Palmball
New Member
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- 268
.......remember, one wasn't enough for Prescot!
Hi everyone!
Well, after a very short time in the M3, my ownership of that came to an abrupt and early end after......mmm, lets just say a change in circumstances! As I met a few of you back in the summer, I thought I'd now update my latest car ownership exploits from the art few weeks where I've bought not one, but TWO Jags! Not any old Jag but a pretty decent XFR where I bought a 1-year old example and enjoyed it for.....mmm, ahem, cough.....6 weeks! Oddly enough, it was actually one of the most impressive car's I've owned so why did it last less time than anything else I've had?
Well, partly because I'm an utter nutbox! And partly because I bought the wrong Jag and was shown the error of my ways shortly after buying it! Here's what happened......
I dragged myself to my local Jag dealer for an XF owners event one evening about 2 weeks after buying the XFR. At this evening, as I mingled with all the oldies, supped the free wine and ate my fair share of the buffet, I was given a raffle ticket and didn't think anymore of it. That was until the end of the evening when, for the first time in my life, I won (out of about 100 or so people there that night)! And I won BIG....expecting to get a keyring, bottle of plonk or at best a free service, I was surprised to find I'd won an XKR! Not a model one but a full-size REAL one.
For the weekend!
I'll admit that at first I wasn't that excited because I'd looked at XKR's before and was put off by the atrocious seats in them. They're so bad that I'd never even bothered to drive one, a decision I now deem as short-sighted. I was extremely surprised when the car I was given was a brand new 2012 XKR that had the sports seats fitted from the new XKR-S and I've got to say that these, along with all the other enhancements on the facelift model, transform the car.
It felt much lighter and more responsive than most cars I've recently had and was the only car that could really match the M3 dynamically. But there was so much more....it looked sensational, was extremely well made and luxurious, went like stink (I mean i911 Turbo quick!).....all in all, a great GT and sports car combination. I was absolutely won over and after some serious negotiation on a new example (serious enough to get a massive 20% discount!!) I found myself picking this up last week.....
Mid-corner bumps....
Chassis
I thought I'd start on my 'first-impressions-after-one-week' by commenting on this cars most impressive dynamic feature.
You know the scenario....you're going round a bend fast, the car is under load and you hit a deeply sunken grid half way round. What's then always happened in my experience was dependent on the car I was driving.....the 911 Turbo was the best with a steering column that would largely absorb the bump, my C63 AMG would have you chasing the steering wheel around the cabin and everything else was in between. However, even in the Porsche, you'd feel a shudder, a vibration, some kind of movement through the column which would give you reason to very slightly grit your teeth.
Even the standard XKR that wowed me a few weeks ago had a little of that trait but was tight enough for it to still feel extremely robust in this situation - it was at the very least as good as the Porsche in that respect.
But, and you know where is going don't you....my XKR doesn't. The first time I went over such a grid in it (on a road I know very well so thought I knew what to expect), and found that the car didn't flinch, the steering wheel remained where I pointed it and the column was rock solid, I got so excited I nearly punched my other half sat next to me! I've never felt a structure so stiff and so capable of dealing with 'our' type of roads so well.
The reason for the difference between the two XKR's is that mine has the optional 'dynamic pack' .....an option that I was a bit nervous about. The 'dynamic pack' is essentially the XKR-S chassis and as I drove it away from the dealer for the first time, I did notice that it's extremely stiff....for a Jaguar. It's firmer than the normal XKR but, it's not even the teeniest little bit uncomfortable...indeed, the car still has a little bit of roll but you'd only notice this against a really hardcore sports car like a 911 or GT-R, both of which the Jag comfortably outrides despite the firmer set-up. It's got a lovely rolling gait on the motorway where it settles down nicely and it's impressive on those roads where the edges have started to fall away and disintegrate - it soaks them up and keeps tyre in contact with the surface really well.
The car behaves like it has a properly developed and expensive suspension set-up which isn't surprising because the suspension is pretty 'trick'.....over a normal XKR chassis, this car has forged suspension uprights, forged aluminium steering knuckles and it's even got proper Bilstein dampers which is unusual in a factory-spec car....
I'm in no doubt that all these features add up to that incredible 'mid-corner bump' experience - the quality of damping, body control and sheer solidity as it goes over any surface is outrageously good.
Sound
I may as well move on to what is going to be a very controversial comment and say this car is one of the best sounding I've had. Yep, thats even better than my C63 AMG and right up there with the GT-S, both of which I held in high regard for their aural quality!
