Certain things in life are just meant to be discretely obsessed over. A fine piece of art. A wristwatch costing in the five-figure range. That college coed that moonlights at the local “Platinum” outlet nearby.
Jaguar is hoping for the same thing with its 2012 Jaguar XKR-S. Sleek, fast and purring, is it still capable of being brought home to mother? Read on, as we put this cat through its paces.
What is it?
A car intended to cause drooling by the bucket load, the XKR-S Coupe is based on Jaguar design director Ian Callum’s Jaguar XK and then some. Take an XKR model, which is already a bit of a looker, and tart it up even further by adding essence of porn star cues with a bit on an engine and exhaust tweak for an additional 40-some ponies and a top speed of 186 mph.
So visually alluring, you can’t stop staring. It’s the automotive equivalent of your girlfriend getting a tattoo that is just barely visible above the waistline of her low-cut jeans. Never mind about the tattoo artist who was paid to put it there.
What’s it up against?
The Jaguar XKR–S runs in some pretty rare company. Parked next to it in the valet lot, you might typically find a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, perhaps a Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG and a BMW M6. They are all pretty evenly matched price wise, with the exception of the M6, which is currently not in production, but most recently carried a base price of just over $100,000.
Performance-wise, the Jaguar leads the pack with its aforementioned 550 horsepower. Next in line are the SL 63 with 518 ponies, the M6 at 500 even, and the Porsche 911 GT3 RS with a still stout 450 horsepower.
Any breakthroughs?
Three words: Power, Performance, Porn star. Wait, sorry, that’s four. The XKR-S combines stellar looks and brutish engine for a rollicking good time. The 5.0-liter supercharged V8 from the little brother XKR, is remapped and mated to a new exhaust system, managing to squeeze out another 40 hp. Jaguar’s Active Differential Control helps to transmit the engine’s new found power to the rear axle.
A revised suspension has this Jag riding 0.4-inches lower and firmer for improved handling on the racetrack, where the company suspects many an owner will take this cat for an exercising. The included Trac DSC system has altered the XKR-S’s level of intervention with the safety nannies, allowing owners to get closer to the edge of the performance envelope before reigning them back in.
How does it look?
Starting with the basic profile of the XK Coupe, it’s clear that performance enhancements to the XKR-S do come with a price, styling wise. With the added stress on the drivetrain comes the need for additional cooling, and as a result this cat is festooned with a variety of scoops, intakes, splitters, diffusers and a big honking trunk-mounted wing to boot. Think of Gran Turismo 5 in real life, and you pretty much have it.
Along the way, there are other subtle changes that are noticeable. Among the more noticeable are the mesh performance grille signifying a different kind of cat, revised XKR–S badging, and a new chrome leaper (Jaguar profile logo) on the rear deck. Finally, a set of 20-inch, matte grey alloy wheels are shod in staggered-sized Pirelli P-Zero performance tires.
And on the inside?
The XKR-S’s interior gets on board with the rest of the Jaguar line. The large-ish central console with JaguarDrive Selector dial that rises up for the Jag “handshake” is here, as are controls for the Adaptive Dynamics Technology that adjust the ride continuously for optimal handling and performance. Heavily bolstered front seats hold occupants firmly in place and are covered in leather and carbon fabric. The leather is sublime, the carbon a bit of a throwback to the nines (as in 1999) and the days of the fast and the furious. The leather-wrapped steering wheel and the seats are now heated. The ventilated feature as seen in the XKR has been deleted. That’s fine for those up north, but a glaring omission for drivers south of the border (as in the Mason-Dixon line), especially at this price point.
Electronically, the Jaguar line has never been better. All interior functions, from the seven-inch touch screen monitor that interfaces the driver with the Bluetooth, Audio, Navigation, Climate and Vehicle settings, to the 525-watt Bowers and Wilkins sound system, were within easy reach and offered minimal distraction while underway.
There is a back seat, but suffice it to say, it is largely uninhabitable by most of this planet’s (adult) population.
But does it go?
Oh hell yeah! Zero to 60 in 4.2 seconds. 186 mph at the high side. What’s not to like?
