Well after several years of ownership I guess the use of the paddles has been less and less. Coming from mostly 3 peddle cars the uniqueness of the paddles seemed to be fun but now I only use them periodically and that is for down shifting to slow down . I guess the problem is there is nothing forcing me to shift and without the 3rd peddle and smashing of the gears the fun seems not to be there. This hasn't taken the fun out of driving but at my age it's just as fun to cruise the countryside and enjoy the great outdoors. So enjoy the ride.

 

I for one, would not buy a new car without paddle shifting in general and in the twisties are of assistance. Living where I live I make at least one "twisty" expedition every other week and they are part of the fun.

 

Paddle shifters are essential to enjoy the exhaust note of the 4.2L XKR, especially after removing Fuse 19. Otherwise, the transmission upshifts too soon to hear the symphony. And, without using the paddles, you'll never hear the rev-matching blip of downshifts. The best noise is while you're accelerating or downshifting through a tunnel.

Nevertheless, there is still a place for using automatic. It's for stealth mode, particularly in your neighborhood.

 

Dunno - I get plenty of blips & crackles when slowing in Sport mode, but I do have the x-pipe exhaust. I find the paddles a distraction, and I seldom use them - it's just one more thing to think about. About the only time I yank 'em is when I'm in a tunnel and want to get the full reverb.

 

This is my first paddle shift car, and I will say that I either don't get it, or I just haven't practiced enough. When I owned standard shift cars, I could hear and feel when the car needed to shift. I don't get that with my Jag - it is too quiet. If I am not paying attention, I don't notice it needs to shift until the engine is screaming a lot of the time. Sometimes, when wanting to pass, it is nice to drop it down into a lower gear, but most of the rest of the time, the transmission does a far superior job of shifting than I ever could. So, overall, I am not a fan. But I am willing to try it again - maybe it is how I use them.

 

Your Jag is quiet because it's an XK with a single mode exhaust

The XKR has an active exhaust system that is controlled by Fuse 19 in the panel behind the rear seat. It opens and closes and, depending on engine speed and throttle position, and can be either quiet or rowdy. Rowdy bypasses part of the muffler. Removing that fuse keeps it in rowdy mode.

 

So it sounds like paddle shift is relatively useless in my car. It does have a pleasant gurgle when accelerating though.

 

I have a stock exhaust (actually, stock everything) in a 5.0 N/A. My wife drives it mostly but I'll use the paddles for fun occasionally when I drive it and it's a blast. I can definitely tell from the exhaust note when to shift, and that's in a coupe. Is the 5.0 N/A exhaust that much different than the 4.2?

 

Honestly, most people with the XK probably don't even drive aggressively enough to benefit from the increased engine braking going into a curve enabled by using the downshift paddle.

That being said, my XKR is sadly becoming a garage queen (actually, a tarp queen--I don't have a garage)--I have only driven it maybe 500 miles this year!

 

Nope, basically the same (though I don't think they're cross-compatible).

 

The paddles on my XK and XE are uneventful and the 8 speed trans on the XE makes the paddles even less eventful. I was never a fan of paddles until my Rapide. It does the rev matching and makes cool sounds downshifting. I am sold with paddles on the right car. Having paddles on the steering wheel is not as nice as it is on the column.

I tried to go back to using them on the XE and it reconfirmed how I don't like them on the Jag...

 

My lard *** Lincoln MKS has them. It's almost funny that they are there, Especially in Drive mode, except maybe a downshift to pass. There is a Sport Mode that improves pickup and handling but in either mode the paddles don't add anything that the gas pedal can't do on it's own.

 

I use them less and less. My other cars are manual transmission, and I swore I would use the paddles over the automatic. I'd still want paddles in any car, but it seems if there is an option, I use the automatic over them. Weird, i must be getting old.

 

Huh? The XK's still have a dual mode exhaust but the valve is controlled by exhaust pressure rather than vacuum:

The rear muffler unit includes a Semi Active Muffler (SAM) valve. This valve is operated by the pressure in the exhaust
system. At low engine speed the valve is partially closed to provide a more refined noise quality. At higher engine speed
the increased pressure within the exhaust system opens the valve to provide a more sporting noise.

 

I came from a 3 peddle 5 speed gated shifter car. 1st gear wound out at 7500 in a split second requiring you to forcibly move into the next gears. You can't get away from up shifting or down shifting . Even the paddles of a twin clutch F1 doesn't give you the same feeling as throwing the lever. As far as exhaust I just use dynamic mode for more noise but usually when cruising it's in normal mode. Sometimes I down shift and enjoy the rev matching but don't usually do it. Most of the time on our local roads I am in CC at 40 mph so no need to down shift as the transmission does a good job. As for passing it's easier to just hit the go peddle and let the transmission do the shifting. So unless/until someone throws in a 6 speed I'll most likely be in D.

 

I stand corrected. But do the 4.2L XK and XKR sound the same? I think not, but I've never heard an XK exhaust.

 

They probably can't sound the same.
From stock:
1. They have different back box designs.
2. The XKR has two mid pipe silencers, while the XK has one.
Now even if you put the same exhaust system on both, the different compression ratios will prevent them from sounding identical.

 

Some XKR's have 2 mid pipe silencers while others ordered with the performance active exhaust have an X-pipe with a different exhaust note.

 

Huge difference between a true F1 transmission car (paddle actuates a clutch) vs an auto with paddle shifters.

My Maserati CC was an F1 car and it never got old. I have never used the paddles on the XK.

 

Agreed but with the F1 in auto mode it isn't to much difference then an auto box. Maybe a little stiffer shift. By the way the Jag gearbox is the smoothest and most responsive auto box I have ever driven.