Drove a Jaguar XKR for the First Time !

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santoshlv426

New member
The Jaguar XKR was (and still is) my dream Jaguar and when I learnt that it was no longer in production being replaced by the F type (this was before the FT was launched), I was devastated.

Today I finally drove sleek Maroon 2013 XKR and wow, this car lived up to all my expectations.

It's the lovechild of a Lexus and F Type !

Where the F Type is too hard, wide, difficult to see over the bonnet and get in and flop out of the drivers seat as it being too low, the XKR is the antithesis.

These are fundamentally two different cars with the FT being a hard sports car and the XK a GT.
If it were practical, I'd own both

11 years later, the XK (like the FT) is still a head turner.
 
Absolutely love the XKR too. Some 10 years ago in my XF days I twice had the pleasure to get a brand new XKR as a loaner and that car just blew my mind. To me it always felt a bit like an X250 XF coupé... same interior tech, steering wheel, gearbox, drive train etc and just as comfy on the motorway but much more sporty and of course looking even better.

It feels perfect engine wise too. I was never a fan of the concept of that V8 in the F-Type but in the XK it's just a perfect match.

All in all it's still an amazing car. Funnily enough this particular car that I enjoyed so much 10 years ago is now for sale since quite a while. Loads of miles on it now and seems to be in a bit of a sad state cosmetically these days but if I had the space and time I might have bought it and fixed it up. Looked great when it was new anyway. :)

63.JPG

10.JPG
 
It's still a great looking car and doesn't look that aged. I noticed the spill over on internals to the F-Type! The door controls and seats t'boot. Same seats as I have in my F-Type and I bet the pedals are the same too.
 
Here's a shot of my Kyanite Blue (fantastic colour!) 2010 XKR on the day I test drove it. The Black x100 XKR is what I arrived in!

dsc_3717_800.jpg
 
Clymout said:
It's still a great looking car and doesn't look that aged. I noticed the spill over on internals to the F-Type! The door controls and seats t'boot. Same seats as I have in my F-Type and I bet the pedals are the same too.
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Yep! Same seat controls and the late XKRs seemed to have the same performance seats as the early F-Types. Pedals, steering column bits and stalks also are the same IIRC.
 
I really enjoyed my circa 5 years experience of owning a XKR and IMHO is still looks good today,despite its age.
A pure cruiser it was great in a straight line and was very comfortable despite the interior becoming a bit dated.Push it round a corner in the cold or wet though and you soon learnt who was boss!A very different drive to the F-Type V8 which I find can be a cruiser as well as being more forgiving if pushed hard on the twisty bits.
I think the XKR is a great value for experiencing a V8,mechanically quite bullet proof and is potentially a future classic20200728_185947.jpg
 
Lux37 said:
I really enjoyed my circa 5 years experience of owning a XKR and IMHO is still looks good today,despite its age.
A pure cruiser it was great in a straight line and was very comfortable despite the interior becoming a bit dated.Push it round a corner in the cold or wet though and you soon learnt who was boss!A very different drive to the F-Type V8 which I find can be a cruiser as well as being more forgiving if pushed hard on the twisty bits.
I think the XKR is a great value for experiencing a V8,mechanically quite bullet proof and is potentially a future classic20200728_185947.jpg
Click to expand...

Wow, that's a stunning looking one! Quite some Aston vibes in that spec.
 
They do call it a cheap man's Aston!
It was a really clean example,so much so that the mechanic who worked on it for 4 years asked me to contact him if I ever wanted to sell it.When the time came to move on to an F-Type (the mechanic did tell me that I was making mistake as he did not rate the drive or reliability against the XKR)he sent round a lovely local couple who bought it on the spot without a test drive.Still keep track of the MOT history,how sad am I!
 
Drove 45,000 trouble-free miles in this beaut….
The soft spot remains and often regret selling. Whoever bought it next got a fantastic car.

DSC_0127.jpeg
 
Plenty of blue and black ones but this IRR XKR-S does catch the eye 😎

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/15963167
 
Lux37 said:
They do call it a cheap man's Aston!
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You've got that the wrong way round - the Aston is the rich man's Jag. The Jag is superior to the Aston in every way except the badge. ;)
 
There's so many great XKR's people have parted with.

This is the one I drove

https://www.autotrader.co.za/car-for-sale/jaguar/xk/xkr/27327740?vf=2&db=1&s360=0&so=1&pl=1&pq=0&pr=5&po=1
 
Why do we do it to ourselves? You hear a lot of people selling and buying cars back years later :) I miss my VXR's (J version) the running gear on the car with PS 3's at the time was superb, so underated. The steering feedback for a hydraulic system was the best I had expereience compared to non assisted. I could drive those cars by the feel on butt cheeks. I would never buy a second hand one though, heck, I wouldn't buy a performance car from me. I did like to do what they said on the tin!
 
Every Jag I've bought has been an upgrade so I wouldn't go back to a previous one. The only things I miss about my XKR is the colour and back "seats" which were a handy storage area. I suppose they were also suitable for carrying drunks who were legless!

I pretend I downgraded to the F-Type as it's smaller amd more fuel efficient than the XKR. :)
 
First Jag I ever drove was an XKR. Father had been invited to a 'drive all our Jags' event at Marshall's in Cambridge, so we trotted off, got handed the key to whatever car they had available and given a route to 'enjoy'. I'd never driven anything more powerful than a hot-hatch to that point, never been in an automatic and never heard a supercharger before. It was an exhilirating experience and probably laid the groundwork towards buying the F-Type some 20+ years later. I had a few customers with one and I always found myself stopping and staring at their car before heading into their house. As an Aston owner once told me

"My hubby's 911 Turbo is a better car to drive, it's FAR cheaper to run, it rarely goes wrong, but it's just a 911. I leave the house 5 minutes earlier than I need to, every single day, just so that I can stare at my Aston before I set off"

(or words to that effect)
 
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