The red starter button pulses like a heartbeat, inviting you, as Dr. Frankenstein did in legend, to bring this living, breathing thing to life. Based on the 5.0-liter AJ-V8 engine as seen in the regular XK, this cat’s mill is constructed by high-grade aluminum, huffed (supercharged), direct injected, and fitted with a pair of variable timing camshafts. And, in a nod to environmental responsibilities, the cylinder heads are made of recycled aluminum. Very sporting, indeed. With a curb weight of 3,968 lbs., Jaguar claims mileage in the range of 15/22 mpg.
Power gets to the driveline by a modified ZF six-speed automatic gearbox that has undergone an internal seeing-to in order to handle the jump in power, torque and top speed. Gear changes occur by way of the steering wheel-mounted paddle shift levers. While exiting a sweeping right-hander, the ADC, in combination with the XKR-S’s ABS and dynamic stability control sent an increased amount of torque to the inside wheel causing it to turn in faster. Yes, we felt it. At least we think we did.
Standing on the throttle causes a specially designed pneumatic valve and X-pipe active exhaust to produce an otherworldly roar. There’s nothing like the sound of a supercharged V8 blowing carbon molecules out at full velocity. Acceleration comes on like a foot to the chest at Madame Dominique’s House of Pain. Steering effort disappears as speed rolls on, and this Jaguar’s Adaptive Damping controls take charge to minimize body roll and monitor ride conditions instantaneously. Jaguar claims the system monitors ride conditions up to 500 times a second. There’s no way we can know for sure, but it did seem to put the car in a place of comfort and sporting ability at the same time.
For a day of total abandon, the Trac DSC and DSC off switch can be engaged so that the XKR-S is totally in its driver’s control. Driver beware.
Why you would buy it:
Because you like a lot of curry and other spices with your cat.
Why you wouldn’t:
Because your tastes are more Teutonic.
Leftlane’s bottom line
Tata Motors’ Jaguar unit continues to provide variations on a theme with the latest version of the XK.
The 2012 XKR-S improves on the XKR model in almost every aspect and still manages to come in thousands less than its direct competitors. If this is the direction Jaguar is set to move in, consider us impressed.
2012 Jaguar XKR-S Coupe base price, $132,000. As tested, $132,875.
Destination, $875.
Words and photos by Mark Elias.
Review: 2012 Jaguar XKR-S Coupe
Reviewed by
Mark Elias on
November 23
.
Jaguar’s highest-performing sports car ever offers a glimpse into this brand’s sporting future.
Certain things in life are just meant to be discretely obsessed over. A fine piece of art. A wristwatch costing in the five-figure range. That college coed that moonlights at the local “Platinum” outlet nearby.
Jaguar is hoping for the same thing with its 2012 Jaguar XKR-S. Sleek, fast and purring, is it still capable of being brought home to mother? Read on, as we put this cat through its paces.
What is it?
A car intended to cause drooling by the bucket load, the XKR-S Coupe is based on Jaguar design director Ian Callum’s Jaguar XK and then some. Take an XKR model, which is already a bit of a looker, and tart it up even further by adding essence of porn star cues with a bit on an engine and exhaust tweak for an additional 40-some ponies and a top speed of 186 mph.
So visually alluring, you can’t stop staring. It’s the automotive equivalent of your girlfriend getting a tattoo that is just barely visible above the waistline of her low-cut jeans. Never mind about the tattoo artist who was paid to put it there.
What’s it up against?
The Jaguar XKR–S runs in some pretty rare company. Parked next to it in the valet lot, you might typically find a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, perhaps a Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG and a BMW M6. They are all pretty evenly matched price wise, with the exception of the M6, which is currently not in production, but most recently carried a base price of just over $100,000.
Performance-wise, the Jaguar leads the pack with its aforementioned 550 horsepower. Next in line are the SL 63 with 518 ponies, the M6 at 500 even, and the Porsche 911 GT3 RS with a still stout 450 horsepower.
Any breakthroughs?
Three words: Power, Performance, Porn star. Wait, sorry, that’s four. The XKR-S combines stellar looks and brutish engine for a rollicking good time. The 5.0-liter supercharged V8 from the little brother XKR, is remapped and mated to a new exhaust system, managing to squeeze out another 40 hp. Jaguar’s Active Differential Control helps to transmit the engine’s new found power to the rear axle.
A revised suspension has this Jag riding 0.4-inches lower and firmer for improved handling on the racetrack, where the company suspects many an owner will take this cat for an exercising. The included Trac DSC system has altered the XKR-S’s level of intervention with the safety nannies, allowing owners to get closer to the edge of the performance envelope before reigning them back in.
