Jag XKR 5.0

[8bit]

After five years with my previous 4.2 XKR I decided it was time for a change. Spent a while trying to decide on something different but couldn't find anything where good examples fell within budget really. After a brief search I found this at an independent dealer in Southport, had a fellow member on jaguarforum.com go check it out for me and a trade-in was agreed. Made the drive down from Aberdeen about a month ago, very happy with it so far.


DSC_7730 by Niall Porter Photography, on Flickr

DSC_7745 by Niall Porter Photography, on Flickr

DSC_7756 by Niall Porter Photography, on Flickr

DSC_7761 by Niall Porter Photography, on Flickr

DSC_7792 by Niall Porter Photography, on Flickr

DSC_7801 by Niall Porter Photography, on Flickr

So far all I've done is fix the non-functional windscreen washers, install the alloy paddle-shifters I had on the previous car and get some decent tyres (Vredestein Ultrac Vorti all round) fitted. I have half a plan to do something with the exhaust but that'll probably wait until into the new year. Maybe

[8bit]

Thanks all

How does it compare... Remarkably different to the 4.2. I sort of expected the same thing really, just a bit faster but it's been evolved and refined pretty much everywhere. The suspension, steering and handling all feel sharper and more sports-car like - it's not a Cayman by any means but it's a far sharper, more precise feeling tool than before. The ride is firmer but still refined and unflapped by all but the worst of surfaces. The 4.2 did a great job of hiding it's mass until things got very twisty and undulating; the 5.0 does not attempt to but it manages it instead and while the mass is there it oddly equates to a more solid and planted feel, inspiring far greater confidence. Thinking back to the 4.2, in hindsight that now feels like it was an early prototype of the later car, which I suppose in a way it was.

Inside the interior is of better quality materials and feels more luxurious and well built as a result. Still the same old infotainment system sadly but that doesn't really matter to me. And it is faster, much faster in fact. The numbers don't really give any real idea just how much more rapidly it can build pace but I have on every occasion I've put my foot down a bit, looked down at the speedo and been alarmed at how quickly I was going already...

[8bit]

Cheers folks Aye Craig, thought it was you as soon as I saw "Git" Cheers for the offer of help, will do if I go down that route

[8bit]

Cheers!

Regards the occasional back seats - depending on who or what you want to put in them, that may be one sort of "occasion" I suppose...?

[8bit]

Black pack grilles installed over the holidays...



Now half-considering getting the wheels powder-coated in gloss black too, as a "proper" black pack spec'd car would have had. Jaguar didn't make the black pack available on colours other than black, white or red and the proper black pack wheels would have been a different design but they're hard to come by and expensive. Found this on a Jaguar forum, they've taken this car a bit further than I will but gives an idea how the wheels would look.



I'll be bulk-buying tyre dressing products though if I do it as I hate seeing gloss black wheels with faded/mucky tyres!

Also swapped the headlamp bulbs, the indicator and side marker ones were orange and had the old "fried egg" look, thus:



Much better:



Shame there's not a lot I can do about the reflector strip but can't have it all. I have some cool white LEDs to install inside the car too, that'll be a job for some evening this week.

[8bit]

Cheers, yeah the black splitter/lower bumper is meant to look like the XKR-S I think, seen it done a few times and it doesn't work IMHO. The black wing louvres, hmm yeah maybe but I'd try it with some plasti-dip or vinyl first. Might look good with the black front grilles I have now but I think overall on that car they've overdone it a bit!