Mike Cross On The New Jaguar XKR-S
JLR's ride and handling guru on Jaguar's hardcore new XKR-S
With the new 186mph Jaguar XKR-S set to be one of the stars of the Geneva motor show, we thought we'd ask the man responsible for how it drives, er how it drives...
Mike Cross: We wanted to create the fastest XK ever, but without losing the duality of a Jaguar - the ability to combine refinement with huge levels of performance.
In fact, the XKR-S is probably the most 'track-capable' car we've ever made (even more so than the XKR 75), but it's also a great car for covering long distances fast. It's the sort of car that you could drive to the Nurburgring, do a quick lap or two, and then drive back, without the car ever feeling out of its depth.
The XK range has also evolved a lot since the last time we did an XKR-S back in 2008. Obviously, that car had the old 4.2-litre V8 and the new one has the 5.0-litre engine, but there have also been various dynamic improvements, such as the introduction of the E-diff electronic differential and improved, variable dampers.
PH: So how does the new car relate to the XKR 75 special edition from last year?
MC: Apart from the extra power and torque (up 19bhp to 542bhp and 18lb ft to 501lb ft), the 'S' is actually very close in concept to the 75. It uses extremely similar chassis settings, for example, including the stiffened front and rear suspension and the same revised rear suspension upright. There is a slight difference in the software for the adaptive dynamics system, too.
MC: I think it's a bit of both, really. I can't speak for Julian Thompson or Ian Callum (the Jaguar's designers), but from an engineering point of view there is a small benefit to performance and high-speed stability.
PH: Can we expect to see the 'S' treatment extended to any other cars in the range, the XFR, for instance?
MC: I think we'll have to see what sort of reception the XKR-S gets first, but we could well work up a similar treatment with other cars... but we have no official plans.
PH: The PR for the new car is full of lines about how the XKR-S is the fastest production Jaguar in history. It also has 542bhp - the same as a certain famous supercar. How does it compare with the XJ220?
MC: The XJ220 was a bit before my time, really, but that car was more about top speed anyway; the XKR-S is more about creating a super-fast GT car that's as at home on the track as it is on the autobahn.
We also asked Mike about just how fast, on a point-to-point basis, the new XKR-S is, but he wouldn't be drawn. We do hear, however, that the XKR-S ought to be capable of a sub-eight-minute lap of the 'Ring, should Jaguar see fit to put a stopwatch on it at some point...
This current Jaguar lineup is the strongest since the '60s IMHO. The review given by Clarkson of the XJ last night suggested that it was better than an S-Class and drove like a sports car (people said similar things of the original XJ6 and the fact they can get something the size of a 420G to go like that while losing none of the refinement is nothing short of phenomenal. The XF seems to me to be the best car in its class, and this XK seems a better all-rounder than most Astons and whatever they come up with to replace the X-Type will hopefully knock the 3-series off its perch.
The lineup hasn't been this strong since the E-Type, Mk2 & MkX.
Do you go through the whole of life getting confused by colloquialisms and shorthand comments ? Must be difficult.
Or have you really never heard people referring to mainland Europe, as just Europe especially when standing in the UK ?
Do you go through the whole of life getting confused by colloquialisms and shorthand comments ? Must be difficult.
Or have you really never heard people referring to mainland Europe, as just Europe especially when standing in the UK ?
This car has come at exactly the wrong/right time for me, have been trying to keep my head in the sand a little about the XKR. I'd prefer a 911 or an AMV8V, but this has just made me bring my head out of the sand again and made me re-appraise the "standard" XKR against the other two.
If I was choosing a car to blast to Europe and back (and by that, I clearly mean "Mainland Europe" as I am saying it in the context of being in the UK at the moment and wouldn't bother mentioning it was Mainland Europe as most people can clearly differentiate the fact that I am going somewhere else than where I am standing hence I don't need to include the word Mainland as it's very strong implied ;-) ), I'd probably choose the Jaaaaag.
This does look the bees knees.
Europe
noun
Definition
• the continent that is to the east of the Atlantic Ocean, to the north of the Mediterranean and to the west of Asia
• the European Union
• UK - the continent of Europe without including the UK
Europe
noun
Definition
• the continent that is to the east of the Atlantic Ocean, to the north of the Mediterranean and to the west of Asia
• the European Union
• UK - the continent of Europe without including the UK
My view is that dictionaries don't create a language, people do.
A dictionary is a guide to the language not a definition
Anyway who cares - let's enjoy a fast car. As the XKR is 200kg heavier than competitors one thing I want from the new revitalised Jaguar range is a light, powerful and small(ish) sportscar.
My view is that dictionaries don't create a language, people do.
A dictionary is a guide to the language not a definition
I think we can all act like gentlemen and agree to disagree.
I realised the error of my ways after posting, but it didn't warrant an edit to please the pedants...
Back on topic, this will be a great all rounder, except for the average fuel consumption even when on a cruise. In the 4.2 I never manged more than 21mpg on a tank and I doubt that the 5.0 is any better.
Obviously if you have £90k to spend on a new car it might not be considered an issue, but it can get annoying. I could get 28mpg out of a 7 litre Corvette on the same journey without trying.
Do you go through the whole of life getting confused by colloquialisms and shorthand comments ? Must be difficult.
Or have you really never heard people referring to mainland Europe, as just Europe especially when standing in the UK ?
Thot jag loocs tastey, althought id be prety anoyed if id just bought an XKR-75!
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