RE: Driven: Jaguar XKR-S

[adycav]

I'm sorry, but visually I am not impressed, it's a ghastly makeover in my opinion.

Sporty Jags are supposed to be muscular yet restrained, to have an undeniable road presence without being too attention grabbing.

That just looks brash. Aston seem to be heading this way too.

Shame really.

[r11co]

Once again Jaguar show Aston Martin how it should be done.

[Pingman]

I've never been a 'hot' jag fan, but I have to say that I absolutely love this.

Only problem for me is the price, you can get allot more car for your money with the likes of the Nissan GTR :\

Or have I missed something?

[MX5guy]

sootyrumble said:

snaelro said:

why such a body kit if it is not a track car??

in a french magazine, Bourdais (not a great F1 driver, but a good racer), took an XKR BlackCat to the bugatti-Le mans track. the lap times were really bad. 1 min 59, about the same as a caterham cup 150hp. a GT3RS with same driver does it in...1 min 49 with 60hp less. even the granturismo S was 3 sec faster..
the weaknesses of the car : really bad grip in corner (not even 1G inlateral acceleration), impossible to acclerate without bruning the tyres, slow gearbox, too much body movement (1800kg for an all aluminium car...)

a good GT, but not a sportscar

Edited by snaelro on Wednesday 1st June 08:44

Edited by snaelro on Wednesday 1st June 09:30

The point was that the times when pushed HARD were comparable to a GT3 not a a GT3 RS for a start, and yet it is still a very comfortable luxurious place to be on a cruise so to me this reads as being a fantastic compromise where it can react when thrashed and still cruise with the best of them, where as the Porsche is a focused car which is one dimensional this will fill many rolls

However then you might as well say the GT3 is poor because it has a windscreen, roof etc, which make it heavier than something like a Lotus 2-Eleven. It's comparing 2 cars with a quite different focus.

[SFO]

body kits and rear spoiler ruin the XK's gorgeous lines

[kayzee]

Does look a bit chavvy from the back, but ultimately I like the styling and the colour looks awesome in those pictures just like the RB (iirc) blue on Clio sports.

[snaelro]

MX5guy said:

However then you might as well say the GT3 is poor because it has a windscreen, roof etc, which make it heavier than something like a Lotus 2-Eleven. It's comparing 2 cars with a quite different focus.

my point was more that the XKR was the slowest 500hp car tested on this track. slower than a Maser GT S that has a comparable weight and less power.
a track test might be pointless for an everyday driver, but it is a mandatory test for any car that pretends to be sporty to see how efficiently it combines its engines, chassis and balance.

the results was something like :

GT2RS : 1'47
GT3RS : 1'49
GT-R : 1'51
maserati GT S : 1'56
Boxster spyder : 1'57
XKR black cat : 1'59
evora : 2'01


similarly, i remember an annual test in Evo with a touring car driver as a tester (chilton?). the california (not a track car at all) was faster (or at least as quick) around rockingham than a vantage V12.

[anonymous-user]

snaelro said:

MX5guy said:

However then you might as well say the GT3 is poor because it has a windscreen, roof etc, which make it heavier than something like a Lotus 2-Eleven. It's comparing 2 cars with a quite different focus.

my point was more that the XKR was the slowest 500hp car tested on this track. slower than a Maser GT S that has a comparable weight and less power.
a track test might be pointless for an everyday driver, but it is a mandatory test for any car that pretends to be sporty to see how efficiently it combines its engines, chassis and balance.

the results was something like :

GT2RS : 1'47
GT3RS : 1'49
GT-R : 1'51
maserati GT S : 1'56
Boxster spyder : 1'57
XKR black cat : 1'59
evora : 2'01


similarly, i remember an annual test in Evo with a touring car driver as a tester (chilton?). the california (not a track car at all) was faster (or at least as quick) around rockingham than a vantage V12.

Am I the only the one that finds it slightly odd that a French magazine has found the only two British (well sort of British) cars in the test the slowest round a track...hmmmm

[tosh.brice]

Isn't the XKR black cat essentially an XKR, without the mods of the XKR-S? Not having driven either version, I can't say whether those mods have in fact addressed the issues raised in the French mag, but surely the comparative test in the current PH report suggests that Jag has made real progress in that direction? In other words, the French test does not reflect at all on the XKR-S.

[FWDRacer]

XKR Black Cat or Black Pack ( ) is just an aesthetic pack on a standard XKR. As you were gentlemen.

[tosh.brice]

FWDRacer said:

XKR Black Cat or Black Pack ( ) is just an aesthetic pack on a standard XKR. As you were gentlemen.

