Jaguar XK quandary
Discussion
We are currently looking at purchasing our next casual use family car.
The current choice is edging towards the current Jaguar XK. Whilst we appreciate rear passenger space is not at a premium we only have a young (9 month old) baby so leg room is not a major factor for a few years.
Both of us are fans of the Aston DB9 but actually prefer the idea of the XK both on looks and price more suiting budget.
Currently there are a couple of older XKs from 06/07 local which are at main dealerships for around the £23,500 mark. I have some questions to ask about relability and whether or not these engines are cam belt or chain driven but aside from that the issue arrises that for a few thousand more the XKR is also available.
Having recently sold a car with more power than the XKR I am left wondering whether I would be disappointed with the XK. Sure it is not as powerful but still it appears to be no slouch and coupled with a much lighter (500kg) chassis the handling will more than make up for the power difference.
So the question is would it be realistic that if we bought the XK we would always be wondering about what if we had the XKR? It may sound like an obvious answer but would really like to consider the two. Sure the XKR has more power but if you are not exploiting that all the time is it worth it? I have extra concerns also that the XKRs are much higher mileage and I am not convinced supercharging is without its issues as the miles increase.
Also has anyone had experience of having a child seat in the back of the XK?
The current choice is edging towards the current Jaguar XK. Whilst we appreciate rear passenger space is not at a premium we only have a young (9 month old) baby so leg room is not a major factor for a few years.
Both of us are fans of the Aston DB9 but actually prefer the idea of the XK both on looks and price more suiting budget.
Currently there are a couple of older XKs from 06/07 local which are at main dealerships for around the £23,500 mark. I have some questions to ask about relability and whether or not these engines are cam belt or chain driven but aside from that the issue arrises that for a few thousand more the XKR is also available.
Having recently sold a car with more power than the XKR I am left wondering whether I would be disappointed with the XK. Sure it is not as powerful but still it appears to be no slouch and coupled with a much lighter (500kg) chassis the handling will more than make up for the power difference.
So the question is would it be realistic that if we bought the XK we would always be wondering about what if we had the XKR? It may sound like an obvious answer but would really like to consider the two. Sure the XKR has more power but if you are not exploiting that all the time is it worth it? I have extra concerns also that the XKRs are much higher mileage and I am not convinced supercharging is without its issues as the miles increase.
Also has anyone had experience of having a child seat in the back of the XK?
You will find that with kids leg room is a total nightmare because a good car seat puts the kid so far forward that with their sticky-outy legs they end up scuffing the back of the front seats quite badly.
Take a forward facing car seat and see for yourself - in your situation I would go for a fun super-saloon for the next 7 years.
Take a forward facing car seat and see for yourself - in your situation I would go for a fun super-saloon for the next 7 years.
I can provide some input there (assuming you're talking X150 or current shape)
Firstly you need to get your baby seat of choice and not only make sure that it fits but that you can get the passenger seat back far enough without crushing the little one. Shouldn't be a problem with a BABY seat as long as the passenger is short- medium height. Once you get past 2yo (or whatever the law is in your country) and need a toddler/booster seat it's a different story.
I have a 2010 XKR as my fun car - no need for the whole family to fit (just me and my 3yo or me and my wife - one or the other). Down here in Australia at least after much research I could only find one booster seat (he's too young for a cushion booster) that was low enough on the backrest that it could sit against the back seats. All the others were blocked by the sloping roof line due to the height of the backrest. Of course that particular seat (Hipod Senator) was the most expensive on the market.
I twisted myself into a knot installing the seat but I eventually got there. My 3yo (he's a big 3yo) can now sit safely in the car with me as long as the front seeat is inclined and fully forward. Just having a full booster seat in the back does restrict front passenger legroom if your partner is tall. I'm guessing he'll outgrow that in a year or two at which time hopefully we can make a cushion booster work for the odd "boys day out".
I can't say much about the 4.2L XK as I only dealt with the 5.0L XKR......I bought that instead of Aston or Maserati. In terms of the 4.2L XKR ,I know a few who felt that XKR was underpowered, so if you're used to powerful cars the XKR is almost certainly the way to go........preferably the 5L if you can swing it as that is a beast. I believe the current car is clearly better than the DB9 but not so sure about how the older models compare.
Cheers,
Brent
PS the little fella can scuff the back of the passenger seat , so simple.........shoes off rule
Firstly you need to get your baby seat of choice and not only make sure that it fits but that you can get the passenger seat back far enough without crushing the little one. Shouldn't be a problem with a BABY seat as long as the passenger is short- medium height. Once you get past 2yo (or whatever the law is in your country) and need a toddler/booster seat it's a different story.
