German Car Zone

Can Jaguar’s new XKR Convertible, Porsche’s 911 Carrera S Cabriolet and Aston’s V8 Vantage Roadster satisfy like their coupe brothers? And which is the biggest thrill? We find out


My credit card pops out of the machine. I pocket it, nose out of the toll lane and glance right just at the moment the other two cars emerge, like racehorses from their stalls. Perfect. I hit the throttle too.

All three cars have their roofs stowed, opening our ears to the full effect of their engines – the breathy whoosh of the Porsche’s flat-six, the crooning beat of the Jaguar’s supercharged V8 and, transcending them both, the hard, hammery note of the Aston Martin’s naturally aspirated V8. But the loudest car is getting gradually dropped as the ad hoc drag race develops. Our three-horse race becomes Porsche versus Jaguar as the French national speed limit comes up.

And relax.

I’m happy to chalk that one down to the Jag, which I happen to be driving. Roger Green in the Porsche might disagree, but over the next couple of days the Jaguar’s ability to get gone the moment the road is straight will impress us all. We’re hopeful that it will prove to be on the money when the road gets twisty, too.

There’s a new sense of purpose about the latest generation of Jaguars, particularly the ones powered by the all-new, 503bhp 5-litre supercharged V8, that gives you confidence that they can retain their traditional strengths while competing with ostensibly more sporting cars. In this instance that’s the 380bhp Porsche Carrera S Cabriolet and the 420bhp Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster.

We’ve driven both from the UK to the outskirts of Paris and collected the XKR from the wonderfully helpful people at Jaguar France. Back in Blighty it had taken seconds to decide which car photographer Stuart Collins and I were going to pack his gear and my bag into, the decision made when we popped open the Aston’s boot. The Porsche may be the smaller car but it’s more accommodating, offering boot space on a par with the Aston plus token rear seats (i.e. extra luggage space) like the much bigger Jaguar. You can either marvel at the Porsche’s packaging or wonder where all the space is squandered in the other two.

Refined this 911 is not, however. Not only is there a constant rustle of wind noise from the hood at a motorway pace but there’s also a low-pitched boom that makes conversation tricky. The Aston is better, attests our third tester, John Hayman, but it’s the Jaguar that proves the most refined, hood up or down. And we feel blessed that we are able to get the roofs down after driving through rain to get to Paris last night.

After stints in the 911 and Vantage, the XKR feels like it looks – huge. You drop down into the slim seats of the others but slide into the Jaguar’s chair, though with the push of a button you can tailor the upper body embrace, which helps. We’d prefer a knurled aluminium facia trim to polished wood, but let your eye wander the cabin and you’ll come to the conclusion that you’re in the best quality cockpit; moreover, the perfectly stitched leather of the seats and facia is standard where it’s a £2245 option on the Porsche. The Aston is far and away the most stylish of the three, though, and has beautifully tailored hide too. Shame about the cheap push- button switches and column stalks.

Because of its size the Jaguar feels the least intimate, and almost as soon as you’re rolling you’re aware that there’s a less direct connection between driver and car. Partly it’s the torque converter of the six-speed ZF auto, which fuzzes the throttle response at low speeds, partly the variable-assistance steering, which offers less resistance than expected as you twirl the wheel. The ride is pretty good, but having driven the XFR and read David Vivian’s report on the XKR coupe (evo 129), which is said to be just a few per cent different to the convertible, I was anticipating a little more directness.

The Porsche and Aston are much more closely matched. Right from the off the Carrera feels spot-on, its PASM adaptive damping (standard on the ‘S’) delivering a firm but supple ride, its nicely weighted steering clean, direct and full of feel, its brakes responsive from the top of the pedal but perfectly progressive too. Quality in the Porsche is more in the depth of feel than in the fixtures and fittings. We still wouldn’t go for the dual-clutch PDK transmission, though. It works well but we’ve never fancied an automatic 911 and those push-for-up, pull-for-down steering-wheel-mounted switches continue to annoy us.


Full Story: EVO - Jaguar XKR v Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet v Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster


M

The Jaguar looks great, but I would go with the Aston in a heart beat.

Don't really care for the porsche at all.

These are 3 very desireable cars, but for some reason I want the Jaguar now most of all out of this group (No SL to choose from). The Aston, maybe its the color because usually I would go for it too, but the Jaguar it is for me.

Now if this was a Carrera 4S Cabrio, it would be Porsche. Either way I don't think you can go wrong with any of these.


M

Yea I agree, but I've never really liked porsche looks like I have jag and aston.

I think Jaguar is really on the right track with the XK and XF. Something about that Aston's exclusivity makes me favoring it more then the XK.

Aston, it's just too beautiful.

Aston for me but with a metal roof.

Porsche for me please

^
Same here!

The Jag is nice but the designers goofed it up with those front intakes.

The Porsche no doubt is the best here anyway.

All three cars serve their own unique purpose. What would I drive during the summer of 2009? An orange AMV8 N400 Roadster! Yes yes, the Aston is the hottest in a the bunch, a focused strict two seater sports car with a drool worthy exterior. Perfect car for rewarding yourself after several years of hard work. The Jag is the best choice if everyday usability is a concern, it's the best long term car in the car. As for the 977 cabrio, I don't detest it but I've always been an advocate for fixed roof 911s.

Now for mouth watering pictures of two Aston I would love to get my hands on and drive on country roads down to Brighton. Masculinity doesn't get more beautiful than this: