Reading sports car specifications and
descriptions features can be entertaining but compared to driving, it's like
love letters versus being there. Which is why we looked forward to getting
behind the wheel of the 2010 Jaguar XKR Coupe.
We had already seen the new Jaguar
XKR Coupe at the Detroit Auto Show and reported the details. The body is
unchanged though a new front bumper/fascia give the 2010 XKR, along with the
Jaguar XK, a new face and, with LED taillights, the XKR and XK have a new look
from the rear as well. Both the XK and XKR have functional "cheek
scoops" that direct cooling air to the front disc brakes though only the
XKR have little hood vents that read "SUPERCHARGED", lest there be
any doubt. The two models can also be distinguished by the chromed lower grille
on the XKR--it's black on the Jaguar XK--and the small spoiler on the rear
decklid of the XKR.
The big change, however, is under the
hood. Both the 2010 Jaguar XK and XKR (available in coupe and convertible) have
a truly all-new V-8, the latter supercharged like its predecessor. These new
5.0-liter engines AJ-V8 Gen III direct injection engines, utilizing the same
new high-pressure die-cast aluminum block, are the first developed for joint
use by Jaguar and Land Rover (as in the 2010 Range Rover HSE we tested
recently). The new features are extensive, including a new supercharger for the
XKR and a new variable valve timing system using camshaft torque instead of oil
pressure for both engines. The new engine for the 2010 Jaguar XKR is rated at
510 horsepower, a huge increase over the 420 horses of its predecessor (as in
the 2009 Jaguar XKR Porfolio Coupe we tested).
To handle the added torque of the new
engines--461 lb-ft for the supercharged engine, the Jaguar XK and XKR a new,
stronger transmission with additional clutch plates and an uprated torque
converter. It shows up in the cockpit as the conventional automatic
transmission shifter being replaced by JaguarDrive Selector, the stubby
cylinder that rises from the center console. First seen in the Jaguar XF, the
driver rotates it to change between park, reverse, neutral and drive and to
select the manual mode to use the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
To sports car traditionalists,
JaguarDrive seems more heretical than a conventional automatic shift lever, but
once one accepts and automatic transmission and shifting manually via the
wheel-mounted shifters, it really doesn't matter. What matters is how quickly
and smoothly the gear changes come and how well.
It works very well in neutral. The
5.0-liter supercharged starts up with an appropriate roar. It's perhaps
orchestrated--in all senses of the word, as Jaguar has a tuned trumpet to
direct intake sounds to the passenger compartment under full throttle and
seemingly on startup.
Do we have to tell you that the 2010
Jaguar XKR is fast? Jaguar claims the XKR hits 60 from a dead stop in 4.6
seconds. That almost a half second faster than the 2009 XKR. It doesn't sound
like much but in car lengths it works out to, well, someone else do the math.
The difference is real and it keeps on going well past the mile per minute
mark.
The 2010 Jaguar XKR has a selection
of buttons around the JaguarDrive cylinder that limit various functions of
traction and stability control systems. Our experimentation proved that one can
leave parallel black stripes on the pavement, despite the wide and sticky rear
tires. One intriguing button is a checkered flag. Says the owner's manual:
"Setting enhances key vehicle systems so that the vehicle..." And
blah, blah, blah. What it comes down to is that the 2010 Jaguar XKR has so much
capability that one should approach its limits on the public road, particularly
with the electronic nannies given the afternoon off. Take the XKR to a track
day, if you must.
Of course, even in default mode, the
2010 Jaguar XKR has the ability and stability to be completely naughty, giving
drivers well deserved confidence. Not surprisingly, however, the ride is firm,
not to the point being harsh to enough so that passengers will comment.
The 2010 Jaguar XLR sport seats,
however, have an extra adjustability. The front seatback's bolsters can be set
narrower or wider to accommodate passengers who are, well, narrower or wider.
There's a back seat but he's mean one, Mr. Grinch, if he expects anyone larger
than Cindy Lou Who to ride in back. Jaguar is optimistic--or perhaps
realistic--with a warning label on the rear hatch warning against hitting the
head of a taller person sitting in the deeply pocketed back seat when closing
the hatch. Where, it's fair to ask, would the legs of anyone that tall fit to
begin with? And once there, how would said person get out?
The cargo cover of the trunk, which
has generous volume numbers, closes over a space that isn't very tall. Paper
grocery bags, for example, won't stand straight up. With the proper luggage,
however, the trunk is sufficient for long distance touring, unless of course,
Cindy Lou has unreasonable wardrobe requirements.
Fuel expectations, according to the
EPA, are 15 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. Perhaps the latter is accurate. We'll
never know. Combine our normal hilly test drive environs with what one might
consider enthusiastic driving--which one might consider how the enthusiast
owner might drive, including the exploitation of right foot activities combined
with gear ratios selected more for sonorific effect than fuel economy--and our
fuel consumption, according to the trip computer of our test 2010 Jaguar XKR,
came to 15.2 mpg. Some might, under the circumstances, consider that remarkable.
Some might consider the price
remarkable as well. Base price of the 2010 Jaguar XKR Coupe is $96,000. Jaguar
says the car is so well equipped that no options are available.
Still, that's the effect of driving
rather than sending love letters, that and the effect of being there, and the
delightful effect of using the 2010 Jaguar XKR in the way it was intended.
Illustration: 2010 Jaguar XKR. Photo
by John Matras.
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