Jaguar XKR 2008 Review

Road Test - Jaguar XKR

RRP: $240,100
Price as tested: $252,490 (includes luxury interior $7095, Alcon brakes $5295)
Crash rating: TBA
Fuel: 95 RON PULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 12.3
CO2 emissions (g/km): 294
Also consider: Mercedes-Benz SL 500 (more here), Porsche 911 Carrera 2S (more here)

About our ratings

The neighbours are a jaded lot. For years, they've seen new cars come and go and, generally speaking, they tend to ignore anything that's not German and not worth more than $200K. Snobs! That said, the Jaguar XKR tested recently, judged on its aggressively beautiful looks and growling engine note, scored two thumbs up from Doctor Karl and the rest -- despite the car being British.

It is a machine you could rapidly learn to love. Whilst the XKR appeals for the sense of occasion that accompanies the car wherever it goes, it also acquits itself well in the role of a daily commuter... At least as a daily commuter that can be safeguarded from the '20-cent pinstripe' set.

Yet practicality, comfort and convenience aside, the XKR impresses with its ability to cover a lot of ground very quickly.

The XKR came to us shortly after Mercedes-Benz unveiled the upgraded SL sportscar in Queensland. Drawing comparison between the Jag and the Mercedes SL, the XKR wasn't as close to neutral as the German and the steering feedback wasn't there in the same degree as in the SL, although there was a substantial improvement in feel with higher cornering loads -- and without significantly more weight through the wheel.

It's fair to say though, that the Jaguar was just as composed during cornering as the German car and there was, for example, no sense of imminent lift-off oversteer being any sort of issue. If turn-in was just a smidgeon on the slow side, there wasn't much in it. Indeed, some may actually prefer the Jaguar for feeling ever so slightly more secure at higher speeds.

There's a sense of security too, in the way the stability and traction control systems will absolutely shut down everything as soon as there's a hint of oversteer or anything else untoward. Oversteer and wheelspin can be provoked relatively easily with the torque on tap from the supercharged engine -- but not for long. There were thumps from the rear end as the traction control system continuously reduced the torque, before re-applying it.

Under brakes, however, the Jaguar was much more genteel, mustering quite a high level of front-end grip. Even on a miserably wet day, the ABS couldn't be provoked.

The optional Alcon brakes are big stoppers and the 20-inch wheels and tyres are entirely appropriate for a day at the track, yet they also proved to be quiet on the road.

On start-up, the supercharged 4.2-litre V8 emits a note that literally sounds like a big cat's roar. It's a beast, but the engine is very refined for all that, willing to rev hard at a moment's notice and with nary a hint of supercharger whine. Unfortunately, use the available torque and you'll be lucky to achieve 15L/100km. During the seven days with The Carsales Network, the XKR averaged 15.1L/100km and about 150km of the driving during the week was freeway work.

The six-speed ZF transmission's sequential-shift system is certainly more responsive than that of the Mercedes, in our experience. It's helped too by the immediacy of the engine when called upon to dial up some revs.

One or two taps of the down-change paddle and the engine is at the speed you want -- when you want it and not some indeterminate point when the engine management system figures the time is ripe. The sequential-shift facility is aggressive in the way it, combined with the engine management, delivers you serious torque on demand. This would be enormously beneficial on a racetrack.

All in all, the engine and transmission combination really work well together. If the engine speed threatens to exceed an indicated 6000rpm, the transmission will shift up a gear, even with the driver using the paddles in sports mode.

Yet the XKR is not just about performance potential. There's no doubt that the engine and transmission are seriously competitive in this package, complemented by the muscular brakes and tyres, but in other ways, the XKR is rather soft. Certainly the ride is compliant, at a primary level. Over smaller bumps, it will follow the contours of the road, but it will absorb some hard hits too.

