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Thursday, 18th of March 2010

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Jaguar XK Coupe XKR road test report

XKR

Currently the ultimate expression of performance from prestigious carmaker Jaguar the newly revised Jaguar XKR offers more power, better performance, with improved fuel economy and reduced emissions for its 2010MY. A revised exterior look and alterations inside the cabin complete a fairly substantial alteration to the earlier model. As the flagship of the range the XKR comes with a single engine choice, and as either a hard top coupe or soft top convertible. Whichever option you go for its hard to imagine you’ll be disappointed with the driving experience.

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Performance

At the core of the grand tourer is a brand new 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine (AJ-V8 Gen III) which has been supercharged to improve the cars performance over the already swift naturally aspirated XK. This all new engine is something that Jaguar can rightly be very proud of, not only does it provide plenty of power right the way through the range, but the engineers have also managed to make significant efficiency gains over the out-going 4.2 litre engine. The maximum power output of the engine is an impressive 510bhp at 6000-6500rpm, this coupled with the relatively lightweight of the car propels the XKR from 0-60mph in 4.6 seconds, which knocks over half a second off the naturally aspirated XK’s time. Top speed, like all Jaguars’ latest models has been electronically limited to 155mph – one wonders what top speed the engine could attain without the limiter! This tremendous performance is backed up with significant improvements in efficiency, the new XKR can boast 16% improvement in fuel economy (to 23.0mpg combined cycle) and 17% reduction in CO2 emissions (to 292g/km) so while it could never claim to be a frugal car, fuel economy is good for the segment the car sits in. A further change for the 2010MY XKR is the inclusion of the JaguarDrive gear dial, first seen in the XF, this is attached to a six-speed automatic transmission, which has been lovingly built to fully appreciate and tame the 5.0litre engine. Getting behind the wheel and putting your foot down is a real thrill, with the automatic racing through the gears without complaint. It’s very hard to find fault with the performance of the Jaguar XKR.

Ride & Handling

The engine may be extremely powerful but with its finely tuned ride and handling the car will be sticking to the road, there are a couple of major features on the car which help the engaging ride. First off, the Jaguar XKR retains its lightweight aluminium body structure, which makes the car very light in comparison to its peers. Secondly, the car comes with an electronic differential which optimises traction and dynamics – keeping the car squarely on the road. Adaptive Dynamics is also included on the XKR for the first time, a new system that has come in across the Jaguar range, and is the Gaydon-based carmaker’s most comprehensive computer controlled suspension system yet. Taking the car on a spin along country roads it’s easy to forget about all that technology working away for your benefit, in fact you completely forget about it as instead you’re thinking about how much fun you’re having with the car – fast, responsive, and totally under control, you could say they’ve tamed the Panthera onca.

Build Quality & Reliability

The word impressive comes to mind, get past the striking aesthetics of the car (which in itself is a difficult enough task), slide into the plush leather drivers seat, gently press (should that be caress?) the starter button, watch gleefully as the JaguarDrive dial kicks into life and final get comfortable in your seat as the engine starts to tick over, giving an unmistakably growl, it’s probably at this juncture that it dawns on you that you’ve yet to find fault – not even just slightly. Unlike early generations, the front seats can be sufficiently adjusted to ensure that even the leggy and long can drive the car without developing a stoop – not something that could be said of the XK8! The materials used in the cabin are all that you would expect; there is not one part of the interior where you could point a finger and claim that a cheaper compromised had been reached. The same or very similar engine can be found in both the XK and XF so there are plenty of the units out on the road and currently there aren’t any significant issues to report on reliability.

Safety & Security

Jaguar hasn’t sent a car to be Euro NCAP tested for many a year, so it’s difficult to benchmark the car against others in its class, however as in other areas of the car the engineers haven’t cut corners in delivering a comprehensive package of features, all designed to keep not only the occupants safe but also help protect pedestrians. The convertible comes with a hidden, automatic roll-over protection, while both the coupe and the convertible comes with a deployable bonnet system designed to help protect pedestrians from the full force of an impact. Emergency Brake Assist comes as standard, while front, side, and thorax airbags also as standard.

Space & Practicality

Jaguar is pitching the XK-range as a grand tourer, and it’s easy to see why; the car while performance-driven is luxurious and comfortable and ideally suited to eat up motorway miles. Classed as a 2+2 seater, the back of the cabin is pokey – no other word does it justice – however the front seats provide plenty of room and flexibility to get comfortable. Head space seems to have improved too, over earlier generations; the XK8 in particular had real issues for tall people! Boot space is a respectable 330 litres; however this obviously gets significantly eaten into if you’re driving with the wind in your hair in the convertible. Obviously not suitable as a main family car, it does exactly what you would expect and want in a GT.

Ownership & Value

Priced at £72,400 for the coupe and £78,400 for the convertible the cars, while not cheap, are competitively priced for the segment they reside in, it’s substantially cheaper than the BMW M6 coupe, and the Audi R8 4.2l Quattro for example. You might not be driving an Aston Martin but it’s pretty close to the same thing, its personal preference but for my money the car is every bit as beautiful as James Bond’s wheels of choice and you can’t say that about many cars. Running costs for a car of this nature will be pretty steep, but goes with the territory; however servicing intervals of every 15,000 miles is very impressive. While both insurance and road tax will be costly. For those looking for a premium grand tourer which gives a real thrill everything you get behind the wheel then the Jaguar XKR should be taken out for a test drive – you’ll probably not want to give it back to the dealership at the end of the drive though. You have been warned!

Submitted: 01/09/2009 11:22:46

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