Unless I get buyer's remorse (pre-morse?) Friday I should complete the purchase of a 2010 XKR from CarMax. Car has 38,000 miles and is beautiful. Will get the extended warranty up to 75,000 miles. I just joined this forum to ask if there is anything peculiar to this car I should think through before the purchase. Current drive is an S55 AMG and the Mercedes forum was quite helpful. Many thanks.

 

Power corrupts, horsepower corrupts absolutely. If you have them, you WILL use them.
Therefore: How many Speeding Tickets do you have....?


Regards,

 

Supplyguy,
I think you'll enjoy your 2010XKR, I know I've enjoyed mine over the last three years. Pretty trouble free, amazing power and grace (especially with pulley/tune and exhaust mods). This forum is a treasure chest of information and is simply invaluable. Enjoy your new ride! Please post pictures when you get it.

 

Congrats! Fellow 2010 XKR driver here. A few thoughts:

- Carmax warranties are AWESOME. Pay more for the option that allows you to take it to any service center (read: Jaguar dealership) for a $50 deductible. It will be money well spent, and even if you never use it, it's cheap peace of mind. If it's not too much more I'd strongly suggest taking it out to 100,000 miles, if you can.
- I've had a few little issues with mine, most common among them: a high-pitched whistle/whine when the AC is in use on hot days (won't happen in the winter). It's kind of like an "ears ringing" noise. It's well-known, and about a $200 fix but I'll bet that Carmax warranty will cover it. Also, the rear fog lights have little circuit boards in them that sometimes fry out. Again, that'll be covered. (Fun for you: find out how to turn the rear fogs on. They are SUPER BRIGHT.) (Oh, and PS: the car doesn't really have front fogs-- they're factored into the front lights. So there is no switch for "front fog lights.")
- EVERYONE has battery issues. No warranty covers this. Most will suggest "battery tenders." I use my XKR as my daily driver, so tenders are not really a factor for me, but if it's your "weekender," yeah, a battery tender is a good investment. And the MINUTE you've got battery issues, replace it. Lots of battery threads on here.
- I've heard water pump stories, but it's not happened to me so far.
- Cool fun thing: 2010 is the only year that the XKR came with the "Advanced Technology Package" standard. It's Adaptive Headlights and Adaptive Cruise Control. I love both options. Play around with the Adaptive Cruise and get comfortable with it. It's great.

Finally: you will never, ever, regret buying your XKR. I promise.

Have fun!

 

Very much appreciate the quick responses. My hesitation was about the XKR as daily driver. I'm 6'4 230 pounds and during yesterday's test drive I only found one driving position that was pretty good. This will be my daily driver. But a friend pointed out I've been used to an S class and most cars will be a little confining. Oddly, I don't worry about reliability. CarMax has done over $30,000 in repairs on the S55 (paid $25k out the door with Maxcare warranty) without hesitation. Would like the 100k warranty on the XKR but that will put me almost at $40k out the door, and the wife and I had agreed on s $35k cap on this purchase (which I'm busting by $3000). We shall see if she ups the cap when we go buy. I do appreciate the help here. I also have a '71 Fiat and have drawn on the wisdom of that forum. Nothing like first hand knowledge from friendly, experienced owners.

 

Supplyguy - Welcome aboard. You are in for some good times. Post pics when you have a chance. Welcome aboard.

 

Despite the wisdom here I passed on the $32000 2010 XKR last winter. Interior was tired, no sunroof (ad said it did) and wasn't sure I had room or would be okay with a coupe. But another 2010 just popped for $29000 and it is like new inside and I'm wiser on my lifestyle and coupes. BUT. The car road ridiculously harsh yesterday during the test drive over smooth roads, and not on race track setting. I could not imagine this being my daily driver. I noted a low tire pressure light but not overly concerned. Returned to the lot today and the left rear tire nearly flat. Will go back and drive tomorrow when tires are right, but is significant bumps and jolts just part of the game? It road like an old BMW M6 I once drove, and made my belly jiggle even on good roads! Welcome thoughts.

 

NO speeding tickets, for my wife or me, and I plan on keeping it that way. Two reasons I did not get an R.

 

Well, a smooth ride is a relative term. If you're comparing it to your MB S-Class, there's no comparing the two. The Jag will be harder and harsher ride than the MB. That said, it's a car with an ordinary suspension. Aside from superior handling around curves, you shouldn't notice the suspension, period, unless you notice it also in a Cadillac Sedan. On a relatively smooth ride, you shouldn't experience belly jiggle.

