If I could save you £20,000, would that be good? Well then let me share a little secret with you. If your partner keeps buying shoes ‘because they were in the sale,’ you are going to love this.
If you buy a new ‘standard’ XK coupe (although when talking about such a prestigious car, it’s a stretch to call it standard), the on the road price (OTR) is £60,995. But you can buy a used, 18 month old XK for £39,000 – £42,000. Even better, whereas a new XKR is £70,995 OTR, there are lots (like a couple of hundred) with around 20,000 miles and ‘56’ plates with price tags of just £49,950 - £52,000.
What’s great about this, is you are going to benefit from plenty of manufacturer warranty and the car will look, feel and drive like new. But for 25% off.
So, assuming you can afford to spend such a large some of money on a car, is this the one for you?
When you slide into the XK, the leathers feel very soft and gentile. It is a dramatically different feeling to getting into a Porsche 911. You feel more like you are plugging into a 911, as its sports seats are hard, firm and small. It is equally different to a BMW 6-Series whose seats sort of absorb you. But you definitely slide into the XK and it feels great.
As you pull away, the XKR doesn’t instantly feel like its going to be scary in the way a Porsche can, but you do feel involved, unlike in a 6-Series. There is so much power available that automatic gearbox delays are inconceivable. If you flip it into tiptronic mode and use the paddles behind the wheel, the acceleration becomes exhilarating as you can rev it just that little bit harder. The wheels spin pretty easily, which brings out the little boy (or girl) in you as the odd unintentional squeal of excitement escapes your lips.
It is a very long car with precise sports steering. Which means around town you need to exercise significant foresight. It is simply not meant to u-turn like a black cab. On one busy junction I had to turn right into a small side road. Cars were whizzing past both sides of me and another wanted to come out of the side road I was entering. When another driver signalled me through, I waved to show gratitude and stamped hard on the accelerator. The scene that unfolded summarises one half of the endless joy this car will provide its lucky owners.
The car sort of span on the spot rather than turn in, as I confidently waved first out the windscreen, then a second later out the side window, and briefly out the back window, before correcting my direction and proceeding down the side street.
The other half of the joy will come on B-roads. Once moving you can’t really hear the engine. Especially if the stereo is on (which is why you can spend hours on the motorway without a headache forming). But you know you are going quickly and that you really, really don’t want to crash this beautiful car. So you learn to keep your eyes on the road, a finger on each of the gear shift paddles and then out of the bottom of your eye, you can just about see the rev counter’s needle and you change gear based on where it is. I can’t tell you the numbers because they were out of focus as I concentrated on the road. But I can still see the finely crafted tip of the needle gliding up as I accelerated, then at around the top of the dial, jumping down to start again. An awesome experience.
An experience enhanced by the BOSE stereo. The sound system was not just easy to use, but I heard things on CDs I have owned for years that I have not heard before. The sound quality of the speakers allowed me to hear, for the first time, the background of the 1970s Rolling Stones gigs in America. I felt like I was there, smoking a joint with Mick Jagger at 100mph in a Jaguar XKR.
The current XK, like the XK8, XJS and even the E-Type will be a dream car for many, not just whilst in production, but for decades to come.
As a £70,000 new car, I felt the doors and indicator stalks were a little flimsy. The boot needed slamming to shut properly. The seats, whilst distinctive and comfortable didn’t feel quite as good as those of a Bristol Fighter.
But the touch-screen controls and design touches were all perfect. Even the way the ashtray closed was beautiful.
And all these points pale into insignificance when you start moving. The engine and gearbox are pure joy.
Summary
If a 911 is too aggressive but the BMW 6-Series is too sterile, you probably want an XKR. If you are reaching a mature stage in life but still want a sports car and you can still remember the value of a £1, you will probably appreciate the terrific performance and value this car offers in equal measure.
Real car in the classifieds:
2007 07 Reg Jaguar XK XK 4.2 V8 Supercharged R
11,254 miles
Tel: (01482) 627300
Price: £57,995
Test car details:
Jaguar XKR 4.2 Coupe
OTR: £ 70995
0-60: 4.9secs
MPG: 22.9
Co2 g/KM: 294
Words: Matthew Tumbridge