The Jaguar XK was launched back in 2005 at the North American International Car Show, and it shocked everyone. It was a beautiful GT designed by Ian Callum in 2002, and he designed the original Aston Martin Vanquish and the DB7. He also somewhat designed the V8 Vantage (the designer of that car is disputed. Some say it’s Henrik Fisker whilst others including Callum say it was he and his team who designed 80% of it).
The V8 Vantage is a car that will be repeated many times in this article. The reason why is because the V8 Vantage and the XKR are two very similar cars but we will get into that later. The XKR is the performance variant of the XK and the main difference between the two apart from the performance figures is that the XKR is Supercharged.
The XKR was fitted with two engines in its lifetime. Originally, it featured a 4.2-liter Supercharged V8 with over 400hp but in 2009 that was replaced by a 5.0 Supercharged V8 with just over 500hp. It sounds absolutely insane, especially at the higher revs. The 410hp model takes around 5 seconds to hit 60 whilst the 503hp model does a 0-60 time of 4.6 seconds. The XKR also had a space-age new all-aluminum chassis which replaced the ancient XJS chassis used in the previous XK8.
The XKR also features an electronic Limited Slip Differential which somewhat improves handling. But this car is no driver’s car, and you have to remember that when driving it. The XK R is a proper GT rather than a sports car. The sibling car to this, the Aston Martin Vantage is way more of a driver’s car despite it being less powerful. The gearbox on that is fantastic, far better than the automatic on the Jaguar. However, the automatic used on the Jaguar is far better, faster, and smoother than the Aston Martin Sportshift automatic gearbox used on the Vantage.
It’s a car that can really do it all. It’s fast, comfortable, spacious and nowadays pretty cheap to buy. But should you buy one? After all, it can be quite expensive to maintain. Let’s find out.
Picture via: Wikipedia.com
A Car That Has Many Criticisms (But We Can Forgive It).
As soon as you sit in an XKR, you will complain. The build quality isn’t great whatsoever. A lot of parts inside are from the Ford or Volvo parts bin. The parts would be fine in say a Ford Mondeo or a Volvo V40 but an expensive Jaguar XKR, no chance. Later models were the ones which suffered the most because everything just felt so dated.
For such an expensive car, the XKR was built on a shoe-string budget. You find this out when you look inside and see the amount of borrowed parts. Some exterior parts feel cheap and poorly built, and if the battery dies you cannot get inside the car until you replace the battery.
Replacing the battery when it’s dead is very hard. You have to screw off the rear plate and then access the trunk key opener to open the electronic trunk lid to replace the battery which is situated in the trunk. It’s a stupid design in my opinion and it just shows cost-cutting. This may not sound like an issue, but batteries can randomly flatten for no reason whatsoever.
Then there are the electrics. To be fair, they’re not as bad as other Jaguar’s but they can go haywire. They’re also pretty ancient too especially the multimedia system which may have worked in 2006, but in later 2013 2014 models, it was comical.
The XKR has many issues, and they are quite obvious issues. Whether it’s the build quality or the stupid designs, they are irritating. However, you have to forgive this car for its faults since it has a lot of personality. It’s quite quirky and very different from any other car on sale today. The engine sounds incredible and little touches inside such a the red starter button, the dial gear-selector, interior lights, huge alloys, etc. It’s incredible.
Just drive the XKR, and you will fall in love with it. It’s stupidly fast and it sounds absolutely wild. The 4.2 Supercharged V8 and the 5.0 Supercharged V8 sound incredible, in fact, they’re both one of the best sounding engines ever. They sound very muscular but it is refined.
A Very Good Grand Tourer.
Jaguar has always been exceptional when it comes to making large Grand Tourers. The XKR is no exception to this since it just ticks all the Grand Tourer boxes. The XKR is very fast, but the acceleration isn’t neck-snapping. It’s linear and that’s how it should be. Completely effortless.
The sound, as mentioned earlier is fantastic but it’s also classy. The F-Type R should have learned lessons from the XKR since that car is just too loud 24/7 even in the quiet exhaust mode. If you want this car to be quiet then it will be quiet. If you want this car to sound like a hooligan, then it’s possible.
The trunk can easily fit a set of golf clubs, which is important since many XK and XKR owners are golf enthusiasts. You can also fit in a lot of luggage in the back. In fact, the actual boot space is 330 liters which is decent, plus the XKR coupe has a hatchback trunk which somewhat increases practicality. The BMW 6-series has a bigger trunk though at 460 liters.
Inside, there is a lot of space. The two front electric seats are very comfortable and the overall leather finish is brilliant. The interior design has aged pretty well and in some finishes such as piano black, it does still look very modern. I quite like it despite the fact that there are many nuisances. It’s a classy interior although there is a lot of cheap Ford and Volvo parts.
The rear seats aren’t anything special at all. They’re finished in high-quality leather and they do feel and look nice. They’re just hopelessly impractical though, but that is expected from any 2+2 Grand Tourer so it isn’t just an issue with the XKR. You can fit kids in the back, but even then it is very uncomfortable.
The looks are what sell this car. It’s very aggressive but also very classy. It looks more so like an Aston Martin and the reason why it does is that it was designed by the same man who designed quite possibly the best-looking Aston Martin in the 21st center, the V8 Vantage. This is why many car journalists call the XKR the “cheaper Vantage” because essentially it is.
The XKR was facelifted in 2009 and also fitted with a 5.0 supercharged engine. The main changes were the lights, alloys, and bumpers. Later models with the newer LED lights look so timeless and in all honesty, low milage ones have held their value. The XKR is a far better-looking car than the likes of the BMW 650i and the Mercedes CL500.
It’s a properly cheap car nowadays for what it offers. It gives me Aston Martin vibes since it looks inside so much as an Aston Martin. You still do feel like a celebrity when driving it since it is just so classy.
I really do like it a lot and in my opinion, it is a better car than the Vantage since it is firstly a lot faster than the Vantage, more reliable and cheaper. In fact, you can get a later top-spec 5 liter model for the same price as a standard old pre-facelift 4.3 liter 380hp Aston Martin Vantage.
To Conclude:
The XKR is an awful lot of car for the money. New, this car cost almost $100,000 but today you can get a 4.2 early Supercharged model for just over $10,000. However, those cars are likely to be high-mileage somewhat poorly maintained vehicles and they will just be a bag of bolts.
If you want a decent XK R, aim to spend $25,000 or so upwards. Make sure the one your buy has a proper Full-Service History and also that it is maintained to a high standard. These cars are not cheap to repair at all, so you want to be careful when purchasing one. Also, try to get the 5.0 model since it is so much more fun and faster, but if your budget only allows for the 4.2 Supercharged model then go for that since that still is a great engine.
It sure is no driver’s car, but it is a fantastic GT. Everything about it is classy and the power is effortless. It’s far more fun than a w12 Bentley but it isn’t going to be extremely uncomfortable. It will, however, be very uneconomical on fuel.