 

I don't see how anyone could reasonably call the ride in an XK or XKR "harsh", if the suspension is in order. Unless maybe you are comparing it to a 1968 Coupe de Ville, or other mid '60's land yacht.

 

Are there any other 2010+ XKRs available nearby? If so, I would suggest you test drive one and see if there is any difference. I use my XKR as a daily driver and the ride and control is superior to my better half's RX 350 F sport.

 

Quality of ride is different for everyone. Soft , smooth , quiet isn't necessarily the essence of good ride. All of the Jaguar family of cars that are currently what I would call firm riding cars maybe with the exception of the F-Type which I would call a little harsh. So back to the XK series which I find to be a firm but not uncomfortable ride. Of all of the various cars I've owned the one that I consider the most comfortable is the Lexus ES350 series. It is to us like riding on a leather couch and checks all the boxes for us in smooth , quiet and extremely soft ride. The XKR is a different animal but I would not have a problem driving it as a DD. We did our annual 4 hr. drive with the Lexus and at highway speeds it is a pleasure to drive. We do the same drive with the XKR and it's enjoyable in a different way. Also I find tires also plays a major role so that may be a factor in the posters concern.

 

Supplyguy,
I would describe the ride on my 2010 XKR as firm, even taut, but not harsh. So, if you're experiencing extreme harshness, it's one of two things, tire pressure (more likely high rather than low) or worn shocks. I felt my ride degrading at about a 100,000 miles, especially going over speed bumps as that solid, no looseness, of one piece ride that I loved when I bought my car, started to feel like my 2002 XKR that shakes like a bowl of jello after going over a bump. I replaced the 4 shocks (from a vendor on ebay who sells genuine OEM Jaguar XKR units for $349/4 shocks), and everything was back to normal. The 5L XKR is not a floating couch, but it should be quite comfortable, so drive it after the tire has been repaired and check tire pressure in the others as well before you go out on a test drive.

 

I'm forced to kinda disagree, as I have both an '07 XK and my 2010 XKR.

The XKR is distinctly more harsh (IE ridged) than the XK.
Both my cars track the roads well at the 130mph+ range, but the XK glides over undulations with ridiculous ease, while my XKR, even in its lightest settings can still be quite jarring.

OP, one of the tricks with softening the XKR is to look at the rim size. 19's win over 20's all day long. 19's have some sidewall to help absorb a lot of the shock. I do recommend you drive at an XK before your final choice though. Its a luxury breed unto itself.

Peace!
Vince

 

Harsh ride is subjective. I consider the ride in a Porsche 911 or Cayman "harsh". All my XKs have had 19" wheels and I consider their ride firm and comfortable, but not harsh at all.

 

I have an XK (not an R) on 20" wheels. When I got the car, the worn Dunlop Sportmax tires on the car made for a very harsh an noisy ride. I actually thought there was a problem with a wheel bearing or the diff it was so loud. I put on Conti DWS 06 tires, and the noise and road harshness was greatly reduced. They won't give you the all out grip as a summer tire, but they might be a good compromise, and better grip when the temps drop.

 

I find the XK to be much harsher than the Porsche's I've driven. Porsche tends to go with softer springs and firmer dampers, you feel the bumps a bit less with that setup, but the suspension geometry has to deal with more body roll forces.

You might want to give a Lotus Evora a try if you find the XKR harsh.

Tires make a big difference, my XK became more livable when I changed tires.

I am 6' 2", 220lb in need of losing more weight(down from 230lb+) I find I have a little bit of adjustment in seating position, but not a lot. The only part I consider uncomfortable for long drives is the interaction with the steering wheel. The little paddles behind, combined with placement and fit of the steering wheel itself does not feel comfortable to me for drives of 40 minutes +. For my normal driving, I'm not going over 30 minutes, so it is not a problem. For cross country, I would get a rental.

 

It's not at all subjective when you own both cars at the same time. It is extremely obvious.
Both my cars run Bridgstone S0-4s on 19" rims. But we agree that the XK is a comfortable car.

Tervuren: A rental? Really? I did nothing but smile in my XK on a 4400 mile road trip.
I'm 4 inches shorter than you, so there may be some discomfort I can't compare with, but no way would I have considered a rental for such an amazing trip.

V

 

Yeah about that trip (great pics btw). How did you handle luggage?

 

My wife had a Cayman S and I had an XK8 at the same time. I would not drive her car if I didn't have to because of the harsh ride. But she liked it, and did not take my car so it worked for us.