Very nice in depth comparison! It makes me really want a XKR-S GT.

Originally I thought the XKR-S GT's fins and wing looked silly. But then again, I didn't realize that the XKR-S GT was that much more serious of a performance car than the standard XKR-S.

 

That's a great piece, thanks!

 

D'oh, someone else posted the same thing already a few days ago.

 

Is it just me? I can't open the vid :-/

Searched for it on YouTube and couldn't find it, either?


Rich

 

It may just be you, I just tried to open it again and was successful.

 

Very cool and impressive. Good show.

 

quick uestion.

They complain that the Aston has a single clutch automatic transmission..

What does the XKR S GT have?

 

I assume it still has a torque converter, not a clutch?

 

Yup - same gearbox as the rest of the XK family, same uprated torque converter as the 75 and R-S. The power & torque are the same as the R-S, the changes are all about suspension, handling & aero.

 

No, it's a single-clutch sequential gearbox (SSG), i.e. a manual 'box with a computer-controlled clutch. What that means is that, in auto mode, the ECU & transmission control unit (TCU) decide when to change gear - the TCU disengages the clutch, selects the next gear, then releases the clutch. That happens pretty quick, but there's a disconcerting lurching effect as the power comes off & goes on again. It's just the same as when you change gear in a manual car, but then you're doing it so you expect it to happen & don't really notice it.

A dual-clutch sequential gearbox (DSG) has one clutch for the odd-numbered gears and another clutch for the even-numbered gears. The TCU pre-selects the next gear it expects you to use (higher gear if you're accelerating, lower if you're decelerating), then it can engage one clutch while it disengages the other, which makes the change almost imperceptible. It feels very much like a traditional torque-converter-based auto 'box.

Here endeth the lesson...