Hello,

I was delighted when I found advertised what appeared to be my ideal spec XKR:

The only fly in the ointment was the choice of interior wood. I wish to put it delicately so as not to offend the traditionalists but I was surprised to find such modern exterior choices matched to such a classical interior.

Intetestingly, the dealer wasn't surprised that I raised it as an issues and claimed to have contemplated addressing the contrast in the advertisement. Not being at all technically minded I didn't want to attempt to remove the panels myself, especially having read a thread in here about the huge difficulties some have had with the trim round the gear selector and ashtray.

As part of the negotiations they are going to get it wrapped for me. I shall receive the options tomorrow but it's going to be the typical aluminium, gloss black, carbon fibre etc. I would value your opinion on what you think would work best. I was thinking either gloss or carbon but with the black roof and black interior would that be too oppressive?
please find pics below of its current interior and, finally, what I was thinking of in terms of silver across the dash and black in the centre console.

Thanks in advance!





This is the sort of thing I was thinking of...

 

Obviously you have to be happy with your choice. I'm not a huge fan of the carbon fiber look but gloss black all around would, in my opinion, be stunning.

 

I would assume that the black pack option is to make the car appear to be more aggressive or sinister. To have a gentleman's wood interior kinds of defeats the purpose. So I'm with you on changing it to match but instead of getting it wrapped see if others either on this form or maybe ebay would like to swap out their interior parts . Even if you get the aluminum with the center consul in black it would mate with the outside look. Then again you can wrap the aluminum look with black too. Just my opinion. Also welcome to the club.

 

You need to be happy with whatever you choose. The choice is ultimately yours. However I have attached a pic of my warm charcoal interior with piano black trim. I have a black roof as well and find no issue whatsoever.

Hope this helps.

 

I would go with gloss black, and since Piano Black is still a wood exterior color, the purists won't get freaked out either.

Good color combo you're getting there, my favorite that I see readily available to buy for the 2012+ cars.

I prefer the wood burl on the lighter interior colors. The Gloss Black will fit your car much better.

 

Stunning!

 

Not sure what you're referring to. My trim is piano black and there's no wood at all that I'm aware of. From the pic you can see its more of a black lacquered finish. Perhaps in earlier models the finish was called gloss black.

 

If it were me I would leave the wood trim in place for a while to see if it grew on me. But, it is your car, so you should have what appeals to you. My opinion re the choices you mentioned; definitely the piano black. I think the aluminum cheapens the interior. Finally, welcome aboard!

 

If you go with the black, buy some Head & Shoulders.

 

Hi! I had exactly the same thing - loved my car but the interior looked like someone had eaten a tree and thrown it up in there, it was just too much.

I fiddled with a few alternatives with the interior and wrapped then rewrapped the pieces in different styles. In the end I settled on gloss black for the ashtray cover and shifter surrounds and black cf everywhere else. While the cf is a little overdone at the moment it doesnt show finger smudges like the gloss black does, and it looked a little better than a metallic grey that I tried.

If I was to try it again, I'd do gloss black in the console and around the stereo and under the steering wheel, and a silver cf or aluminium above the glovebox and on the door bits.

 

Thanks for the replies so far guys!

 

Welcome from another UK XK-R owner

 

StormtrooperTK-421,
Another forum member from Liverpool (Geoff C) had a thread last week about switching out his aluminum for poplar wood. If you like the aluminum look for the upper pieces, I'd try to contact him through the forum pm to see if he still has them. That way, instead of a wrap for the upper trim you'd have the real thing. Then wrap the rest of the pieces (around the infotainment screen and gear shift) in piano black. I love the wood but I do think with the more aggressive/sporting exterior of your car the interior would benefit from a more modern look. Here's that thread: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...e-wood-187070/
Cheers!

 

Yes, aluminium would be my pick and you'd potentially get the "R" on the bit over the glovebox which is covered if you wrap it.

This was mine with cf. It actually wasnt garish in the flesh, even my wife liked it, but had I my time over I'd have limited the cf and had more piano black. Also look at how the XF (2008 models) used wood and aluminium together. To my taste, they got it right in the XF. Mine was ivory/oyster/walnut, and looked very classy.

 

I think you're crazy to wrap such beautiful wood and *******ize the car, but each to their own. The wood trim on your car is absolutely gorgeous. I would swap the interior pieces out instead of covering them if you are dead set on it...

 

"The only fly in the ointment was the choice of interior wood. I wish to put it delicately so as not to offend the traditionalists but I was surprised to find such modern exterior choices matched to such a classical interior. "...


I respectfully disagree. Don't be confused with the year of your car with its style. The technology of your car is modern but it is a classically styled car; both exterior and interior...hence the beautiful wood. The lines of your car are not 'modern' by any means (if it were, I would not have bought it).



I am a huge fan of classic exterior lines, wood and leather...and your car exudes this. Why ruin a perfect thing?

 

For how long have the exterior wood surface of grande piano's been blackened? I think a good gloss black is still keeping it classic.

For the interior color of his car, I do not think the wood it has matches. I much prefer the wood burl to be with the lighter interior colors.

 

Don't know if you're opposed to any kind of wood grain or if you can get something similar as a wrap, but I like the "Anthracite Birch" wood trim that's on my white Panamera with black interior. It's basically similar to the existing wood on your car but in dark gray. On my Panamera at least, I think it straddles the line between classical and contemporary quite well. Otherwise, I think Gloss Black makes the most sense with the blackout theme and stormtrooper look of the XKR you're looking at. Congrats either way!

Here's a link that shows what the trim on my Panamera looks like:

https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/958BIRCH.html

 

Jeremy Clarkson said it.... "All I've got here is five acres of... tinfoil".

 

I've really appreciated the range of replies on here. The more I look at pictures of the wood the more I appreciate the craftsmanship and the more I understand why it was chosen in the first place and why some people think it should stay. Having said all that, it's just not me.

With time being tight to get this done before I collect on Saturday I have been given 4 options: aluminium, dark aluminium, carbon and gloss black. I suppose for similar reasons to the Clarkson quote I have gone for gloss black because it will seem the most authentic. Whilst looking nice the aluminiums won't feel metallic to the touch and therefore might as well be some trim off a superminis with pseudo sporting intentions. Much as I love carbon fibre, it was dismissed for the same reason; if you want carbon fibre in a car of this quality then it should be the real thing, not imitation. I believe that gloss black has the best chance of appearing like the real thing.

i'll know straight away if I've made the right choice because my Range Rover has 14 pieces of the stuff in it!