It's actually the disparity between the XKR's hard dynamic focus and its genuine comfort that will lead some to feel the Jaguar has a slight edge over both the SL 500 Mercedes and the Porsche 911 Carrera 2S. There's more 'Jekyll and Hyde' about the XKR than the much more measured SL or the more overtly sporting Porsche. In the case of the Jag though, Mr Hyde can be summoned by the driver and doesn't just arrive when least expected.

On the Jekyll side of the coin -- as already mentioned -- the Jaguar is a relatively practical and comfortable car, day by day. That practicality mostly stems from cockpit ergonomics, as in being easier to enter and exit than the SL.

The seating side bolsters do the job holding the occupant in place, but not to the extent that it's hard to enter or leave the XKR. It's generally easier to vacate the car (unless you're attempting to leave the vestigial rear seat) than was the case for the Mercedes-Benz. Then again, the Mercedes doesn't even have a rear seat! The SL felt lower than the Jaguar and this hampered efforts to climb out of the car.

It's interesting, on the subject of the German marque, that Jaguar's interior design team has adopted the Mercedes-Benz system for adjusting the seats, with motor-drive switchgear and memory position buttons blended in an array that reflects the shape of the seats, mounted on the door panel near the leading edge of the window.

As with the XF sedan recently tested, the XKR has a very intuitive cockpit layout, including the touch screen control for the audio, HVAC and navigation system.

It's not certain that the XKR's interior could be described as 'post-modern', but it's arguably a little more in keeping with traditional Jaguar cabin design than the XF's is. The transmission selector is more like the good old 'J-Gate' that's been around since the XJ40 sedans from the late 1980s, unlike the rotary dial of the XF. And as with the XF, the XKR uses the paddles alone to shift gear sequentially -- and that sometimes delays up-shifts or down-shifts if you have some steering lock applied.

Unlike the Mercedes, the XKR's trip computer lacked an instant consumption read-out, but the XKR's information and entertainment system was the same as the XF's -- meaning it was intuitive and utterly straightforward. While the audio system sounded good, it wasn't as effective receiving some local radio stations as lesser cars have been.

The seatbelt for the front seats hooks in through a strap on the outboard shoulder of the front seats, with the strap located by a press-stud. If the rear-seat needs to be accessed, the strap can be unfastened to free the seatbelt from the front seat. It works well and is simple to use.

Seatbelts in the rear seat -- should there be a need to use them, are located at two points inboard and a third point (the seatbelt buckle) outboard. This is contrary to lap/sash seatbelt anchorage in most other cars, but is simpler for seat occupants to facilitate fastening in the XKR's cramped rear-seat environment.

But forget the rear-seat for actually accommodating anyone. The reviewer's six-year son old didn't have enough legroom, even with the driver's seat set far enough forward that the steering column also had to be adjusted as far 'north' as possible.

If unconcerned by rear-seat passengers, the two front-seat occupants will enjoy better than adequate head and legroom. The driver may feel that the transmission encroaches too much on the footwell and the footrest is for geisha girls. Anyone with average-sized plates of meat will find the large toe and ball of the foot slipping off at the side.

Otherwise, the driving position is comfortable and ergonomically efficient. The instruments are plainly visible through the steering wheel and as already stated, the seats are both relatively comfortable and hold the occupant properly during cornering. With a range of adjustment for the seats and steering wheel, it was essentially simple to find an appropriate driving position.

The indicator and wiper stalks are shared with the XF and feel similarly cheap, which was the one let-down in the car's quality feel. During wider right-hand turns (as in turning onto a main road from a side street), the indicator wouldn't self-cancel.

Contrary to expectations, there's a reasonable amount of luggage space under the large liftback tailgate. That's also where the CD changer is located. You won't fit golf bags in there, but the luggage capacity looks adequate for a weekend away for two.

Ultimately then, the XKR is the very definition of a 2+2. Best not to think of it as even a car to cart the kids to kinder, but for just two people, it's luxurious and refined. Pomp and circumstance on wheels, in other words -- until you unleash Mr Hyde.

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