Driving Sports

New this year is a standard iPod attachment, which fits my new iPod Touch perfectly. The Jag even has a little shelf in the glovebox to hold the iPod away from danger. Nice! And that’s the big news – otherwise, the XKR is the same great beast it’s always been.

The real story of the XKR is still the powerplant. Jag uses a 4.2-liter supercharged DOHC 32 valve V8 to make 420, with 413 lb-ft of torque. The power is delivered through a 6-speed automatic transmission with quick paddle-shifting. Big brakes and a great suspension complete the performance package and deliver a 0-60 time of 4.9 seconds, and a passing power (50-70 acceleration - far more important to most drivers) of just 2.5 seconds.  Top speed is governed to 155, which is a bit lower than other supercars but really, unless you’re on the autobahn, who cares?

I have a friend who is a human factors design engineer and he’s been teaching me about the principles of design and execution in cars. As a result, I’m seeing more deeply into interior fit and finish than I used to. The XKR scores high for both design and implementation inside – it just feels good, and now I know that this is due to high quality materials that are put together well. The suede headliner is a big win. Like most people, I don’t pay a whole lot of attention to a car’s headliner. But my lady friend noticed the leather overhead right away, and spent much of her time in the car stroking the ceiling. Somehow that sounds more risqué than it really was.

Everything else inside the Jag is just as expected. Navigation, leather, wood, fancy stereo, great HID headlights, it’s all there for you. The price tag out the door for the test car is $91,000 and change. If you’re shopping that market, chances are you’re not overly worried about the price of a tank of gas, but the XKR gets mid-to-high teens in miles per gallon as I drove it.  Of course, it takes premium gas.

I’m getting used to the sorrowful feeling in my heart when I turn in the latest XKR. What you get for your money in this car is a comfortable, luxurious, sporty, very fast ride. Which is good – that’s what you went looking for if you’re considering this car. And let’s face it, any car that elicits such a warm response from the ladies definitely has that certain je ne sais quois. Actually, I really do sais quois, but you’ll have to find that out for yourself at the Jag dealer.