Hi All,
I'm already a proud daddy of a 2011 XF and I think I might be ready to get a second baby in the garage. I'm seriously looking at a 2009-2011 XK or XKR and wanted to see if anyone might have some inputs in to what I should be looking at...
1. I'm a bit lost if the model has changed significantly from 09-11. I think the engine has, but unsure. I'd be reluctant to get a 1st year model due to the kinks that are worked out in later year models.
2. What's the fundamental differences between the XK and XKR? Just the engine and HP?
3. Any known issues for those model years in either the XK or XKR to avoid or look out for?
4. Is a CPO or extended warranty worth the price?
Thanks fellas!

There's more the XKR than the engine. Suspension, brakes, and steering rack are different too.

Significant changes between '09 and '10-'11. '09 had the 4.2L engine from the first series XK/XKR, '10 through '15 have the 5.0L. With the 5.0L came significant horsepower bump, especially in the XKR, tighter suspension settings, etc. The power from the 5.0L supercharged (XKR) is over 500hp and incredibly quick. The non-supercharged 5.0L is comparable to the 4.2L supercharged of the 2007-2009. Both engines are fine motors, just depends upon what you want out of the car. Either will give you loads of pleasure.

Go for the R, whatever you do. Regular XKs aren't as exciting, even if they are as fast!

OK, so 10-11 XKR > 10-11 XK > 09 XKR > 09 XK


As to issues, any you can think of or know of that jump out at you in any of those years? As a first year 5.0L in '10, were there growing pains resolved in later years? Was the '10 a new tranny as well I presume?

Magyar (sound like a fellow Hungarian) I went through this decision process a little over a year ago. I started my investigation at the 2010 year model and the XKR convertible as my choice. I wanted but did not need the 510HP and if I could have afforded it I would have gone for an XKR-S. 2010 is the 1st year of change going to the 5.0L and 510HP along with a newer ZF transmission and the rising puck shift lever. There were some suspension changes and light changes. The 2011 is basically the same car. The last set of changes were in the 2012 year where the front was changed and LED's were added. I liked that style change along with changing the side vents from vertical to horizontal.I was also looking for a color other then black , silver , gray or white. I paid a little more then I wanted and through the course of the year the price has gone down $5-$10K but I got what I wanted. The 2012 looks exactly the same as the last year 2015 model. So read up on the difference of the 11 vs the 12 and then hunt for the price you can afford. Happy hunting.

igen, én is magyar vagyok !
I'm looking to ideal take advantage of the lost value and keep this purchase to under $45k. I might be default fall into the 2009 category I think... Were there any issues though to look out for in any of the model years that are not, one-off, per say?
gészségedre!

Interesting, so it seems that there are, at least, 3 of us Magyars on this forum :-).

To answer Magyar's question; I have had 3 different XK(R), an '05XK an '08XK and the '10 XKR. In order of things, I loved the looks of the '05 but, disliked the handling of it that reminded me to the loose handling of an older large American car.

The '08XK was a large improvement. Power from the 4.2, however, was still marginal per the high performance standards of those days. Handling, while vastly improved over the '05XK, was still floaty with too much understeer and too much body roll. Since you can not find much aftermarket parts for Jaguars I could never dial in a handling that would make me satisfied. Also, the steering box was rather slow and inaccurate.

The '10 XKR is a BIG step up in every aspect. The 5.0 SC engine power is glorious and the new steering rack is much more accurate. They also tightened up the suspension where the understeer is minimum compared to the XK. If you are an enthusiast driver over winding roads the XKR is the ticket to ride.

The single negative I may say about the XKR is that, IMHO, the springs are too stiff, giving the car a somewhat hard, choppy ride over less than perfect road surfaces. It also may be the reason that the XKR is shown to be relatively slow on tracks, as the stiff rear springs cause traction loss on exit acceleration. If I could, I would soften the rear springs and increase the rear sway bar size, which is ridiculously small for a car, that size and weight.

Having said all that, amongst my 5 late Jaguars the '10 XKR is my favorite, followed by the '12XF with the NA 5.0 engine.

Edit; One more thing. All 5 of my late Jaguars have been exceedingly reliable. I don't remember any significant issues with any of them over the years. The old unreliable Jaguars are history. I know what that meant as I owned an early 1980s XJ6, which was the worst, most unreliable car I had ever owned.

köszönöm szépen!!!


So '10 + is my best bet. Roger that... It's good to hear that the '10 didn't have an first year production problems. Did the day light on/off flicker thing get resolved or was it never an issue in the XK while set on auto?

Koszanom , Father was born here , taken back to Hungry and returned at 20 years old. OK , I see your budget and you should be able to get a 2010 but if you can find a 2009 portfolio I would shoot for that. Happy hunting.

I've never seen, experienced or heard of that issue in all the years since my '05. Yes, mine is always set on AUTO.

Straining my memories; about the only issue I ever had with the 5 Jags was with the '08 XK with the very typical plugged up air conditioner drain pipe issue which resulted in condenser water pouring out into the passenger footwell. Many owners experienced this. Mine was fixed under warranty but, those out of warranty could pay in excess of $1000 to replace the plugged drain pipe. Of course, other, less expensive solutions do exist if it ever occurs with your future car. As it appears the problem ended with the 5.0 engine in 2010.

There are plenty of 2010-2011 XKR's in your price range and many XK's in the mid-$30's. You should have no trouble finding a reasonably low mileage car. I bought mine not quite a year ago for $38K.

One more, has anyone used the back seat of the coupe? I have a young kid I think it would be suitable for, understanding only midgets would probably fit...

Only for an overnight bag and such. It would work for a young kid, but not for long distances. Might work for a small adult if you move the front passenger seat all the way forward. Due to the sloping roof line, headroom is also an issue.

Nobody has brought up the Battery/Electronics issue. Well, not so much an ISSUE as an advisement.
These babies are prone to gremlins from voltage drop, especially if not driven often enough. It would seem that most XK/R owners on this forum (myself included) install a Battery Maintainer of some sort (usually CTEK, search the forum) to ensure that the car's battery is fully charged at all times. Many owners have the old, still-original battery which aggravates the problem, and therefore any replacement should be an "AGM" type battery, when necessary.
The older model years (help me, not sure which years...) have an A/C condensation problem from the Enviro-box inside the car dripping water.
Other than that, these cars are rock solid.

As long as they play fair with space you can use it for short journeys. My ~5' 8" tall daughter can fit behind my ~5' 11" son for trips around town.

Purchased my 2010 XKR Vert with 2,650 miles (not a typo) in Feb. 2015 for $46,500.


Used 2010 Jaguar XK For Sale | Miami FL

Provided by Jaguar to the media outlets at the 2009 NAIAS.

I like final design update and worth going for if you can.

I had a 2008 xk vert and now have 12 xk vert. The XK vert IMO is superior vehicle all the way around. If it were me, I would only be looking at 11s and 12s. You already have a 5.0 litre engine in your XF, so you have an idea of what that is like. If you should go the XK route you get the dynamic mode option which wasn't on the 4.2 version XK. You should be able to find one that matches your desires in a 30-40k price range depending upon mileage. Good hunting