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Mustangs not only attract dumb kids in ricers they're also cop magnets. Most Jag XKs on the other hand get curious stares. There aren't many on the road where I live and some people think it's an Aston. Go for the Jag. It oozes class.
While the Jag and Mustang are both performance orientated, It's like comparing a Civil war Battle Sword, and a Japanese Katana. Both will get the job done, and function in the real world everyday. Do you want a scalpel, or a sledge hammer??? This can only be settled by the seat of your pants, and which one leaves the biggest grin on your face. That is as real as it gets. Cause no one knows what sets your heart on "FIRE" but you!
Take a drive on a Sunday and count the number of Mustangs and XKRs you see. Buy the one you see the least of.
I just came back from a visit with my BIL to help him search out a transmission leak on his 67 Corvette. Top down season starting here. So he lives 10 miles away and we live in a small town of 9,000 people. Have main road running through it . My Mustang count was 4 cars on my trip over and 1 car on my way back. Also saw a new white Corvette. Oh there was 1 red and 5 black Mustangs. We never saw any Jag or any year during our outing.
Not sure if the the thigh is an issue with using a clutch, but here's something crazy that you might not hear on a Jag forum. Get the Ford. Specifically a manual ecoboost version of the Mustang. Guaranteed to have lots of teenage fun, add a V8, and you’re still in the same skin with a different beast. The XKR is sophisticated, and aging, but the design is somehow fitting in well with todays hypercar and supecar scene. Ive been feeling the love on the road lately! Yet, if you want tons of fun with warranty, get the ecoboost and go against the grain. You can beat on it and do it again day after day. Its such a fun car with some good spooling, but too many guys overlook it because they want a V8.
Thanks for your consideration. My thigh is strong and I could use a manual car well, if I wanted one. I live in Far North Dallas. It's a boulevard life here. No canyons. I owned a manual 1993 Mustang LX 5.0 for around a decade. I put more money into its aftermarket upgrades than I spent on the car purchase. At that time I live in SoCal and I took it up into the canyons often. And that kind of environment would be great for a modern Ecoboost manual car, to keep the car in its sweet spot, "spooling" as you state. From stoplight to stoplight, an auto S/C car is ideal IMO. But it's a great thought and I like the lightweight turbo 4 cyl proposition. It would be good under other circumstances.
The other thing with the mustang is you could always add a supercharger to that as well. Drive it for a while stock, then when you feel the need for more grunt, add the sc. Sounds like a win win.
That at being said, if this is going to be your only daily driver, I think the Mustang makes sense. If you want to tinker a bit more and can afford to be down a car for chunks of time, get an XKR. And while the aftermarket scene isn’t as big as the mustang one, since there are far less out there, there are still parts to get that R up to R-S hp specs, and without much damage to reliability, or huge customizing.
A Stang certainly makes sense. Whichever car I choose will be my daily driver. But as we know in these halls, we don't make car choices based on sense. Sense is a consideration, but it's not at the top of the list. The XKR is that guilty pleasure that makes more and more sense as it depreciates. 465 lb-ft AT 2,500 RPM! That luscious ***! That interior!
My neighbor friend has a pristine, previous-gen Shelby GT500 which he maintains religiously. He drops by in summer and is always complimenting the car, even dragging his father in-law over to see it last year, saying to him "Someday, I'm gonna own one of these..." His good-humored, Italian father in-law replied: "Sure!!" and then went on to laugh his *** off.
Point is, here is a Mustang Shelby owner who himself sees the XKR as being in a whole other league....
I was upsold to a 5.0 litre Mustang rental when I was in Seattle in January. It was great fun to drive and felt heavier and more of a brute than my '10 XKR.
I got a bit of a fright when I pulled out of a shopping mall car park and left parallel lines on the road as the rear end squirmed about. I wouldn't have had the same drama in my XKR.
I wouldn't totally discount owning one but as I have been driving Jags for over 30 years it would have to be something a lot more special than that to take me away from the marque. It is a great rental car though!
I had a similar experience! When I didn't die and started to get healthy I took a trip by myself. I got on a plane to Vegas in February of 2018 and rented a 2017 5.0 convertible with the 6 speed auto:
I was highly surprised by how much I enjoyed the vehicle, and how well it handled. I drove the **** out of it, from Vegas through mountains and then Death Valley and over the Owens Valley to the coast of California at San Luis Obispo, down to L.A. and then back to Vegas. The IRS in this chassis with that coyote V8 is pretty impressive. In "Sport Plus", using the paddles, squirting that thing out of tight corners never got old. I had a big hoot.
