...have you noticed:

This car feels larger when you're inside it? I swear, it does look kinda small on the outside, and sometimes getting in the vehicle in the morning takes a little more effort than I'm used to, but once inside... I feel roomy. And my road footprint feels larger than it is. I guess that's good for safety

The nice little growl when you push into the pedal? I've never had a v8 that was so tiny... 244 ci? It's 'cute' but fierce. When you're holding a steady speed, you hear and feel the road, but when you give it some gas, it puts a smile on my face.

It's like a rocket on the highway... I went from 65-110 without even realizing how fast I was going. This could just be due to my last two vehicles being trucks. I'll actually try to push it after I get my suspension redone.

I find that every excuse to go out driving leads me to go out driving. Now, I've owned a lot of vehicles in my life, but this one just says "drive me" much more as well as it breaks down my willpower to say no.

That average 16mpg is pretty decent? Well, that's double what my 454 Suburban gets, so I feel like I'm in economy mode. lol

Maybe it's just been too long since I've owned something sporty.

 

Well said. The only thing I would disagree with is referring to these as 'sporty' vehicles. The emphasis with Jaguar seems to have been refinement which, to me, translates to disconnecting you from the road. Of course I am coming from a 1995 Corvette which was absolutely unrefined. You felt every bump and shift point versus the Jaguar which feels like silk and the shifts are slurred. Still, it is a great Grand Tourer.


Doug

 

Well, I'm not calling it a sports car, but it is sporty. It's small, light, quick and designed to handle well and you can definitely feel the road better than if you were driving a truck, suv or sedan. You can't feel every little pebble, but the car doesn't give you a floaty or disconnected from the road feeling. At least not with mine.

And for it being a Grand Tourer, most non-European GT models are a bit sporty. Then again, I'm thinking Fiat or Alfa when it comes to Euro-GTs.

 

16mpg??? I've been getting 22 to 25 in mixed highway/city driving. If I do strictly highway driving I can get 28 or 29 mpg if I don't run the air conditioner and stick to the speed limit.

 

The 5 speed transmission and the 4.0 is considerably less efficient than the 4.2 and the 6 speed, although 16 mpg sounds just a bit low.

The 4.2 and 6 speed is actually pretty amazing for the power you get...I have clocked 32 mpg on the highway on an extended run in my s-type.

 

Small and light???--Not so much. The size and weight of these rival or exceed some 4 door sedans. However, it does seem to handle very well for its size and bulk.


Doug

 

My '97 is getting right at 24 on the freeway. Most of my miles are between Portland and north of Seattle, about 600 miles per week. The few times I've done most of the tank on "around town" driving I got about 16-17. That just shows you the 4000# that you're riding in.

 

Your MPG figures do seem a bit high, I would get 26 on a run and that was an XKR, I would get 30 in an XK8 and these are all 4.0ltr

I would have to drive my XKR.... shall we say 'quite quickly' to get it down to 16mpg

 

I'm just going by what the computer says. Guess I should actually pay attention next time I fuel up.

And yes, I do drive with a heavy foot... I'm certainly not babying this vehicle.

I guess I feel it's kinda sporty cause my last primary driver was a Ford F250.

The 16mpg is mostly from around town driving. I'll check usage against the trip meter next time...


edit: I feel like I've broken some gentlemen's club etiquette by pushing the car to slowly find it's limits... I'm a very courteous driver... I always move if someone wants to pass, I don't cut people off and I often wave and waive my right of way to someone else. That being said, I have pushed the car here and there... I have spun the tires a few times as well as lightly pitching it on turn or two that I know that I can control just to see where the limit of the car lies and where I have to actually drive. My apologies if that's rough or extreme to some of you... I just like to be fully aware of what my vehicles are capable of, and at some point I'll drive the tank to empty just to see how many miles I can get past the warning light.

I feel oddly out of place now...

 

Just a reminder to all that a UK gallon is 1.2 times an American gallon

 

Now that is a valid point lol


And one I had completely forgot about

 

Ha ha! I used to do that whenever I got a new car! I'd carry a gallon can of fuel around with me to put in the tank after I ran it bone dry. Then one day I ran out of gas right in the middle of the busiest intersection in Orange County, California. It was rush hour. I caused a minor traffic jam. You would have thought I was in Brooklyn the way people were honking and cussing at me.

