5 minute missive.... Five days in a 500bhp XKR
Discussion
Never really rated Jaguars. Always looked when I’ve been changing my cars, both XF and XJ, but they’ve never really captured my heart when compared to the German equivalents.
However….I’ve recently had the pleasure of 5 days in a 500bhp XKR following this little incident: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=3&a...
Even better, it was co-ordinated to coincide with an 800 mile family trip to Scotland, taking in the highlands.
SO…?
It shifts. 500 supercharged horses bloody moves. Takes a bit to spool-up, and throttle response wasn’t perfect, but once moving, it does. And the soundtrack is to die for. Hit the dynamic button and you maybe can’t notice the dynamic changes, but the exhaust note is pure spitfire….with pops and bangs on overrun. It’s addictive. Alas, it meant that the 22mpg I got at a steady cruise-controlled 70[cough]ish on the M6 dropped perilously close to single digits on b-roads (and through tunnels).
It also handled far better than I expected a grand old lady to do. Great turn in, great communication front and rear and very controllable. The rear is very very lively. The first roundabout after collecting saw an unintended ‘Clarkson’ at a quarter throttle, but so controllable it meant that there was no drama. The chassis really did surprise. OK, no match for my old Elise/Exige/Caterhams, but for a lardy GT, it rode and handled very well indeed. British Engineering at it’s best.
But….. Take away hooliganism, and the rare moments that you do get to exploit the car and it did begin to show it’s flaws. It is showing it’s age. Build quality is a league behind the Germans, as is the technology. The touch screen sat nav/comms is in the dark ages compared to BMW’s iDrive and even the Driver Aids/Traction Control systems are primeval. It’s also not a comfortable place to be for much more than an hour. The seats seem very good with untold electricity controlled movements, and for B-Road blasts, they are fine – but climbing out of the car from the 230 mile journey from Cheshire to Edinburgh and I felt in need of an Osteopath. Climbing out of my 640 after the same journey leaves me as fresh as I climbed in. Accommodation is poor, but only to be expected. Rear seats left even my diminutive 6yr old feeling claustrophobic.
All in all, it’s a great car. Goes like a steam train and handles/dances like a [perhaps former] ballerina. It’s a diamond, but a flawed one. I was left feeling it was a little past it’s sell-by date….which given it has been discontinued, suggests Jaguar felt the same.
The flip side to all the downsides is that with 3yr old XKRs now in the £30k’s, they might just be a grin-redefining performance bargain.
However….I’ve recently had the pleasure of 5 days in a 500bhp XKR following this little incident: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=3&a...
Even better, it was co-ordinated to coincide with an 800 mile family trip to Scotland, taking in the highlands.
SO…?
It shifts. 500 supercharged horses bloody moves. Takes a bit to spool-up, and throttle response wasn’t perfect, but once moving, it does. And the soundtrack is to die for. Hit the dynamic button and you maybe can’t notice the dynamic changes, but the exhaust note is pure spitfire….with pops and bangs on overrun. It’s addictive. Alas, it meant that the 22mpg I got at a steady cruise-controlled 70[cough]ish on the M6 dropped perilously close to single digits on b-roads (and through tunnels).
It also handled far better than I expected a grand old lady to do. Great turn in, great communication front and rear and very controllable. The rear is very very lively. The first roundabout after collecting saw an unintended ‘Clarkson’ at a quarter throttle, but so controllable it meant that there was no drama. The chassis really did surprise. OK, no match for my old Elise/Exige/Caterhams, but for a lardy GT, it rode and handled very well indeed. British Engineering at it’s best.
But….. Take away hooliganism, and the rare moments that you do get to exploit the car and it did begin to show it’s flaws. It is showing it’s age. Build quality is a league behind the Germans, as is the technology. The touch screen sat nav/comms is in the dark ages compared to BMW’s iDrive and even the Driver Aids/Traction Control systems are primeval. It’s also not a comfortable place to be for much more than an hour. The seats seem very good with untold electricity controlled movements, and for B-Road blasts, they are fine – but climbing out of the car from the 230 mile journey from Cheshire to Edinburgh and I felt in need of an Osteopath. Climbing out of my 640 after the same journey leaves me as fresh as I climbed in. Accommodation is poor, but only to be expected. Rear seats left even my diminutive 6yr old feeling claustrophobic.