I would love to find out how much better a 2018-2019 with the Performance Pack 1 would be.
The next stop was Hawaii so I changed my rental car to a convertible Mustang as I had enjoyed the one in Seattle so much. I was disappointed to find when it finally arrived that it was the Ecoboost version and it took a few days of fiddling with the settings to make it more enjoyable to drive. It actually wan't too bad once I had got it sorted but in a different league to the 5 litre.
I found the gearbox to be very uncivilised on both, quite clunky and I didn't realise how heavy the steering was until I jumped back in to my XKR when I got back to NZ and nearly went off the road when I took the first corner!
I haven't driven an Ecoboost Stang. I'd like to try one.
My neighbor friend has a pristine, previous-gen Shelby GT500 which he maintains religiously. He drops by in summer and is always complimenting the car, even dragging his father in-law over to see it last year, saying to him "Someday, I'm gonna own one of these..." His good-humored, Italian father in-law replied: "Sure!!" and then went on to laugh his *** off.
Point is, here is a Mustang Shelby owner who himself sees the XKR as being in a whole other league....
Fascinating. Your Indigo Blue/tan color combo is just ideal. In fact I came across one today: https://cargur.us/t89dv
When I began my search, first requirement was a convertible. Second requirement was back seats. Then I crossed Mustangs and Camaros off my list - they were just too common. So that is what I searched for. And the XK popped up. Had never seen one, nor heard of one before. I began researching and decided that was the car for me.
I love mine. I drive it every day, and every day it brings a smile to my face. And what other $87,000 car can you get for $25,000 with a mere 23,000 miles on the clock. It looked new, smelled new, and drove new. I think I am a car-buying genius after getting my XK.
My neighbor friend has a pristine, previous-gen Shelby GT500 which he maintains religiously. He drops by in summer and is always complimenting the car, even dragging his father in-law over to see it last year, saying to him "Someday, I'm gonna own one of these..." His good-humored, Italian father in-law replied: "Sure!!" and then went on to laugh his *** off.
Point is, here is a Mustang Shelby owner who himself sees the XKR as being in a whole other league....
Originally Posted by 110reef
When I began my search, first requirement was a convertible. Second requirement was back seats. Then I crossed Mustangs and Camaros off my list - they were just too common. So that is what I searched for. And the XK popped up. Had never seen one, nor heard of one before. I began researching and decided that was the car for me.
I love mine. I drive it every day, and every day it brings a smile to my face. And what other $87,000 car can you get for $25,000 with a mere 23,000 miles on the clock. It looked new, smelled new, and drove new. I think I am a car-buying genius after getting my XK.
The only regret I have is I didn't buy an XKR.
So far you have made the best case for just pulling the trigger and getting what I really want: an XKR. Thank you.
There is nothing else on the road like a Jaguar. I have been driving them for over forty years. Once I strayed to a Porsche 928 for three years. No comparison. A Jaguar can be compared to a clenched fist in a silk glove. If you haven't yet guessed, I say, go for the Jaguar; particularly look at the blue one in Maryland. An amazing color combination.
Keep in mind, if your goal is to get a track-ready road-legal race car, Mustang with its excellent mod scene would get you there faster and a lot cheaper than anything Jaguar has to offer, even SVR F-type. For anything else, get a Jag.
I haven't driven an Ecoboost Stang. I'd like to try one.
I've driven about 500 miles in the Ecoboost auto vert, and about 1000 miles in two different Mustang GT coupes, both auto; all 3 stangs were rental cars in the last 2 years. The 4 cylinder was impressive for a 4; but unless the manual really changes the game, I really found the GT substantially nicer. The power was more available and smoother. The ecoboost was like a lot of 4 cyl turbo motors, you have to wring it out a bit to get the go. The torque made the GT a substantially more enjoyable car. I've never cared for Mustangs, UNTIL the current gen GT; they really upped their game and eventually I'd like to add one.
The cool news is that you can EASILY rent a Mustang in 4 or 8 trim at most decently sized airports. If you want to try them out longer term than a quick test drive, it's a really nice way to get a real feel. It will be an auto for sure, but still better than 1 ten mile drive with a *********** lackey riding along.
