German Car Zone

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The revised XKR has been almost overshadowed by the XFR, but it’s a great car


There’s a tendency to think of the new Jaguar XKR as a contractual obligation rather than a fresh initiative. You know how it goes. XFR hogs the headlines with its shiny new 5-litre supercharged V8 and hi-tech underpinnings – XKR gets the same drivetrain and chassis updates but as a fortuitous spin-off rather than measures implemented at the leading edge of its development. But that would be to seriously underestimate the XK’s importance to Jaguar. It might be the old man of the line-up but it by no means bows to the XFR and has been configured to deliver a different driving experience to its saloon sibling.

There’s a crucial relationship between cross-range harmony (the family DNA, if you like) and model differentiation. It’s particularly interesting in this case because the current- generation XK has been the touchstone for so much of the cross-range development work that has come downstream of it.

What does it offer that the XFR doesn’t? Beyond the obvious points – two fewer usable seats, more stares from the street – it’s the logical extension of the XK’s sporting personality, a car that applies some bias to the broad repertoire of abilities so meticulously balanced in the XFR. In short, it’s lighter, a little faster, a little louder when pressing on, more responsive (throttle, steering, brakes) and more playful in Dynamic mode, allowing slightly more mobility of the tail within prescribed limits before the electronic safety net is deployed. In cold figures, the power/weight ratio jumps from the XFR’s 270bhp/ton to 291bhp/ton and the 4.6sec 0-62mph time shaves a tenth from the saloon’s.


Full Story: EVO - Jaguar XKR


M

Love this car!! Looks fabulous… Convertbile for me for hearing that beautiful V8 sound…

Stunning car..still a SL63 for me pleeezzzee

Dont think I'm crazy-even though I do, especially considering I hate Jag as a company- but I tnk that this is a gorgeous car, inside and out. I am gonna go so far as to say that its nicer than its big brother, the Aston Martin DB9. Between the curves, all the air inlets and the quad exhaust (I'm a sucker for quad exhaust) the car is beautiful.

I love it. Tata Motors is doing some great things with the Jaguar brand.

The XK has always been my favorite jaguar...it's just a shame that so many of the Jag's competitors are so great...MB SL, Porsche 911 Carrera...when you consider all of these cars the XK seems to get lost, but when you actually get to experience the XK you realize what a great car it is.