Hello, it's me again back with another trip report, though unfortunately I was not able to drive my Jag this time due to a complication known as wife and toddler.

We attempted to visit Normandy during the anniversary of D-Day, and came away with a few lessons learned, should anyone want to do the same.

Since I now have experience traveling around Europe with two vastly different and incompatible cars, I thought I would do a completely unnecessary review writeup. I’ll be comparing my 2010 Jaguar XKR and my wife’s 2019 Toyota Yaris.

I’ll start with a narrative of the trip and then move into discussing the cars.


The Trip

Sadly, there’s no way to fit two adults, luggage, a toddler in a car seat, and the necessary kid paraphernalia for several days away from home into an XKR. We loaded the Yaris and departed our home in Cambridgeshire, heading south three hours to Portsmouth.

I had wanted to see HMS Victory, the oldest commissioned warship in the world. However, each ticket was £36 – ridiculous considering the American equivalent, USS Constitution, is free admission. However, walking around Portsmouth we found HMS Warrior, another old sailing ship, and got all the pictures we wanted from the sidewalk.




That evening, we headed for the ferry that would take us overnight to Cherbourg. Beside us in the parking lot was a WWII-vintage ****** Jeep and four gentlemen who seemed to be having the time of their lives driving the open-top and seatbeltless machine. Ahead of us was a 1 ½ ton army truck with another jeep in the back.




There was also this cheeky Range Rover. Who knows, maybe my aluminum XKR actually is a recycled Spitfire.




The next morning, the ferry arrived in Cherbourg. The weather was fantastic, couldn't ask for better.

You can’t throw a stone in France without hitting a bakery, so for breakfast we chose one atop the hills that offered a view of the whole city. I’m currently trying to keto diet, low carb, and I quickly realized France is a bad place for it.

Over breakfast, we decided our next move. Up until a few days before the trip, we had planned to drive from Cherbourg to the D-Day beaches. However, we discovered a little too late just how crowded the place gets during the June 6 anniversary. It’s a big deal to the French, too: US/UK/CAN flags were everywhere, and most newspapers I saw had a headline about the event. Albeit, some of the pomp is probably for tourists.


As well as some of the odd souvenirs


Crowds we might be able to deal with, but a big anniversary like this, the 80th, had attracted more than a dozen world leaders and much of the region was locked down by security. Even locals had to get a special sticker on their cars just to drive the roads.

Lesson learned, if you want to go to Normandy, don’t do it on the anniversary, or at least arrive a day early and get a nearby hotel. Disappointing we couldn’t make a proper visit happen. I have a personal connection to D-Day: my grandfather’s older brother participated...and told his little brother to join the Navy instead.

We turned inland away from the coast to the site of another important battle in the same campaign, Saint-Lô. Allied forces fought much of July there, after landing on the beaches in June. We stuck mostly to two-lanes, staying away from toll roads, and traced the battle lines east. Along the way, we encountered at least a dozen more vintage jeeps.

Driving through the French countryside, we kept seeing pizza vending machines in the middle of nowhere, perhaps placed so as to not compete with brick-and-mortar places. Finally the curiosity became too much and we stopped to get a pie.




It tasted like a decent supermarket pizza, and considering it cost €11 and was hot and ready in three minutes, I’d say it was a good deal. Er, the single bite I had of it considering my diet.

Another odd sight in the French countryside were many small towns with their town name sign turned upside down. After googling, apparently it’s a protest against an agriculture bill.

We stayed the night in Rouen. It’s the place where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. The city is oddly home to several renowned sushi restaurants, one of which we selected for dinner. I don’t speak French, but I can tell when the wait staff are arguing about who has to go speak English to us. Fortunately, the person they sent was Japanese, and I actually do know a little bit of that from when I lived there. Even better, I judged this place in the top two sushi restaurants I’ve been to outside of Japan. Great food, even if rice isn’t keto.

The next day was a leisurely drive to Calais. We tried to go to a zoo along the way, but despite the Google reviews, it turned out to be a chicken farm. They were even selling eggs, but those don’t make good souvenirs.

I had developed a crick in my back from hefting the baby stroller into and out of the car several times per day. The Yaris seats are not great for long trips. The ride is also not as good as the XKR.

While we generally drove on two-lane roads marked at 80kmh (50mph), a few times we got onto the highway at up to 130kmh (81mph). The 106hp Yaris would do it, but entrance ramps required wide open throttle to get up to pace, and at that speed, the car was twitchy with its short wheelbase and likely aerodynamic lift. On trips to Germany in the XKR, it feels quite comfortable cruising at over 100mph.

Today was also the first day we couldn’t find a place with a baby changing table and had to change a diaper in the back of the car. While the XKR’s trunk isn’t as tall as the Yaris, it’s deeper and wider to give more working room. However, some XKs have ribs on the floor of the trunk which might be uncomfortable for the baby.

On the topic of restrooms, why do Europeans put the lightswitch outside the door?

After a night in Calais, the next morning was the familiar trip through the Eurotunnel back to the UK. The Yaris fits on the train much easier than the XKR.

Along the way back home, we passed by the Duxford Air Museum, which is a great visit we did last year. Callback to Spitfires.


Route map. D-Day beaches located north of Bayeux.


Car Talk

On the topic of roadtrips, had I been by myself, there would be no question, I would drive the XKR. However, in this situation the Yaris featuring the key advantage of a functional back seat made it the tool for the job.




In a comparison of numbers, the Yaris is .91m (3ft) shorter, .17m (7in) narrower, and .19m (7in) taller than the XKR. The Yaris is about 700kg (1500lbs) lighter. Around town, the Yaris is much easier to park, and the taller sidewalls give protection against curbing.

Official trunk space for the Yaris is 270L, which is seemingly less than the 330L offered by the coupe XKR, however it’s more square, making it easier to fit things, and being a hatchback, you can just keep stacking things up to the roof. The Yaris’ back seat has 12% more headroom and 22% more legroom than the XKR, not to mention rear doors for easier access.

The Yaris has a 106hp 1NZ-FE engine and a CVT. It’s a slow car, certainly, but it honestly feels like just a bit more than 106hp. I made a mistake earlier and thought it was a 130hp model, and was willing to believe that. At any rate, the XKR is about four or five times as powerful. Both have paddle shifters - yes, even with a CVT on the Yaris.

The Yaris is quite nimble, with a 2.5m (99in) wheelbase and a weight of 1060kg (2,335lbs). It would probably be great at autocross, if you could handle the body roll. The XKR has more grip, but the inertia makes it feel like it doesn’t change direction as quickly. XKR steering is excellent, while Yaris steering is pretty decent for its class.

In terms of interior, mixed bag. XKR miles ahead on materials and comfort. Yaris miles ahead on technology, though some frustrations. An impressive list of standard features, which makes the lack of automatic headlights and keyless entry/ignition glaring. The Yaris screens are bright, clear, and have lots of functions. The digital speedometer is nice when going back and forth between mph and kmh.

On the exterior, a grey Yaris is about as incognito as you can get. No comparison.

The Yaris gets fuel economy in the high 40s-low 50s (British imperial mpg). This is literally twice as good as the XKR. But hey, the XKR makes almost five times the power on only two times the fuel, sounds like a deal.

In fact, I think I’m going to frame this whole comparison in that light.

 

The only car statement of value to me:
"But hey, the XKR makes almost five times the power on only two times the fuel, sounds like a deal."

And you missed: "such a pleasure to drive"

Cheers!