The car has a factory-fit optional sports exhaust (again, exactly as fitted to the XKR-S....indeed, this car is largely an XKR-S but with 40hp less, no carbon bodykit and £10K cheaper) and whilst not as loud as the GT-S or AMG, when you're driving it does sound like God gargling (I think), it's pops on the overrun and it just begs you to rev harder
Performance
The speed and power delivery is incredible.....the 510hp Supercharged V8 was good in the 1.9-ton XFR but in the much lighter aluminium bodied XKR, it's ballistic. Power is instant and builds nicely, it feels very fast and is the only car that I've experienced other than the 911 Turbo, GT-R and to a degree, BMW M6 that gives you a proper relentless push-in-the-back feel.
Indeed, anymore power and I'd probably be in trouble because after 2 days, I nearly ended up in a canal! Accelerating on a slightly damp surface with about half throttle and going through just 3.5k rpm, the backend nearly overtook the front and pointed me slightly towards the barrier of the canal bridge I was going over. Thank the Lord above for stability control which again, on this dynamic pack version is a lot looser and probably shows how much I can rely on it.
Looks
Not much to say here as you can make your own mind up from the pictures but, with the 'speed pack' fitted (which gives it the bodykit and rear diffuser) and the stance afforded by the slightly lowered suspension, I think it looks great.
I've never known a car that has such an aggressive wheel offset - they're 11" wide and they sit so well in the arches. Look at these angles to see what I'm talking about...
Interior
Most of the interior is covered in either leather or alcantara (the headlining is particularly plush), the trim is aluminium and piano black and it's properly solid....when you push on the panels theres no give, no creaking and it's so tight on the move.
The detailing is lovely too....all the buttons on the dash have a nice soft rubber feel and even the seat adjusters look special with their chrome and piano black detailing.....
It's got a great driving position with the most adjustable seats I've ever experienced (along with my XFR which had the same)....for instance, very few cars allow the entire seat bases to move up, down, forward and back independently of the backrest. It's not so great in the back though....
Finally, it's a great place to sit on the motorway - good job, as thats where it'll spend most of it's time (and one of the main reasons why, to-date, I have dismissed the GT-R which has a ride thats just too busy for my liking as a daily drive). It also has the best factory-fit stereo I've heard.....the B&W stereos in these new Jags are a masterclass for how car audio should sound.
So, I can honestly say that I reckon it's the best thing I've driven and would even seriously question whether I currently hanker after cars that are out of my reach (such as the SLS AMG, which is my current favourite 'too-expensive-to-buy----but-could-do-one-day' car).
I've certainly never had a car before where I don't dislike a single thing....not one thing!
Hi everyone!
Well, after a very short time in the M3, my ownership of that came to an abrupt and early end after......mmm, lets just say a change in circumstances! As I met a few of you back in the summer, I thought I'd now update my latest car ownership exploits from the art few weeks where I've bought not one, but TWO Jags! Not any old Jag but a pretty decent XFR where I bought a 1-year old example and enjoyed it for.....mmm, ahem, cough.....6 weeks! Oddly enough, it was actually one of the most impressive car's I've owned so why did it last less time than anything else I've had?
Well, partly because I'm an utter nutbox! And partly because I bought the wrong Jag and was shown the error of my ways shortly after buying it! Here's what happened......
I dragged myself to my local Jag dealer for an XF owners event one evening about 2 weeks after buying the XFR. At this evening, as I mingled with all the oldies, supped the free wine and ate my fair share of the buffet, I was given a raffle ticket and didn't think anymore of it. That was until the end of the evening when, for the first time in my life, I won (out of about 100 or so people there that night)! And I won BIG....expecting to get a keyring, bottle of plonk or at best a free service, I was surprised to find I'd won an XKR! Not a model one but a full-size REAL one.
For the weekend!
I'll admit that at first I wasn't that excited because I'd looked at XKR's before and was put off by the atrocious seats in them. They're so bad that I'd never even bothered to drive one, a decision I now deem as short-sighted. I was extremely surprised when the car I was given was a brand new 2012 XKR that had the sports seats fitted from the new XKR-S and I've got to say that these, along with all the other enhancements on the facelift model, transform the car.
It felt much lighter and more responsive than most cars I've recently had and was the only car that could really match the M3 dynamically. But there was so much more....it looked sensational, was extremely well made and luxurious, went like stink (I mean i911 Turbo quick!).....all in all, a great GT and sports car combination. I was absolutely won over and after some serious negotiation on a new example (serious enough to get a massive 20% discount!!) I found myself picking this up last week.....
Mid-corner bumps....
Chassis
I thought I'd start on my 'first-impressions-after-one-week' by commenting on this cars most impressive dynamic feature.
You know the scenario....you're going round a bend fast, the car is under load and you hit a deeply sunken grid half way round. What's then always happened in my experience was dependent on the car I was driving.....the 911 Turbo was the best with a steering column that would largely absorb the bump, my C63 AMG would have you chasing the steering wheel around the cabin and everything else was in between. However, even in the Porsche, you'd feel a shudder, a vibration, some kind of movement through the column which would give you reason to very slightly grit your teeth.
