I'm like you. I like the holes. And I don't like people obscuring their holes, even if it's only covered with mesh.

 

On thing that bugs the hell out of me is when overtaking, the occasional aggressive jerk that speeds up to match you or even lock you out of the lane. This is never a problem in a R, pretty much regardless of what car they're driving. By the time they've noticed you're pulling out, no matter how much they put their foot down, they can be little more than a dot in your rear-view. The best thing is that it feels effortless and all the while you retain complete composure in sublime comfort, meanwhile they look like they've been trying.

YES! Priceless! DaleD

 

nobody ever make me drive their xkr, promise me, ok?

 

If money is not an issue, get the "R" for sure. I was on a budget when I purchased my '03 in late 2007 used with 80K miles on it. My non-negotiable criteria was '03 or later for reliability, had to be coupe for styling, body and interior in excellent shape, and no more than $20K. This ruled out an "R" as they were averaging around $30K at the time and it was rare to find one with high mileage. I am very happy with my 4.2 N/A and enjoy the pull and control when I kick it down in a corner but on a straightaway all alone or with a competitor car inviting a little competition, I'd love to have the super charger.
An earlier poster mentioned nitrous for just these situations. What does a nitrous rig cost - parts and labor?
How bad is it for the engine if used very infrequently? Because the NEED for a supercharger or Nitrous is VERY infrequent with this car.

 

I've actually been looking online for nitrous systems, just to see how they work and stuff. A simple "dry" system is about $300. I don't know about installation costs. I'd do it myself if I did it. It says it should increase power by 15 to 35 HP. A "wet" system, which injects both fuel and nitrous into the throttle body, runs from $500 to $900. The can deliver a lot more HP, anywhere from 50 to 400, but You'd obviously have some reliability problems with the upper ranges. I'd guess the 4.2 N/A could easily handle the 35 extra HP, but I'd start to get worried going higher than 50 or so.

By the way, a dry system needs to inject the nitrous before the MAF. The nitrous only works with extra fuel, and if you inject it before the MAF, the MAF sees the colder, denser air and compensates by putting more fuel into the engine.

Here's a link to the simple dry system I was considering:

http://www.compperformancegroupstore...de=KitsFuelDry

 

I'd think a dry system for an extra 35hp or so would be OK, it seems the AJ- engines are tough old birds, but I'd be concerned about fitting any higher power nitrous to an XK8.
There's probably a good reason why Jaguar decided the R needed an uprated gearbox and to drop the variable valve timing.
I'm also guessing for the same power increase, the kick of a nitrous shot would be more stressful to the engine/drivetrain than the more even pull from a supercharger.

 

Well, I'm going to get flamed for this I'm sure but here's my two cents anyway. I drive my XK8 for the class and the comfort. It has a rubbery frame designed 30 years ago and I personally find the chassis to be unable to handle the power in a comfortable manner. My subaru wagon for instance while still bit on the flexy side for me, has a much better chassis for such things. Right out of the box it's some 450lbs lighter than the XK with a stiffer chassis. Additionally it is signifigantly more agile and thanks to a fantastic AWD system will eat the XKR in a drag race. Again I drive the Jag lightly for a comfortable classy ride. So the extra power is meaningless for me, the suby supplies the thrust when I'm so inclined. Although these days I find no desperate need to go gallivanting around at high speed anyway. I also find some of the "upgrades" to the XKR visually offensive. The hood louvers for instance that are not in any way molded into the hood. They look somewhat "pep boys" to me. I am not a big fan of the mesh grill either, it looks ricey to me with a hint of fishmouth. The lip on the trunk is stuck on to that beautiful curvaceous sheet metal spoiling (no pun intended) that beautiful rounded rear and I am no fan of the wheels either.

All that said, these are my OPINIONS which are my own, feel free to disagree but there's no need to get all punchy about them, and feel a desperate need to "defend" your opinion. I'm not attacking anyone else's point of view just offering my opinion.

 

Hey Squirrel,

Much of what you said is true. These cars, either in XK8 or even XKR form were not really serious hot-rods due mostly to the massive weight for their size (come on now--a 2-seater that weighs in at almost 4,000 pounds?). However, they are very elegant and classy looking grand tourers.

In terms of appearance differences, I have to agree that the one thing I did not particularly like about the XKR versus the XK8 were the mesh grills, particularly in the later generation models where the grill was mounted flush in the front. It does sort of have a "tacked-on" look. On the other hand, I love the louvers as they are reminiscent of the XKE and truly unique compared with other vehicles.

I have mixed feelings about my 20" wheels. This is the one thing that probably gets more "looks" than anything else on the car but I think they are a tad too big. But I understand this is the size that was needed in order to accommodate the Brembo brakes.

Doug

 

Kind of depressing isn't it... The cars stylists cashed checks it's engineers couldn't handle. And boy did those stylists cash a LOT of checks 'cause I haven't seen a car aside from maybe a viper that looked as good standing still. Good thing too, I think the Jag might actually be more temperamental than my wife, maybe. If it weren't for those good looks I just don't know.....

Oh damn I forget to mention the brakes, those things are fantastic! You can never, ever go wrong with more in the braking department!

 

Just another $0.02 about the styling. In my opinion, if you consider the universe of cars out there (omitting the ultra-expensive and ultra-exotic ones), the XK8/XKR is the second most remarkably styled perfect looking vehicle ever--second only to the XKE.

Doug

 

"On the other hand, I love the louvers as they are reminiscent of the XKE and truly unique compared with other vehicles."


