2007 Jaguar XKR
A beautiful car, like a beautiful woman, can lead you to some bad decisions. With its $90,000 sports car, the Jaguar XKR is out of the league of everyone but dotcom millionaires. But if you are foolhardy enough to test drive this baby, you might get caught up its spell. Next thing you know, you're doing math equations you really shouldn't... 30 yrs at 8 % interest equals just how much???
There are few cars that really qualify as rolling works or art. The XKR is near the top of that very short list. Photos do not do this car justice -- you need to spend some serious time soaking it in from every angle. This Jag looks as though it is about to pounce even when standing still. The graceful sweeping rear fenders morph into a rounded tail that is perfectly weighted to a sleek aerodynamic front quarter. Straight on from the front, the XKR looks aggressive with its elliptically shaped crosshatched grill and lower faring. Beautiful 20-inch aluminum wheels seem to be there only to frame the giant stark red brake calipers, which incidentally stop this supercar on a dime. The side mounted air intake vents nicely accent the subtle supercharged stamped hood scoops and let you know that this is no ordinary GT.
Jaguar needed to drop some serious ponies under the hood if they were to compete with the other GTs in this price range, notably the Porsche Carrera S and the BMW M6. Those two cars are arguably more track ready, but after all, that is not the Jaguar's real mission, and it acquits itself on track very well, thank you. This is a gentlemen's GT, built as much for comfort as performance. Considering most people will never drive their car on anything more aggressive than a back-country road, it is easy to argue that this is the way it should be anyway. We took the XKR on a long road trip that consisted of everything from city driving to expressways to rural switchbacks, and the cat was equally comfortable in each situation. The 420-horsepower 4.2 liter supercharged V8 is incredibly cordial during mellow driving. Step heavy, however, and the Jag roars to life. It scoots from a standstill to 60 mph in about 4.5 seconds and burns through the quarter mile in 13 seconds at a tick under 110 mph. Yet the car is so refined, that pace does not feel that overwhelmingly fast.
The interior is simple and elegant, built with the finest materials and craftsmanship. Firm, supportive front seats are equally sporty and comfortable for long hauls. The rear jump seats are only there to haul a bag of groceries or two. The brushed aluminum trim accents beautifully the wood and leather surroundings. About the only complaint we had was the less then inspiring temperature control cluster that looked like it came out of Ford's entry-level parts bin, not Jaguar. All in all this is a rare car, one that makes teenage boys daydream and makes adults wish they had a trust fund. If you are of the means, this car deserves serious consideration; if not you may want to break out your mortgage calculator.
--Chad Doering
