2007 Jaguar XKR Convertible
Even with a supercharged V8 that puts out 420 horsepower, the Jaguar XKR convertible feels composed and balanced.
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Cat with a few less claws
While the base price of the XKR Convertible has dropped from $127,000 in '07 to $111,000 this year, it's possible to trim another $12,000 from the price by dipping down to the XK Convertible.
By dropping that "R" designation you're also dropping the supercharger and the extra 120 hp it delivers.
So you have to live with 300-hp V8 rolling along on 18-inch Venus wheels instead of the 19-inch Jupiters standard on the XKR.
With that lesser horsepower it won't be as hard to say goodbye to the Adaptive Front Lighting standard on the R models.
Since you won't be cornering at those higher speeds, who needs headlights that swivel? Tail pipes become dual instead of quad, some of the upmarket trim pieces go AWOL, but you still get the paddle shifters and those great brakes.
And considering that the XK Coupe is a fabulous looking car, save your hairdo and forget the soft top and save another $6,700. The XK Coupe starting at $92,300 still stuffs a lot of features in a very svelte body.
$137,000 Jag mixes luxury with speed
May 25, 2008
Special to the Star
Driving the beefy yet sensuous, feline and ferocious Jaguar XKR Convertible puts stupefied grins on anyone with a pulse.
I test-drove the slinky 2007 XKR with its growly 4.2-litre supercharged V8 for a week. Everywhere it went people paused, gaped, smiled and sucked in the karma of a beautifully executed machine.
With $9,000 in options, my XKR convertible jumped from a base price of $127,000 to $136,995.
The base price for the 2008 convertible has dropped to $111,000.
On a gorgeous Sunday, I let it prowl up the driveway to a golf course, where I know initiation fees are 75 big ones.
On the T-box a golfer stopped in mid swing-just like Tiger Woods, to admire the torpedo as it passed by, its big 20-inch Senta wheels ($5,000 option) glinting in the sunlight, and the engine grumbling tastefully waiting for the signal to go.
Go it can. Zero to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds, with a maximum speed of 249 km/h.
It is so fast, and so superbly capable on the road, that the whole time I had it I kept thinking, "Driving this car is like entering Secretariat in a race at the Caledonia Fair."
At first that bugged me. Those places where you can have some fun, like highway entry ramps, there was always some joker in a Buick Roadmaster sputtering along at 50 clicks.
But after a few days I grew to love the XKR at all speeds. It makes you happy just wheeling in to the Price Chopper parking lot.
There are many cars that feel skittery at half the horsepower, but even with 420 hp the XKR is composed and balanced, guided by excellent steering weight and response.
The XKR has the styling cues of the past, with its beautiful oval front grille, but the underpinnings of modern technology and safety.
It is a delightful marriage of a grand touring car and sports car.
Though the XKR is an automatic, Jaguar's Sequential Shift system allows the driver to pick a motoring mood. In Drive it gallops along like an everyday driver. In Sport things get racy as the transmission adapts to more aggressive inputs and blips the throttle during rapid downshifts. The sound is glorious. Paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel give the driver another level of control.
Big ventilated disc brakes stop the XKR with attitude. For in-your-face-flair, the black brake calipers are branded with the "R" logo.
It seems both subtle and remarkable that the XKR feels so sporty yet insulates the driver from our ragged roads. Tar strips, broken pavement, bumps – their presence barely intrudes into the cabin.
The all-aluminum construction of the XKR was designed to reduce weight without compromising strength; it also muzzles noise and vibration. Even in the convertible form, the XKR is 19 per cent lighter than previous models and exhibits no shakes, squeaks or rattles.
With a push of a button the XKR's soft top folds back whisper quiet in less than 20 seconds to reveal the big blue sky. Ironically, I've driven much cheaper convertibles, like the Mazda MX-5, which have less wind intrusion into the driver's compartment; the XKR can be breezy. Back seats are a bit of a cruel joke, fine for 7 year olds, but a body bender for adults. I sat in the back for a short ride, and it was like doing chair yoga.
However, the front sports seats with 16-way power adjustments are sublime. Interior finishing is luxurious, and all the controls, dials, thumbwheels, and buttons operate like the inner workings of a precision watch. The "R" badging is everywhere and wood veneer glams up the interior. But there is a bit of dashboard reflection in the windshield.
A sharp touch screen in the centre console is the home base for navigation and audio controls. It's easy to operate and turns off at the press of a button – no backing out through menus.
I spent a few hours taking photographs of the XKR and it doesn't have a bad side or an awkward angle. It combines elegance and power in tightly executed lines that rekindle memories.
"That sure is a pretty car," said a pickup-driving memory laner when I was shooting the XKR on a dead-end country road.
"I remember when my dad brought a Jag home, about 30 years ago. It caught fire in the front yard and burned to nothing.
"It's a good day to reflect," he said as he drove away with a smile on his face.
The Jaguar XKR, an automotive mood mender for the well-heeled motorist.
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