a few suspension groans – some of which could be described as ‘features’ rather than faults.

The 4.2 is grippy and fast although you have rev the t1ts off it to go anywhere briskly. The 5.0 and XKR have the power lower down the rev range. I didn’t fancy the 5.0 as I figured the early ones (I could afford) might have issues (water pump?) and they just didn’t look as good!

Iain (Edinburgh)

TorqueDirty

Original Poster:

1,500 posts

218 months

Thursday 12th November 2015
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Thanks Iain, good info.

Update.....

I'm abroad at the moment and today my wife decided to go and drive a 5.0 XKR that is on the "possible" list.

Got a text this afternoon. "I fookin LOVE this car!"

She won't even go and drive an M3 now. No point she says; if it is anything like our old e46 then there is no contest!

A small and fully refundable deposit has been put down (with my permission on condition that it is genuinely fully refundable)

Looks like I have a test drive to do this Saturday. I still need to be convinced, but it sounds like it is going to be 3 against 1 - wife, car and car salesman vs me. My usual Devil's Advocate approach to these decisions may not prove to be a sufficient defence, but I'm not sure I want to win this one if the price is right.

TD

nitrodave

1,262 posts

137 months

Thursday 12th November 2015
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they are gorgeous cars, one of the nicest styled and great all round cars you can get. they are such great value now.

I very nearly bought one. I still really want one, but moved to hackney and it would last 5 minutes there frown settled for an e92 instead

a8hex

5,829 posts

222 months

Thursday 12th November 2015
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TorqueDirty said:
Got a text this afternoon. "I fookin LOVE this car!"

She won't even go and drive an M3 now. No point she says; if it is anything like our old e46 then there is no contest!
Sounds like it would be wise to vote for domestic bliss and buy the XKR and keep the wife happy.
Also sounds like a damn good choice of wife there biggrin

SWMBO was all up for buying mine and seems to really like it, but isn't very keen on actually drive it.

threadlock

3,196 posts

253 months

Thursday 12th November 2015
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I expect you'll love it... but I was looking forward to your feedback on how the 4.2 and the 5.0 compared! smile

TorqueDirty

Original Poster:

1,500 posts

218 months

Friday 13th November 2015
quotequote all
threadlock said:
I expect you'll love it... but I was looking forward to your feedback on how the 4.2 and the 5.0 compared! smile
I know. After all this careful research and preparation I then go and mess up the test drive strategy.

Logic would say that I should have test driven the cheaper 4.2 first bud instead my wife goes and drives the much more expensive 5.0 first! Never mind.

In preparation for my test drive of the 5.0 on Saturday can someone talk me thought the paddle shift details for this car?

I assume I can start paddle shifting when the car is in Drive right, rather than always having to out the car in to Sport. I test drove a Rangerover the other day and one thing that puzzled me was than when I did use the paddles in D the car would not revert back to manual
unless I put it in S and then back to D. Someone later told me that I could hold the upshift paddle for 3 seconds when in D and this would take it back to auto mode. Is it the same in the Jag?

Lastly, when in sport mode does the car automatically adjust the throttle map, damper settings and the traction control etc, or are all of these things manually configurable as in the M3.

I ask because I'd rather not have to go in to full Banzai driving mode every time I want to use the paddles.

Cheers
TD



yellowtang

1,772 posts

137 months

Friday 13th November 2015
quotequote all
Yes, paddles work in D and Sport modes but if you are simply in D and you fail to change gear when the car thinks you should then it will change for you and put itself back into auto. In sport mode this will not happen unless you are either about to stall or blow up the engine, only then will it interfere with your driving!

ETA
To answer your last question - the settings are automatically adjusted when selecting sport mode, there is no manual setup option.

You do however also have dynamic mode (chequered flag button) which is the full mental mode! So just being in sport mode isn't to bonkers for wet public roads whereas you might want to think twice before using dynamic mode in such conditions smile

Edited by yellowtang on Friday 13th November 08:56


Edited by yellowtang on Friday 13th November 08:57

TorqueDirty

Original Poster:

1,500 posts

218 months

Saturday 14th November 2015
quotequote all
Thanks yellowtang,

That all makes sense. The Dynamic mode button will remain firmly un-pressed given the disgusting weather we have today - well probably!

Sooooooo, assuming I like the car what sort of deal should I expect to be able to negotiate, or at least what elements might be up for discussion?

This car is from the Jaguar network. Obviously price, and the trade in value of the car I'm going to trade but what about warranty and servicing etc. The car currently comes with a 12 month warranty. Has anyone ever managed to talk this up to a 2 year warranty? The car is a 2009 so might be a struggle.

One other thought - this car has the chrome side "gills" and silver coloured air intakes on the front bumper. How hard are these to change to body coloured? Might be something to ask for as part of the deal I guess, as I am not 100% keen on the standard spec.

TD

sly fox

2,220 posts

218 months

Saturday 14th November 2015
quotequote all
You will get the usual offer of some sort of interior/exterior protection stuff - i declined all that. The valet preparation was superb from the main dealer i used. (should hope so!)

I got a good trade in value- surprisingly good, so that left me little negotiation room in all honesty, but i still got new mats, the boot liner, full tank of fuel and half price tyre/wheel insurance, which given the tyres are £950 a set and the wheels are hard to get now, thought was good value.

It's tricky with the XK, XKR, because there are not that many for sale in similar configurations. I'd push them for an extension to the warranty because they are not cheap- £1800-2400 depending on the model. See what they say! Good luck.

I've just spent a few weeks away in Asia on business, got back to Heathrow and the car still looks stunning in the car park. It got me home indecently quickly too at 6am

threadlock

3,196 posts

253 months

Saturday 14th November 2015
quotequote all
I don't know when your test drive is booked today, but I hope it goes well.

To expand on the info for the sport/dynamic modes... They don't "transform" the car, IMHO. Apart from the exhaust noise, I notice a difference in the throttle response in dynamic mode and the gear changes are harder/quicker when sport mode is selected, but the car adapts continuously to your driving style so if you're just pootling around then gear changes will soften off gradually and the dampers will keep things comfortable. You've got to be driving hard continuously for the car to keep its harder edges, and with this much performance it's impossible for me to do this here in the south east of England. Your experience will be different if you can get out onto empty roads and keep your steering, throttle and brake inputs "enthusiastic" wink


Having said that, I only drive in sport + dynamic mode and I always only use the paddles so I guess the differences aren't so subtle as to be undetectable.

I predict you're going to *love* the all-round ability and specialness of an XKR and will come back with a massive smile on your face. biggrin