Advice please.

A little background - I've been lucky enough to own 2 XK's. A 2007 4.2 and a 2012 5.0, both coupes. I absolutely adored the 4.2, had to sell to it due to job lose. Few years later bought the 5.0 which turned out to be a TT build (for those that don't know it's a pre-production car that is ok to sell but which will have had at least some pre-production parts and processes applied during the build) - it wasn't a very good example I'm afraid, plenty of issues, squeaks, rattles, cosmetic stuff - put me off a bit.

Anyway, was looking at F Types recently and the dealer had a stunning 2014 XK Dynamic R in IRR with ivory interior and 6k miles for about £15k less than the F Type and my draw nearly hit the ground (my previous XK's had both been black on black, this thing look awesome in my opinion).

So my question to you good folk and especially anyone that has gone from 5.0 XK to XKR, would you recommend it? Is it a big enough difference in real terms (performance, handling etc) to make it worth buying another XK, has anyone had 3? Obviously I will try and get a drive in a Dynamic R but would really value any input.

Andrew.

Oh yeah. And an R in red is a stunning beast. You know you will be required to drive it like a bat out of hell at least until your license to operate is under consideration for suspension.

Don't think any longer, just go for it and go for the R. As for the f-type , i can't seem to take to it, would never buy one if i ever changed my xkr ,sorry f-type owners would go for the last of the xkr model in dynamic spec, the ultimate would be to have the xkrs gt.

That RS-GT looks much better in red than in stock white...

Does look simply stunning, for sale in UK , price £170,000. Looks like it could chew up an f-type and spit it out.

Question is if the f-type svr was beside it, which would you roar off in, for me a no brainier the gt every time, especially in this color, think this must have been a color change or special order, thought they were all white.

Love Italian Racing Red but I think it's been dropped by JLR, certainly not available on the F Type in the UK. Does anyone have any experience with the performance seats in the R-S or Dynamic R? Do they make a good GT seat?

@powerhouse - I really wanted to love the F Type but it hasn't happened on the couple of extended test drives I've had. Maybe the 18MY will be change my opinion but I'm way more excited about the prospect of an IRR XK Dynamic R at the moment. I even really like the design of the MMI in the XK, with it's clean colours and simple shapes vs modern systems with pictures of telephone boxes and guitars. But that's just my personal preference.

I had a 12 XK vert and now drive a 13 XKR with the Performance Active Exhaust and Portfolio Pack. I'm not sure how the Dynamic XKR is spec'd out in the UK. But my experience is that the XKR is well worth the extra expense over the XK. The suspension is more taut and the extra HP and torque is very significant. Hope this answers your question.

@Ralphwg - thanks very much for the insight. Think I might have to go for it.

While not the same comparison: I had a 2012 XF 5.0 and now have a 2012 XKR. The difference in power is extremely substantial.

Going from my '08xk 300HP vs '12xkr 510HP was obviously night and day on the performance end. Not sure how much your increment to the 12xk 385HP affects the feel between the NA vs SC though. IRR makes it a no brainer IMHO.

Very happy with my XKR - same spec as a Dymanic R and IIR with Ivory is the best colour combination but I'm bias!



Andy

I also went from a 5.0 XF to a 5.0 XKR. The difference is huge, much, much bigger than 4.2NA to 5.0 NA. The 5.0 is quick, the 5.0 SC is insane and has to be driven completely differently.

IRR XKR was my dream, it was my favorite colour, so I got it in the f type (and the XE) in the end.

@Ajay - absolutely stunning - That's the exact colours I'd love to get. How do you find the seats on a long journey? Good for a GT?

How does the XKR handling compare to the XK in the real world? I'm after a more sports car setup and seems the XKR is tuned more for handling than the XK is?

Hi - I havent driven the XK, only the XKR and a few of the XFs, but the XKR has different suspension I think, and usually sits on 20" wheels. A few people commented that the ride is a lot harder than the XK. Strangely enough when I bought mine it had 40000km on it and the drivers seat was stretched, the ride was very good for the driver but quite firm for the passenger (seat pretty much new).

Handling wise they are very good and nicely balanced, sitting very flat, but the back end tends to step out if you hit the hammer, in the wet even at 80kph. I actually liked that, but it does mean that it has to be treated with a lot more respect than the 5.0 which you can throw around more, but that is probably a skill thing more than anything as I dont pretend to be an undiscovered racing talent. It also means that the nanny controls cut in a lot, and if you are planning on taking the car to the track I wouldnt take it to a small one with lots of corners.

I have read and heard the statements that the XKR doesn't ride as well as the XK. I haven't really noticed much of a difference in the quality (?) of the ride. What I have noticed is that going through the twisties in the canyons and foothills around Southern California is a lot more fun in the XKR as it handles that much better and is more responsive; particularly in dynamic mode. If you aren't careful, it can get away from you.