All in all, it’s a great car. Goes like a steam train and handles/dances like a [perhaps former] ballerina. It’s a diamond, but a flawed one. I was left feeling it was a little past it’s sell-by date….which given it has been discontinued, suggests Jaguar felt the same.
The flip side to all the downsides is that with 3yr old XKRs now in the £30k’s, they might just be a grin-redefining performance bargain.
McSam said:
Fittster said:
Ares said:
Build quality is a league behind the Germans.
Did it break down or is there some other way you are judging build quality?lesstatt said:
Fittster said:
Did it break down or is there some other way you are judging build quality?
That's reliability not build quality ?. I had an insignia as a company car which while it never let me down was built awfully using cheap parts, but it was reliable. Totally different imhoFittster said:
If you have two cars, neither breakdown or any parts fall off during the same period of time don't they have the same level of build quality?
But those parts can look shabby and squeak a lot with misaligned trim panels, even though they don't fall off or break they are still poor quality "It’s also not a comfortable place to be for much more than an hour. The seats seem very good with untold electricity controlled movements, and for B-Road blasts, they are fine – but climbing out of the car from the 230 mile journey from Cheshire to Edinburgh and I felt in need of an Osteopath. Climbing out of my 640 after the same journey leaves me as fresh as I climbed in."
Same as an XK would then, how would you get on with an M6 with a similar suspension set up to the XKR?
not knocking you but the comparison is apples and tangerines
D
Same as an XK would then, how would you get on with an M6 with a similar suspension set up to the XKR?
not knocking you but the comparison is apples and tangerines
D
Krikkit said:
The current XK is a very old car compared to everything in the German stables at the moment, so it's not surprising it's definitely in need of a refresh.
That said, quite surprising to hear the seats weren't very comfy for you, that's always something that impressed in Jags.
Current XK?That said, quite surprising to hear the seats weren't very comfy for you, that's always something that impressed in Jags.
Nope. Out of production now.
Fittster said:
Ares said:
Build quality is a league behind the Germans.
Did it break down or is there some other way you are judging build quality?
HaylingJag said:
"It’s also not a comfortable place to be for much more than an hour. The seats seem very good with untold electricity controlled movements, and for B-Road blasts, they are fine – but climbing out of the car from the 230 mile journey from Cheshire to Edinburgh and I felt in need of an Osteopath. Climbing out of my 640 after the same journey leaves me as fresh as I climbed in."
Same as an XK would then, how would you get on with an M6 with a similar suspension set up to the XKR?
not knocking you but the comparison is apples and tangerines
D
Fair comments - but I didn't notice any real difference between mine from that perspective and either my old M3, an M5 I did 200 miles in, or an RS6 that Audi lent me? Same as an XK would then, how would you get on with an M6 with a similar suspension set up to the XKR?
not knocking you but the comparison is apples and tangerines
D
I expected an XKR to excel in GT ability.
I have a 2008 XKR and the build quality (i.e. the quality of materials, general feeling of solidity and having been constructed to good standards rather than tight budgets) is far better than anything I've found in any German car.
As for the seats, there are a few different ones available in these but I've done trips of several hundred miles in my car, both motorway cruises and blasts around B-roads and honestly can't say I found myself feeling uncomfortable in the driver's seat. You could probably have done with playing with the settings a little more, sounds like wherever you had the various things set to wasn't providing you with sufficient support.
Can't argue with your appraisal of the drive though, these are deceptively quick and agile given their mass and size.
As for the seats, there are a few different ones available in these but I've done trips of several hundred miles in my car, both motorway cruises and blasts around B-roads and honestly can't say I found myself feeling uncomfortable in the driver's seat. You could probably have done with playing with the settings a little more, sounds like wherever you had the various things set to wasn't providing you with sufficient support.
Can't argue with your appraisal of the drive though, these are deceptively quick and agile given their mass and size.
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