AND they are certainly not useless or non-functional! They let the delicious sound of the supercharger out into the open for all to hear! DaleD

 

You made a lot of radical statements in this and your earlier post that had me thinking for just a moment, but it seems you're trolling. Your posts lost all credability the moment you said that a viper is a good looking car.

As far as I'm concerned the only down side of the Jag engineering is some reliability issues. other than that, I think it 'cashes all the checks' just fine.

PS. if you ever want to test your ridiculous statement of a subaru beating an XKR in a drag I'll be happy to take you up on that if you're ever in Phoenix. As many have pointed out the XKR is intended to be a GT car, it is not intended to be an out-and-out sports car, however my girlfriends mum also has a subaru, I've driven it several times. My XKR would eat it alive, easily. I can't imagine what you're thinking unless you've never actually driven an XKR or have nitro'd your subaru.

 

I agree with everyone about the styling, but the rush of power when I stomp on my XKR is exhilarating, to say the least. I notice that people who drive more mundane transport (such as Camaro owners and Charger owners) tend to pull up from behind to aggressively pass the Jag as I'm driving on the roadway. I take it as a kind of self-immolation due to the fact that their rides are so commonplace, and maybe it's a natural desire to be punished by challenging what is obviously a superior vehicle. I am usually able to control my right foot and let them go, believing that they've bested the Jag by merely getting in front of it, but the point is that the Jaguar's mere presence on the road seems to bring out the aggressiveness in men and women drivers of all ages. I'm just sayin'........

 

Agreed. It is hard to beat the original

 

My son has a Subaru Impreza with the turbocharger. I don't know what the quarter mile times actually are, but he claims its about a second slower than my XKR and he's got it modified with oversize exhaust and performance chip. The Quarter mile time for the 4.0 XKR is 13.5 consistently in the road test most of the press.
Doug
2001 XKR Silverstone

 

The new XKR's have a 510 horsepower 5 liter. I'd love to see the Subaru go up against one of those. LOL!

 

The title says 'in the eye of the beholder' - in my eyes a Viper does look good .... if that opinion qualifies me as a troll - so be it ....

I bought the XKR - because I love it. It's love and lust for me. To me, it's a GT that in my mind behave like how a proper GT should be. It's impractical as heck - I mean a virtual 2 seater, weighing almost 2 tons, with useless backseat and drink tons of premium gas .... ? But again it's love and lust - the car is like sex on wheels ....

It's like Lindsay Lohan in quest for a sobriety .... And that's why I like the XKR so much!

 

Sold. You have just turned opinion into fact. Not sure if anyone can make a better case for anything when fighting against an example like that.

 

I really thought this board was above all this... I guess not.

For the record i was speaking of the first gen 4.0 and 4.2 xkr secondly those are not drag cars. With no limited slip diff, 4000lbs, a slush box, and 390 horse, it is really an unremarkable car in the performance dept. http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ive/index.html for verification check here.

The old XKR at 390hp runs a 4.9 0-60 time. The same as my old C4 corvette with 300hp and a bit slower than a stock STI at 4.6 seconds. Even with 510 horse the new XKR isn't out running a bone stock 300 horse STI to 60. They share the same 4.6 second 0-60 time. The STI is rated a bit quicker through the 1/4 mile as well. 13.3 for the 2010 XKR and 13.2 for the 05 STI. Those are manufacturer numbers for the XKR coupe BTW. The convertible is a good bit slower clocking at (2003) 5.1 to 60 and a 13.8 1/4 mile or there abouts.

BUT AGAIN THIS IS NOT WHAT THE CAR IS ABOUT------>>>> if the Jag is a sexy classy lady the Suby is a prostitute. The suby is a stripped down beer can of a car with traction out the whazooo, where the jag is the epitome of what makes a car sumptuous and classy. These are not cars with the same engineering goal in mind and this is a STUPID comparison to be making, especially when using professional drivers. But these are the numbers the cars are CAPABLE of in professional hands none the less.

Now onto the STI late in the page you will find a list of the stock #'s from a bunch of car mags. The STI (2005) runs a 4.6 0-60 and the 1/4 mile in 13.2

Those are stock for stock #'s BTW.

Now take that same 400 horse being put out by the Jag, but put it in a car that weighs 3450 lbs with AWD and a 6spd and you have a still unremarkable performance car, but a much faster one.

I also don't race the Subaru nor would I ever. That's not what it's for. It would be a gigantic waste of money and time. I have gone down that road as a youngster. I always ended up on the same conclusion. Car's aren't fast, at least not street cars in the realm of affordability or reliability. The only car I would bother to race currently can be found on Viper Alley. HERE ----> http://www.viperalley.com/forum/members/howfast.html. Supercharged viper with a nitrous shot. That is a relatively fast drag car. Which consistently runs low tens and has gotten into the 9's. This still gets eaten up by my R1 at least up to the bikes top speed (the viper by virtue of aerodynamics catches up and passes)

If you want fast, get a bike and save your dough. There's no better price performance bargain. Period.
If you want classy get a Jag. There isn't a car on the road with more class than a Jag.
If you can't figure out the difference go get a BMW and join that forum.
But, arguing the merits of a car not designed for drag racing as a drag racer on an internet forum is a really big waste of time.

Can we all move on now?

 

When i feel the itch, I have an SMG M3 E46 which is (IMHO) sportier, quicker and more nimble.

XK8's are more with refinement and easy going.

They are smooth, silent and sleek. "A gentleman would walk but never run"...

Near 300 ponies are more than enough for a walk, hehehehe...