My point exactly
(Though I was just guessing )

[sootyrumble]

MX5guy said:

sootyrumble said:

snaelro said:

why such a body kit if it is not a track car??

in a french magazine, Bourdais (not a great F1 driver, but a good racer), took an XKR BlackCat to the bugatti-Le mans track. the lap times were really bad. 1 min 59, about the same as a caterham cup 150hp. a GT3RS with same driver does it in...1 min 49 with 60hp less. even the granturismo S was 3 sec faster..
the weaknesses of the car : really bad grip in corner (not even 1G inlateral acceleration), impossible to acclerate without bruning the tyres, slow gearbox, too much body movement (1800kg for an all aluminium car...)

a good GT, but not a sportscar

Edited by snaelro on Wednesday 1st June 08:44

Edited by snaelro on Wednesday 1st June 09:30

The point was that the times when pushed HARD were comparable to a GT3 not a a GT3 RS for a start, and yet it is still a very comfortable luxurious place to be on a cruise so to me this reads as being a fantastic compromise where it can react when thrashed and still cruise with the best of them, where as the Porsche is a focused car which is one dimensional this will fill many rolls

However then you might as well say the GT3 is poor because it has a windscreen, roof etc, which make it heavier than something like a Lotus 2-Eleven. It's comparing 2 cars with a quite different focus.

Not me lol. i believe they all have their niche markets it was Snaelro who was denigrating the XKR-S and comparing it to the porsche i was merely clarifying what the article was saying that the XKR-S Can do track work as well as GT Cruising without to much compromise to eithor which makes it a very different car to a stripped down track specials that he was using to beat it with (WHich he was wrong as well as the test he was commenting on was for the standard XKR anyway so in all elements it was a silly nonsenical rant really)

[minicab]

Without wanting to be ageist, and without prejudice... might I suggest that the over 50's will find this garish, while myself at a humble 27 looks at this and gets the James May 'fizzy' sensation?

Either way I think Jaguar have done a superb job of reinventing themselves over the past few years - Jaguar is "cool" again.

I love the Blue colour too

[unpc]

minicab said:

Without wanting to be ageist, and without prejudice... might I suggest that the over 50's will find this garish, while myself at a humble 27 looks at this and gets the James May 'fizzy' sensation?

Either way I think Jaguar have done a superb job of reinventing themselves over the past few years - Jaguar is "cool" again.

I love the Blue colour too

Oi! I'm 48 and find this garish. I find the regular XKR with the speed pack to my tastes. This looks like it's trying too hard.

[AlexKing]

I'm 32 and find this garish. I like the seats and engine, but apart from that I'll keep my 2007 XKR as it is, ta.

[Grovsie26]

Snaelro Hhaha comedy gold. So what your saying is, because the brake discs aren't cross drilled and carbon ceramic, that the car is crap? Awesome, well done.

I love it myself. Think it looks great, mint interior, 540bhp, 500lbs ft, and very comfortable and not a Porsche or the usual same ste. Id have one in a heatbeat.

[British Beef]

St John Smythe said:

snaelro said:

MX5guy said:

However then you might as well say the GT3 is poor because it has a windscreen, roof etc, which make it heavier than something like a Lotus 2-Eleven. It's comparing 2 cars with a quite different focus.

my point was more that the XKR was the slowest 500hp car tested on this track. slower than a Maser GT S that has a comparable weight and less power.
a track test might be pointless for an everyday driver, but it is a mandatory test for any car that pretends to be sporty to see how efficiently it combines its engines, chassis and balance.

the results was something like :

GT2RS : 1'47
GT3RS : 1'49
GT-R : 1'51
maserati GT S : 1'56
Boxster spyder : 1'57
XKR black cat : 1'59
evora : 2'01


similarly, i remember an annual test in Evo with a touring car driver as a tester (chilton?). the california (not a track car at all) was faster (or at least as quick) around rockingham than a vantage V12.

Am I the only the one that finds it slightly odd that a French magazine has found the only two British (well sort of British) cars in the test the slowest round a track...hmmmm

I agree. I smell something dodgy.......smells like B S.

If it was a long open circuit the Jag with all its grunt would and should have performed better.
If it was a tight and twisty circuit the Lotus would have performed better,

So having them both slower than the Maserati and Boxster looks inaccurate. (the 911s and GTR are in a different league - accepted!!)

[snaelro]

British Beef said:

I agree. I smell something dodgy.......smells like B S.

If it was a long open circuit the Jag with all its grunt would and should have performed better.
If it was a tight and twisty circuit the Lotus would have performed better,

So having them both slower than the Maserati and Boxster looks inaccurate. (the 911s and GTR are in a different league - accepted!!)

appart from the long finish straight with a scary right bend, the rest is pretty much about braking down to 3rd, 90deg turn or S, accelerate to 6th.
the Evora (standard) loses on power, the XKR on traction and grip.
I have actually never seen a video of an XKR not drifting through a corner

[AndyCzech]

Aston manages to mix high-performance with quality and comfort. And they do it without the 80’s style body kit. How long before Jaguar can offer a modern, double clutch gear box to make the most of the glorious V8?

I think that cleaner lines would make this car more attractive. But then it would look too much like a standard XKR.

Are these hand built in Birmingham or Liverpool?

[AB]

Having driven a fair few miles in one of these;

http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/2537...

I reckon it's a happy medium, especially for road use.