I have a 2010 XKR as my fun car - no need for the whole family to fit (just me and my 3yo or me and my wife - one or the other). Down here in Australia at least after much research I could only find one booster seat (he's too young for a cushion booster) that was low enough on the backrest that it could sit against the back seats. All the others were blocked by the sloping roof line due to the height of the backrest. Of course that particular seat (Hipod Senator) was the most expensive on the market.
I twisted myself into a knot installing the seat but I eventually got there. My 3yo (he's a big 3yo) can now sit safely in the car with me as long as the front seeat is inclined and fully forward. Just having a full booster seat in the back does restrict front passenger legroom if your partner is tall. I'm guessing he'll outgrow that in a year or two at which time hopefully we can make a cushion booster work for the odd "boys day out".
I can't say much about the 4.2L XK as I only dealt with the 5.0L XKR......I bought that instead of Aston or Maserati. In terms of the 4.2L XKR ,I know a few who felt that XKR was underpowered, so if you're used to powerful cars the XKR is almost certainly the way to go........preferably the 5L if you can swing it as that is a beast. I believe the current car is clearly better than the DB9 but not so sure about how the older models compare.
Cheers,
Brent
PS the little fella can scuff the back of the passenger seat , so simple.........shoes off rule
Edited by bl5150 on Friday 18th February 00:41
Edited by bl5150 on Friday 18th February 00:45
Edited by bl5150 on Friday 18th February 00:58
All thank you for your input, Brent that is exactly what I needed to hear! My partner is 5'3 so hopefully no problem sitting behind her. The booster issue is a good point but if we get one we will be 2 years before hitting that problem! To improve matters we are planning, if we buy the car, to get a second child seat to leave in the car.
I guess the challenge will be to find a suitable one. How easy is access to the rear? Having had 2+2's in the past we found the front seats too an age to go forward and when inclined left little room. Is this still the case?
I guess the challenge will be to find a suitable one. How easy is access to the rear? Having had 2+2's in the past we found the front seats too an age to go forward and when inclined left little room. Is this still the case?
It's a little bit fiddly fitting them into the seat but nothing you can't handle. As far as the seats go , they go forward fast enough.
One thing I miss about my last car (Merc CLK 500) is that you could drop the rear window and feed the kids in through there....not on the Jag though.
One thing I miss about my last car (Merc CLK 500) is that you could drop the rear window and feed the kids in through there....not on the Jag though.
LaFleur said:
All thank you for your input, Brent that is exactly what I needed to hear! My partner is 5'3 so hopefully no problem sitting behind her. The booster issue is a good point but if we get one we will be 2 years before hitting that problem! To improve matters we are planning, if we buy the car, to get a second child seat to leave in the car.
I guess the challenge will be to find a suitable one. How easy is access to the rear? Having had 2+2's in the past we found the front seats too an age to go forward and when inclined left little room. Is this still the case?
You might want to buy the car seat you intend to use in the near future now and take it along when you go to buy the car. A good seat (we have a Britax with side impact protection) is like a minature ejector seat in terms of size - you get a lot of protection but they are bulky.I guess the challenge will be to find a suitable one. How easy is access to the rear? Having had 2+2's in the past we found the front seats too an age to go forward and when inclined left little room. Is this still the case?
And personally I would compromise on the sleekness of the car than compromise on the level of protection of the car seat.
GavinPearson said:
You might want to buy the car seat you intend to use in the near future now and take it along when you go to buy the car. A good seat (we have a Britax with side impact protection) is like a minature ejector seat in terms of size - you get a lot of protection but they are bulky.
And personally I would compromise on the sleekness of the car than compromise on the level of protection of the car seat.
We certainly would not compromise and after seeing the car today my heart sank as I realised just how much a compromise it would be. So back to the drawing board of cars to consider!And personally I would compromise on the sleekness of the car than compromise on the level of protection of the car seat.
LaFleur said:
GavinPearson said:
You might want to buy the car seat you intend to use in the near future now and take it along when you go to buy the car. A good seat (we have a Britax with side impact protection) is like a minature ejector seat in terms of size - you get a lot of protection but they are bulky.
And personally I would compromise on the sleekness of the car than compromise on the level of protection of the car seat.
We certainly would not compromise and after seeing the car today my heart sank as I realised just how much a compromise it would be. So back to the drawing board of cars to consider!And personally I would compromise on the sleekness of the car than compromise on the level of protection of the car seat.
There could be worse times for a bit of Cayenne experimentation.
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