 

I think you will get better mileage than what the computer tells you. I drive somewhat spirited, but also do a lot of highway and average 20-22, while the computer puts me at 18-20. Around town or if I drive even more spirited, I could see 16 easy, maybe less

 

I know you Americans are used to humungous cars, but I was surprised at how long my XKR was when I got it home. It's significantly longer than both our Renault Espace (7-seater minibus) and my Ford Transit van, and only just fits in my garage lengthwise. It makes my Mazda Miata/MX5 look like a stupid toy

 

Ok, that makes me feel a little better. I far from being a passive driver, but I'm not really racing around town either. For the most part.


Haha, oh wow. I can imagine that scene. Yeah, I've done this with every car (probably approaching 20 now) that I've ever owned. Not that I plan to run out of gas anytime soon... but you know that drill.


I was taking the computer for face value... but seeing how that's double my Burb's milage, it made me feel better. lol I guess I'm a lazy American.


Well, the XK certainly isn't small like a Miata, Boxer, BMWZ, most people drive mid to large sized vehicles here, so out of 10-20 cars at a stop light, I'm one of the 'small' cars.

BTW, nice looking pair!

 

I agree with you completely Xenophobe. Our perceptions are very similar. Hell yeah it's sporty; without being overly harsh like a stiffly sprung sports car. Quoting an excerpt from Jaguar XK8 a modern sporting icon:

“The XK’s ability to produce a refined ride with a sporting edge is one of it’s key assests..” That’s why we love them!

I say..Get Real..to those that critique the car like a magazine road test. How often do you really take a corner at near 1G, accelerate at full throttle to red-line until reaching top gear, or brake to the point of scrubbing tread off (if it would let you)? Granted they won't perform like a 3200 pound 6.2 liter Vette; however, that is not what "I" want in a car. I want something I can get in and out of without hurting, that coddles me on the inside. (Sometimes I find myself stroking the dash while admiring the walnut) Something that delivers exhilarating, spirited performance (they should all be supercharged) and handling without a jolting or bumpy ride (I love how it just gently squats over a big dip in the road). Something that has sensational (almost erotic) looks, with a bulge in the hood to evoke emotion and placate my ego. Actually, I’m glad I didn’t have to choose between a manual or auto. (It would have been an extremely difficult decision for me.) But now, after having driven the car for 6 months and experiencing it’s seemless acceleration and shifting, I would take the auto box. Maybe I’m just getting older...BUT I do wish I had another 100hp, posi-traction and a paddle shifter ha ha. Just my opinion…”It’s all good”

 

It's safe to say our cars are small(ish). But they are heavy. MY XK8 puts out more power more efficiently than my Z28, but the Z28 is still faster... it's about half the weight in a similar sized package if I recall correctly.

 

I guess my feeling is this: If you love it, does it love you back?

After putting more than 100k on my 99XK8 coupe (before being totaled at 136k) as a daily driver I'm now enjoying the daylights out of the 2000 convertible.

And so far, it love me back. The feeling is indeed mutual!

 

I couldn't have said it any better. Except I think the shocks on my car are just a tad soft. But that's probably because I think they're the originals.

I also find ASC annoying at times... but I usually leave it on (even though I keep thinking to myself if I should have it default to the off position.) It seems to kick in more when I'm turning right than when I'm turning left though. At first I thought I had a problem with stalling when taking a sudden right and pushing hard on the pedal... until I saw the yellow light and ASC show up in my display. Grrr. I wish it wouldn't kick in until I was already going 30-40mph.

I don't want a full on sports car. I want the luxury that my car gives and the performance only when I want or need it... which actually is about as often as not and my XK8 does do that really well I think.

And I agree NCE KTY, it does love me back.

 

I had a '98 XK8 coupe and I got high 19s for mpg with pretty spirited driving. When doing the tensioners I changed the plugs and get high 20's - even 21 for mpg after that with the same spirited driving. Its a pretty rural area, so there wasn't a ton of stop and go, but 16 does seem low.