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By
EWAN KENNEDY
23 April 2007
The Jaguar XKR sounds like a jaguar. That’s a jaguar of the
feline type, a beast with an angry growl that says the wild cat means
business in the hunting stakes.
That’s our first impression after sampling the new ‘R’
variant of the successful XK series. A supercharged
high-performance version of the big British car, one that is sold
in both fixed-head coupe and soft-top convertible format.
From a styling point of view, the Jaguar XKR is instantly
recognisable by its aluminium mesh grille, with a deeper lower air
intake. There are additional air intakes for the cooling and
supercharger in the outer surfaces of the lower bumper, as well as
heat extractors in the bonnet. The latter do an excellent job of
altering the appearance of the bonnet and taking away somewhat
from the controversial headlight shape.
There are big 20-inch alloy wheels and the rear of the all-aluminium
body is distinguished by four exhaust tailpipes arranged in pairs.
The 4.2-litre V8 engine has extra boost provided by a
supercharger and now pumps out an impressive 306 kW (420
horsepower), and 560 Nm. Jaguar has, as usual, opted for the fast
response and more-linear punch of a supercharger to cushion the
driver from the delay inherent in a turbocharged engine.
This certainly shows as the big sporting Brit leaps forward the
moment you hit the accelerator pedal, emitting the joyous growl we
referred to a moment ago and giving the driver a real feeling of
control.
The engine is further assisted by modifications to the
already-good six-speed automatic transmission that sees the
transmission rush down into a lower ratio, or two, within
milliseconds of being asked to do so. Thus providing the extra
torque and power required for maximum safety while overtaking.
Those into real performance will be impressed by the way this
big sporting Jag can leap from rest to 100 km/h in just 5.2
seconds.
Even more impressive is its ability to reverse that speed and
time – the brakes can haul it back from 100 km/h to a standstill
in an eye-bulging 2.5 seconds.
These excellent performance figures don’t tell the exact
story. Despite being close to supercar numbers, the Jaguar is
actually aimed at the grand touring market. Its suspension
dynamics and refinement are about midway between that of a
standard XK and a raw-power beast.
Which is just right from the point of view of typical Jaguar
enthusiasts, who have always enjoyed that functional balance
between speed, cornering convenience and comfort.
Of course, performance in any Jaguar comes with more than a
healthy dash of luxury. There's the traditional feel of stitched
leather trim, which is even softer and more comfortable than it
looks, and timber highlights. The latter can be replaced by an
aluminium finish should you prefer the harder-edged more technical
look.
Heated seats may be more at home in England than Australia, but
are there should you live in one of our cooler areas.
There's are ‘R’ badges on the XKR’s seat trim, the
steering wheel hub and on the tachometer dial.
As always, this Jaguar is priced significantly below its chief
rivals from BMW, Mercedes and Porsche. The Jaguar XKR in coupe
format has a recommended retail price of just $227,900, with the
ask for the convertible being $22,000 higher.
Jaguar's new XKR is now on sale, but has been an open secret
for several months now. Advanced orders have been so strong that
if you order one tomorrow you may just miss out on delivery before
the end of the year, so jump onto that phone and talk to your
dealer asap.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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