How does it look?
Starting with the basic profile of the XK Coupe, it’s clear that performance enhancements to the XKR-S do come with a price, styling wise. With the added stress on the drivetrain comes the need for additional cooling, and as a result this cat is festooned with a variety of scoops, intakes, splitters, diffusers and a big honking trunk-mounted wing to boot. Think of Gran Turismo 5 in real life, and you pretty much have it.
Along the way, there are other subtle changes that are noticeable. Among the more noticeable are the mesh performance grille signifying a different kind of cat, revised XKR–S badging, and a new chrome leaper (Jaguar profile logo) on the rear deck. Finally, a set of 20-inch, matte grey alloy wheels are shod in staggered-sized Pirelli P-Zero performance tires.
And on the inside?
The XKR-S’s interior gets on board with the rest of the Jaguar line. The large-ish central console with JaguarDrive Selector dial that rises up for the Jag “handshake” is here, as are controls for the Adaptive Dynamics Technology that adjust the ride continuously for optimal handling and performance. Heavily bolstered front seats hold occupants firmly in place and are covered in leather and carbon fabric. The leather is sublime, the carbon a bit of a throwback to the nines (as in 1999) and the days of the fast and the furious. The leather-wrapped steering wheel and the seats are now heated. The ventilated feature as seen in the XKR has been deleted. That’s fine for those up north, but a glaring omission for drivers south of the border (as in the Mason-Dixon line), especially at this price point.
Electronically, the Jaguar line has never been better. All interior functions, from the seven-inch touch screen monitor that interfaces the driver with the Bluetooth, Audio, Navigation, Climate and Vehicle settings, to the 525-watt Bowers and Wilkins sound system, were within easy reach and offered minimal distraction while underway.
There is a back seat, but suffice it to say, it is largely uninhabitable by most of this planet’s (adult) population.
But does it go?
Oh hell yeah! Zero to 60 in 4.2 seconds. 186 mph at the high side. What’s not to like?
The red starter button pulses like a heartbeat, inviting you, as Dr. Frankenstein did in legend, to bring this living, breathing thing to life. Based on the 5.0-liter AJ-V8 engine as seen in the regular XK, this cat’s mill is constructed by high-grade aluminum, huffed (supercharged), direct injected, and fitted with a pair of variable timing camshafts. And, in a nod to environmental responsibilities, the cylinder heads are made of recycled aluminum. Very sporting, indeed. With a curb weight of 3,968 lbs., Jaguar claims mileage in the range of 15/22 mpg.
Power gets to the driveline by a modified ZF six-speed automatic gearbox that has undergone an internal seeing-to in order to handle the jump in power, torque and top speed. Gear changes occur by way of the steering wheel-mounted paddle shift levers. While exiting a sweeping right-hander, the ADC, in combination with the XKR-S’s ABS and dynamic stability control sent an increased amount of torque to the inside wheel causing it to turn in faster. Yes, we felt it. At least we think we did.
Standing on the throttle causes a specially designed pneumatic valve and X-pipe active exhaust to produce an otherworldly roar. There’s nothing like the sound of a supercharged V8 blowing carbon molecules out at full velocity. Acceleration comes on like a foot to the chest at Madame Dominique’s House of Pain. Steering effort disappears as speed rolls on, and this Jaguar’s Adaptive Damping controls take charge to minimize body roll and monitor ride conditions instantaneously. Jaguar claims the system monitors ride conditions up to 500 times a second. There’s no way we can know for sure, but it did seem to put the car in a place of comfort and sporting ability at the same time.
For a day of total abandon, the Trac DSC and DSC off switch can be engaged so that the XKR-S is totally in its driver’s control. Driver beware.
Why you would buy it:
Because you like a lot of curry and other spices with your cat.
Why you wouldn’t:
Because your tastes are more Teutonic.
Leftlane’s bottom line
Tata Motors’ Jaguar unit continues to provide variations on a theme with the latest version of the XK.
The 2012 XKR-S improves on the XKR model in almost every aspect and still manages to come in thousands less than its direct competitors. If this is the direction Jaguar is set to move in, consider us impressed.
2012 Jaguar XKR-S Coupe base price, $132,000. As tested, $132,875.
Destination, $875.
Words and photos by Mark Elias.
Rating:
