So just before I pull the trigger on my new 11' XKR I notice that the same dealer has an 11' 911S for about the same price... I really like the GT3 but never really considered an S. It temped me some...

So I posted this in the 997 forum. Thought you guys would get a kick out of some of the feedback.

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/9...dered-xkr.html

 

I come from a very long line of 911's; cabs, coupes and turbos. My first was in 1984, a new Carrera Cab and my last in 2007 a new C2S coupe 6 spd. 911's are sports cars where the XK is a GT, when Porsche comes out with a 2 door Panamera it will be a good comp to the XK. I had the new 2013 991 on order but went for the XKR due to the need for true cooled seats which the 991 does not have (only vented). I also had 2 new 928S4's in 87 and 88, those cars were fabulous and would be the closest thing Porsche ever made to an XK.
You might want to post the same thing on Rennlist as they're a bit more of a sophisticated group than 6speed, but again the two cars are in quite different categories so don't expect too much praise but they should appreciate the beauty and power of the XKR

 

You have good taste my friend. As if you didn't know ;-)

Love the 928... Believe it or not I was actually shopping those too. Narrowed it down to a 2 low mileage 88's 1 red, 1 black. The Black one was supercharged and had lower miles. I decided to spend more $ and get a modern GT for fear that I'd tire of the old interior controls etc of a 928. But having had 944 Turbo, 968 and 944S2 I'm sure I'll eventually own a 928!

 

Thank you...back at ya.

Good thing you stayed away from the supercharged 928 as 928s are notoriously expensive to repair and one with an aftermarket supercharger could be real trouble. The best 928 was the GTS and there are still a few low mileage ones around. Think you made a great choice with the modern XK.

 

Evoking,

I was watching Motor Trend this afternoon and they just happened to review the Jaguar XKR // XKR-S. What a car! Beautiful performance and an all blacked out XKR with red brake calipers. I have always been partial towards Jaguars - I would buy the XKR.

 

I tested out a 991 before I ordered the XK. IMO, it's like comparing apples and oranges. The Porsche is an extremely nimble and extremely tight sports car, while the XK is a luxury GT. While the Porsche was a blast to drive, I found it very uncomfortable. In fact, after being in the car for about 25 minutes, both of my legs sort of went numb, and when I finally got out of the car, they were both tingling.

Right after I drove it, I then went to the Jag dealer and drove the XK. The minute I got in it, I said, "this car is perfect for me."

 

I'd like to see how the Maserati folks compare the GT, GrandSport, and Grand Turismo to the XK and XKR. 911 is not as close a car as the Maserati coupes and to me the only real direct competition.

911 is too different a car, but those guys on that 6speed should get out drive an XK/XKR before the strart running thier mouth.

 

The MB SL is also a competitor; 550 to the XK and 63 to the XKR. With the new SL now completely redone it would be interesting to see how the jags stack up. The new TTV8 in the base V8 550 produces 430hp and a whopping 516lb ft of trq. The new AMG 63 will probably crush the R in most every perf test. For folding hardtops the SL has it locked. Haven't seen the new SL in the flesh yet and will appropriately reserve judgement on the car's SLS type styling until then.
The 6 series is yet another competitor to the XK's . Drove the new 6 cab before I got the Jag, nice car but no real cooled seats; the coupe was much nicer looking that the vert as I didn't care for the winglets in the rear of the cnvt top.

 

I really don't see the 911 and XKR as being super comparable cars...just too different. Both equally appealing to the those who appreciate them, or for those whose tastes change and move from one to the other. I tried Porsche on for size when I was considering Maserati and Aston but just couldn't warm to the styling of them, other than the GT3, and it's not really that suitable for street use. A tour on the Maserati and Aston forums cured me of wanting them. The newer XKR's appear to be absolutely bullit-proof, and easily the most reliable Jaguar. Owners of other marques don't know that, and the low numbers of XK/XKR's even keep it excluded from reliability surveys. So it will likely remain one of Jaguars best kept secrets and I'm okay with that...otherwise half the Porsche, Bimmer and AMG crowd would be buying them

Bruce

 

The MBs are heavy though... the new SL550 checks in at 4k, and I didn't see what the AMG would check in at. Mind you, there's a huge difference in how the car behaves as well. I drove an 09 SL before I bought the Jag, and while it was a competent performer it was somehow... boring. Maybe that's just my aesthetics kicking in, but it felt as though the car had no soul inside or out.

I really thought the competition to be the 6 series, the SL, Maserati, and Vantage. I did drive a 10 911s cab... and I liked the car quite a bit. Roomy enough for my tall back and big noggin. But the price they wanted made my eyes water. And it just doesn't sing like the Jag did.

But truth be told I wanted more of a GT than a sports car, so there ya go!

 

I concur on all counts. SL seems boring and heavy. I've have had boo-koo pure sportscars and was ready for a GT as well.

BUT I wanted it to have a harder more atheletic edge.

 

The new SL weighs in almost 300 lbs lighter than the outgoing version as its now aluminum and pretty darn close to the current XK's weight and that's with a full metal folding roof.

The new SL will be far from boring and trounce the regular XK in most every performance test; Car and a driver is expecting 0-60 in 4.0 seconds; I can only imagine what the new 63 will do.

As I stated earlier on I will reserve judgment on the looks of the car until I see it in the flesh, but the new interior looks great in the pics. The 13 SL is due at dealers anytime now.

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/201...ws?redirect=no

http://www.caranddriver.com/photos-1...0-photo-436034

 

I've owned 6 Porsches....986, 993, 996, 997S. The '06 997S was a fabulous car. Traded it for my 08 XKR, and have had no regrets. Most of these Porsches were fast, great handling, and beautiful hot rods. The Jag is much more refined and satisfying.

Drove a friend's 997S the other day. Great car, but I didn't get excited about it......not like the XKR.

 

Go check out the 991, they did a very nice job with it...it's not a large GT like the XK, but it is an excellent sports car.

 

I drove the 991 Carerra S yesterday. It's a rocketship, and is extremely tight and nimble, however, it might be the most uncomfortable car I've ever driven. The seats are so damn hard. For that matter, everything inside that car is hard. After about 15 minutes, I had had enough. To me, the only thing that car has going for it is incredible acceleration and speed...and noise. I realize those are the only things that matter to a lot of people, but I need luxurious comfort in my cars.

 

Some good comments in this thread.

I can't help but notice how goal posts for defining "sports car" versus "GT" are always moving as cars get faster and more advanced.

Seems like just a few years ago a car with the technical specification, power, braking, and cornering of a modern XKR would certainly be a sports car or "performance" car.

Nowdays, though, it's relegated to mere "GT" status ! :-)

Yet, cars that are considered "true" sportcars are loaded with comfort features: air conditioning, power windows, cruise control, whiz-bang sound systems.....

Carry on.... :-)

Cheers
DD

 

Lol.....some interesting comments and analagies

 

The 911 has much more going for it than acceleration, speed and noise; like handling, braking, one of the highest retained resale values, classic good looks, excellent initial quality numbers, fabulous gearboxes etc etc .

The 911 in any rendition is surely not for you. Larger, softer and smoother is a much better fit; a Jaguar xk is a perfect fit.

 

You'll never catch me driving a 911 again. Only drove it once (930 Turbo) but, it nearly killed me in a high speed incident, due to its horrible weight distribution and suspension geometry. It was not for lack of skills as I was a winning road-race car driver at the time.

I can not believe that that rear engine configuration is still being made and not allowed to die. Every car that was ever made with rear engine (defined as the engine/transaxle located BEHIND the rear axle) was a pig and the 911 is no exception. They may have added super sticky tires, electronic suspension to tame the worst of its natural vices but, you can not remedy the physical shortcomings of that engine/transaxle layout. It will always be there, waiting for you to make a mistake and it will kill you and spit on your grave.

Famous Porsche race car driver, Bob Akin, once said about the 911 variants:

"You can not make a racehorse out of a pig but, you can make an awful fast pig" - that pretty well summed it up, coming from a guy who made a living out of racing Porsches.

After owning high performance cars with front and mid engines, I prefer a front engined street car for ultimate street performance driving. I am convinced that it is the safest and fastest configuration for the street.

Albert

 

That's a different take on the 911 than I have (but not necessarily wrong). I just sold my 500 hp 996 TT and bought my Xkr-s. I had a good amount of track time in my porsche (stock suspension). The 996 TT with awd would predictably understeer and it was hard to break traction with the rear tires. I have several friends who have new 997 PDk TT 's, which are really fast, but are much easier to drive than my jag. I really like my jag and to be honest, one of the reasons I chose this car vs a 997 TT S, is that it's more challenging to drive. I have been in some older single turbo Rwd 911 turbos and I agree they can be a handful. However, the newer generation versions seem much easier to drive vs my front engine Rwd jag.