Proud owner of "new" 2005 XKR-S...

[blackflash]

I have been a happy and proud XJR (X308) owner for last six years but had taken that car from 70k to 130k miles... so when I knew I was starting my new job in Jan 2012 and found out I was to receive a car allowance rather than a company car I looked atJaguars before anything else. And to supercharged Jaguars of course.

My X308 has been sold swiftly and at full asking price to a Dutch enthusiast courtesy of our friends at AutoTrader.

I have entered the details of my stunning 2005 XKR-S into the XK8 register but can't see it there yet...

As one of the last XKR-S's off the line, the car has more toys than Santa's sack at Christmas and is a wonderful driving experience.

NB

[drb100]

Hi, I hope you are enjoying your new car (and job). The car sounds a bit special. I had an XKR convertible until last year, earlier than yours, but nice.

David

[blackflash]

I wasn't so sure at first that it was worth the extra £scary I paid over my '98 XJR saloon. The latter was getting tired but still drove smoothly and quietly, whereas the XKR is noisier and harsher but feels tighter all round.

Over one month in and I'm a happy bunny. No it's not as chilling as the XJR was on the 180 mile run from Leics to the Lakes but it loves to be driven. The seats provide great support, the six-speed box is a joy and I don't care what the number say, the car feels a damned sight more than 0.1 seconds faster than the saloon! Overtaking feels even safer and you know you have the brakes etc to go with the performance. Everything seems to have been sorted on these end-of-line models.

I have a few extra toys to play with, some of which I love and others I'm not so sure about. The Alpine premium sound system is probably not as good as the H-K kit on my XJR but the wind and road noise might be at play here too. I'm still not sure I like the xenons as much as my super-bright Philips bulbs on the XJR, and of course they're self-adjusting so I can't tweak them if they dazzle people - and I have been flashed a few times.

On the plus side, the reversing aid is great, heated seats a bonus in recent days, auto-wipers took a bit of getting used to but now feel like magic fairy dust (how do they do that?). The satnav feels extremely dated and it's much easier to stick my route info in on my iPhone TomTom app and use that. Probably the only thing I would change on the car is to drop the satnav and have the more aesthetically pleasing three centre dials.

Oh, and finally, it cost me around £35 to get the number plate dropped so the whole of the mesh grille is visible; a mod that many owners have done and which is worth every penny. It gives the car the presence you see in the XKR-S brochures and in which of course the cars have no number plates.

Hope this reassures other owners or encourages potential ones!

NB

[mike020150]

Hi blackflash,
Glad you're enjoying your XKR. They provide excellent fun when you're in the mood and still have that Jaguar serenity when you need cosseting. Have you checked that the headlight self levelling is working? Point the car at a wall and turn on the headlights. You should see the beams move as part of their test procedure. If not, it's possible they have a problem which could be keeping the beam raised and causing other motorists to flash you. Mike.

[blackflash]

Thanks Mike. Every time the headlights come on they rise like someone slowly opening their eyes... I presume this is what you mean.

I've only had a few flashes. I know I get blinded myself by other with (probably well adjusted) xenons, though usually it is the higher set vehicles like 4x4s which are the culprits. When it gets its next service I'll get the alignment checked.

All the best,

Nigel

[aaj]

Blackflash (Nigel)

The Register has been updated. As promised, I've altered your entry for Model to XKR 4.2-S

Note to other XKR 4.2-S & XK8 4.2-S owners
Over the next few days I'll go through & update Model entry for your XK's. If I miss your XK (I don't have the actual VIN of the 1st XKR/8 4.2-s) please either update yourselves or advise me & I'll attend to it.

Regards

Allan Jones

[Montana5]

Hi Nigel and welcome, hope you have many a happy day with the new XKR.

Have to say you got my hopes up a little there, a 2005 possibly affordable XKR-S...yummy, is this a secret prototype Jaguar brought out a few years ago, possibly a delayed project, then I realised sadly no...keep on dreaming kid, not to take anything away from your XKR Nigel, its an awesome machine, just like my own STR but I do love the Burble and Exhaust sound of both the the new 5.0 XKR-S convertible and the slightly cheaper... just under £100,000 as opposed to £109,000 Tin Top
Unfortunately it might well be a few years before I could afford either one.


Perhaps mods could change the title of this thread to save any further confusion or excitement

[blackflash]

Montana5: the clue's in the quotation marks and the year! Seriously, I am a happy bunny with the looks and performance of my "old" XKR. Whilst I'm sure the burble of the 5.0 is gorgeous, and I like the idea of a supercharged 5.0, I wouldn't dream of parting with my imaginary £100k on a new XKR-S - horrible styling, far too "bling" for my tastes. I can imagine one day buying my way into 5.0 XKR land but I think the new (post'05) model's appeal is very dependent on colour scheme so I'll be fussy... But don't let me stop you from dreaming!

Nigel

[blackflash]

Allan, many thanks. A great example of customer service and responsiveness. You're in my will!

Nigel

[aaj]

Nigel

I hope it's for the XKR 4.2-S!

Allan