For Jaguar, high performance coupes are the equivalent of home games for
a table leading Premiership football club.
They are Jaguar’s fiefdom; customers are on their side, require no
conversion and in theory know what to expect.
With experience of producing illustrious forebears such as E Type, XJS
and the first XK, is an ultra high performance XK not like, say, Manchester United
Football Club playing a mid table ranking club at home? Surely it
represents little challenge and if successful, no great achievement.
By contrast and comparatively, diesel saloons are the trying away game
for Jaguar or the equivalent of a club using many new players. They may take
time to develop a winning formation; to learn each other’s nuances and achieve
league glory for the team.
Ostensibly, neither outcome is as expected. Back in 2004 and right from
the off Jaguar created a 2.7 diesel S-Type that was every bit as good as BMW’s
then class leading 530d. And it’s Ford sourced 2.0d was used to supreme effect
in X-Type, matching the smoothness and linearity of BMW’s contemporary diesel
four pot.
Setting out to produce a highly focused, drivers car is also far more
challenging than it once was even for masters of the art, Jaguar.
Traditionally, they have used different tactics to those employed by Porsche
and BMW in a bid to make XK outshine the 911 and 6 series.
The British marque’s coupes are less firm and promoted as the primary
choice for long journeys across open roads, motorways and indeed the
continent. The message is that they can compete dynamically and visually but
make less physical demands on the driver – more Mercedes SL than Porsche 911.
But with XKR-S they are competing with more powerful, enthusiast aimed
vehicles such as the Porsche GT3, Maserati GranTurismo S and BMW M6.
Visually, the XKR-S model delivers that necessary, extra dose of
sporting intent over the already butch XKR. There’s a deeper front bumper
with a gaping, raised side extension, a 10 mm drop in ride height and a
carbonfibre rear wing. Together they reduce vertical lift and enhance its
supercoupe credentials.
Adorned in darker, matt finished metal and swathed in red stitched
leather the interior also feels suitably special, using expensive feeling
switchgear that operates with a finely damped precision.
Thumb the starter button and the supercharged V8 explodes into life –
few engines sound as charismatic as this. Jaguar have re-mapped the throttle
and added a sports exhaust to increase the standard XKR’s power by 39 bhp to
542. Torque also climbs, the engine now producing 501 lb ft of the stuff; 40
more than the XKR.
Applying the throttle I unleash a good number of its 542 bhp. Instantly
I’m pinned back in the seat and the car dashes towards the horizon. The
sensation is akin to one you’d imagine feeling in a shuttle as it travels very
fast towards space. Just tickling the throttle raises a smile of euphoric bliss
and upping the pace sends adrenalin rushing through my body.
The engine’s voice is part nascar, part fighter jet – its hearty,
complex bellow growing in volume as the needle nears the red line. Also
apparent is a prodigious wave of torque that seems to blur the box’s six gear
shifts into a single burst of action. This is no doubt helped by the engine’s
excellent linearity and a gearbox whose ratios have been carefully matched to
the unit’s power delivery.
With the car moving gracefully across the ground you notice the
suspension swallowing up many harsh looking bumps and undulations. While some
are filtered out before reaching the cabin, the ride at times lacks the
compliance we’ve come to appreciate from Jaguar. It’s as if the springs don’t
have sufficient rebound properties, even for an ultra sporting coupe that is
supposed to be firmly sprung.
The steering too, is not without fault. It would benefit from a heavier,
more responsive action. This would give the driver confidence to extract the
car’s monumental performance more often while deriving added pleasure from the
experience.
Words and
Photos by Josh Ross (www.http://joshsross.wordpress.com)
Technical Data
Price as tested: £97.430
Engine: 5.0 32v 542bhp - 0-62mph: 4.2 secs - Maximum Speed: 186mph -
Economy: 14.9mpg (urban) –33mpg (extra-urban), 23mpg (combined) -Emissions: 292g/km
(Band M) - VED (12 months): £475
Dimensions: Length: 4794mm - Width: 1892mm - Height: 1322mm - Wheelbase: 2752mm
*Data from Jaguar
UK
Verdict
The abiding impression of the XKR-S is that Jaguar has succeeded in
tackling the most focused sports cars at their own game. With its peerless body
control and tastefully adapted interior it wants only for more transparent,
sensitive steering and extra ride compliance. Jaguar has produced an
endearing, blindingly fast car that offers a memorable driving experience. The
car is defined by that perfectly calibrated engine and gearbox – together they
are its crowning glory.
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