Opinion of Recaro seats vs standard seats in XKR
 

I'm considering an 05-06 XKR purchase and wanted to get some opinions on the seats.

Chime in on your preference of the Recaro seats vs the standard seat in terms of look and feel in the XKR. Trying to decide if this should be a determining factor when making a purchase. Do they make in difference in ride quality, long rides especially?

Sorry, but I don't beleive you are going to get a great answer. Seats vary in comfort by the size of the person sitting in them. For example, I am tall (6'8") and somewhat thin, so what is comfortable for me is going to be quite different compared to someone else. Aesthetics are going to be a personal opinion as well. My answer would be to find an example of each to test out and then see which you prefer. To be honest, I'm not sure this issue would be big enough to rank on my list of items to look for in a used Jaguar. Perhaps if there were a larger supply to draw from.

I would like to sit in a Recaro seat, just to try it out, but in all of my searching for a Jag I didn't see a single one with Recaro seats.

I don't believe I ever actually saw, in person, the Recaro seat option when I was searching around for a used XK8/XKR but these always looked great in photos I saw. I certainly would have preferred these seats (especially if they were lower than the so-called "sport" seats that I have) but when you are shopping for used, you are limited to what you find on the market.


Doug

The guys at Coventry West have a set on ebay-
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...1557&viewitem=
I had Recaro seats on another car and they were great on holding you in when we would autocross.

IF......you can even find them in a XK I would buy the car. They fit well and are VERY rare. I have seen 2 in 13 years working on Jaguyers and I loved the fit

Tried a car with the Recaro seats when shopping for the car. Looks good, didn't fit my overweight @ss.

I have the an 05XKR, which is what you are looking for. It has the standard seats, which I love and felt fine during a recent long road trip. I had a '98 before, which had the "sport" seats and they were one piece. I did not like the look or feel of them at all. The one plus is that they did have more lateral support, but I'd gladly trade that for the look and feel of my '05 seats.

I have had cars with Recaro seats although I have not tried the XK with them. My impression is that they have the support needed for spirited driving but in everyday use, they are hard for older guys to get in and out of. I can see why they were rare, they were very tight and deep and they came in some lurid color combinations that required a somewhat liberal attitude as to the looks of them for the long haul.

Yeah, what was up with the color of most of them? If they were the standard interior color, fine, but they were usually something off the wall.

I liked the Recaro seats that I saw on the cars for sale which had them (2 or 3, IIRC). But as I did not get the XKR, it wound up being a moot point.

That said, with the standard seats I much prefer the older style backrest without the adjustable headrest. I think the one piece backrest just looks a lot slicker than the fat overstuffed versions later on. Just my personal preference. Either way, I think the lower seat cushion is the same on all XK seats, perhaps even the Recaros. That part is what holds your @ss in the corners and yet always lacks enough support for me.

Hey Topher. eBay has a set of XKR Recaro seats for $1500 right now. Buy whichever XKR you want and just buy the seats to install in it. Here's the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Recar...ht_1085wt_1168

Fortunately it looks as if they have cleaned off all of the blood. They are from a salvaged XKR

Just hope that the red/black combo does not clash with the rest of your interior or for the exterior either for that matter.

Doug

So if you're 6'8" and fit in an XKR, I guess at 6'3" I'll have no problem! I was wondering about that.

Keith didn't claim he could close the top..........! :icon_lol:

Graham

Lol!

Most of my length is in my legs, so, while my head sometimes touches, I don't have too much trouble. I'm used to folding up my legs to get into things, so that isn't too bad either. I took a coworker for a spin who is 6'10" and has his height in his torso. I think his entire head was above the windshield :)

I guess I better sit in one, I'm looking for a coupe so I won't be driving around with the top down.

Recaro Seat option
 

I have an 04 XKR that has Black Recaro's front and rear. You won't find much on them as they are a rare option probably do to being an extra $6k US. at the time.

Personally I love the Recaros, other than being a little difficult getting in and out of because fo the high bolsters (you get used to it quick), they are extremly comfortable for me. The first time my better half went for a ride she commented that it's the most comfortable car she ever rode in. They do their job well of keeping you in place with agressive driving. I would prefer those high bolsters myself in the case of side impact.

You might read about a few people compaling abut squeaks and the headrests not working. I don't have either of those problems. The alged squeaks might be because when the seats are moved back for an average 6' tall driver, the backs but tight up to the fronts of the rear seats. That dooesn't bother me as rear seats are useless in and XKR.

Wow, Do you guys work as pro basketball players?

I was going to ask if they worked in a circus.:)