Even the standard XKR that wowed me a few weeks ago had a little of that trait but was tight enough for it to still feel extremely robust in this situation - it was at the very least as good as the Porsche in that respect.
But, and you know where is going don't you....my XKR doesn't. The first time I went over such a grid in it (on a road I know very well so thought I knew what to expect), and found that the car didn't flinch, the steering wheel remained where I pointed it and the column was rock solid, I got so excited I nearly punched my other half sat next to me! I've never felt a structure so stiff and so capable of dealing with 'our' type of roads so well.
The reason for the difference between the two XKR's is that mine has the optional 'dynamic pack' .....an option that I was a bit nervous about. The 'dynamic pack' is essentially the XKR-S chassis and as I drove it away from the dealer for the first time, I did notice that it's extremely stiff....for a Jaguar. It's firmer than the normal XKR but, it's not even the teeniest little bit uncomfortable...indeed, the car still has a little bit of roll but you'd only notice this against a really hardcore sports car like a 911 or GT-R, both of which the Jag comfortably outrides despite the firmer set-up. It's got a lovely rolling gait on the motorway where it settles down nicely and it's impressive on those roads where the edges have started to fall away and disintegrate - it soaks them up and keeps tyre in contact with the surface really well.
The car behaves like it has a properly developed and expensive suspension set-up which isn't surprising because the suspension is pretty 'trick'.....over a normal XKR chassis, this car has forged suspension uprights, forged aluminium steering knuckles and it's even got proper Bilstein dampers which is unusual in a factory-spec car....
I'm in no doubt that all these features add up to that incredible 'mid-corner bump' experience - the quality of damping, body control and sheer solidity as it goes over any surface is outrageously good.
Sound
I may as well move on to what is going to be a very controversial comment and say this car is one of the best sounding I've had. Yep, thats even better than my C63 AMG and right up there with the GT-S, both of which I held in high regard for their aural quality!
The car has a factory-fit optional sports exhaust (again, exactly as fitted to the XKR-S....indeed, this car is largely an XKR-S but with 40hp less, no carbon bodykit and £10K cheaper) and whilst not as loud as the GT-S or AMG, when you're driving it does sound like God gargling (I think), it's pops on the overrun and it just begs you to rev harder
Performance
The speed and power delivery is incredible.....the 510hp Supercharged V8 was good in the 1.9-ton XFR but in the much lighter aluminium bodied XKR, it's ballistic. Power is instant and builds nicely, it feels very fast and is the only car that I've experienced other than the 911 Turbo, GT-R and to a degree, BMW M6 that gives you a proper relentless push-in-the-back feel.
Indeed, anymore power and I'd probably be in trouble because after 2 days, I nearly ended up in a canal! Accelerating on a slightly damp surface with about half throttle and going through just 3.5k rpm, the backend nearly overtook the front and pointed me slightly towards the barrier of the canal bridge I was going over. Thank the Lord above for stability control which again, on this dynamic pack version is a lot looser and probably shows how much I can rely on it.
Looks
Not much to say here as you can make your own mind up from the pictures but, with the 'speed pack' fitted (which gives it the bodykit and rear diffuser) and the stance afforded by the slightly lowered suspension, I think it looks great.
I've never known a car that has such an aggressive wheel offset - they're 11" wide and they sit so well in the arches. Look at these angles to see what I'm talking about...
Interior
Most of the interior is covered in either leather or alcantara (the headlining is particularly plush), the trim is aluminium and piano black and it's properly solid....when you push on the panels theres no give, no creaking and it's so tight on the move.
The detailing is lovely too....all the buttons on the dash have a nice soft rubber feel and even the seat adjusters look special with their chrome and piano black detailing.....
It's got a great driving position with the most adjustable seats I've ever experienced (along with my XFR which had the same)....for instance, very few cars allow the entire seat bases to move up, down, forward and back independently of the backrest. It's not so great in the back though....
Finally, it's a great place to sit on the motorway - good job, as thats where it'll spend most of it's time (and one of the main reasons why, to-date, I have dismissed the GT-R which has a ride thats just too busy for my liking as a daily drive). It also has the best factory-fit stereo I've heard.....the B&W stereos in these new Jags are a masterclass for how car audio should sound.
So, I can honestly say that I reckon it's the best thing I've driven and would even seriously question whether I currently hanker after cars that are out of my reach (such as the SLS AMG, which is my current favourite 'too-expensive-to-buy----but-could-do-one-day' car).
I've certainly never had a car before where I don't dislike a single thing....not one thing!
