I find a noticeable difference in the sport mode but only in gear selection. Seems to be in too high of gear at low speeds and lugging between 30 and maybe 45 mph.
Since generally engines like RPM much more than lugging, I usually am in sport mode when stop and go around town.
2X

 

My beast defo seems faster when it sees me get in wearing my jeans and t-shirt, as opposed to my work suit! Bazaar...


Oh, also seems to go like the clappers in Sport or not in Sport mode when The Clash comes on the CD..!!!
Crazy...

 

twice today in traffic I thought my car felt sluggish. second time I looked over and noticed the cruise button on but not sport. Sport engaged, oh yes, acceleration from dead stop or nearly so much more brisk.

Also, for anyone contemplating xk8 vs xkr, the xkr clearly shows noticeably greater torque even at 2000-2400 rpm. And I'm at mile high elevation...

Redeye, "Rock the casbah!" I love that tune.

 

I've used sport mode for both of our Jags since day one. I've run both modes for comparison on each and there's definitely a difference between the 2 modes. Sport mode holds each gear change a little bit longer than normal mode.

 

You get better mpg in Sport than normal mode? That seems counterintuitive

 

Old thread but in sport mode the 6spd will not shift into overdrive or 6th gear as well as higher shift points for all gears.

 

Hi Charlie, my 2005 XKR does hold the downshift longer in sport mode, but it's not just for foolery, it's for trail braking into turns so that the car does not upshift unexpectedly when you're in an oversteer attitude at the limit of traction at the apex. Hmmm, I guess that does count as hooliganery ;-)

Rgds, Fred

 

If you want to see if there's a difference, turn it on while you're sitting at a stoplight. Hope you have your foot well on the brake! RAWR. SNARL.

After more than a couple guys here (you lying bastids?) said it would 'learn' how I drove and respond more accordingly, I've just left it on all the time. It's more fun to drive that way and still gets good enough mileage- that I didn't tell a difference of. Meh.

It's definitely one of the more relaxed sport modes I've used, which is why I probably never turn it off. However, the one in my old Audi S8 turns that car into a rabid German Shepherd that you continually have to calm down at normal paces until you throw it back in Drive. BIG difference at WOT off the line or on a track though.

 

My XKR is pretty quick in "normal" mode but press the "Sport" button and boot it and it goes ballistic. Gear changes happen at much higher RPM, much quicker kickdown (and seems to drop more gears when you do), steering and ride are sharper and the sound is like God having a tantrum... Certainly in mine there's no comparison - "normal" is for cruising, "Sport" is for hooning about.

No idea about fuel consumption although a quick boot in "Sport" sees the Range readout drop dramatically. I normally leave mine out of "Sport" mode and only put it on when I feel like a bit of hooligan driving, so the learning function must know what's expected of it by now when I press the button.

The supercharger howl is intoxicating - and I usually have something like The Hives blasting out as well. I really should grow up...

 

As my 2004 STR has sensors (accelerometers) it already does not gear change in such circumstances, so no need to put it in sport. Isn't the 2005 XKR the same? (I suspect it is.)

 

Since my mid muffler delete I have been keeping the car in normal mode as it sounds better in town at the lower RPM.

 

Yes, the 2005 XKR has the accelerometers. I know the accelerometers play a part in setting the CATS shocks to firm (among the other things that they do for the DSC), but I haven't tested for hanging the gear change while cornering when not in sport mode (I just leave it in sport mode all the time unless I'm on a highway road trip). Another good reason to go out and use up some rubber !

On another point, my wife's 2014 Audi S5 cab turns into an entirely different car when it is in 'dynamic' mode. A noticable difference in every aspect of the driving experience except for braking. Also, the S5 has 'launch mode' which is just ever so cool. I don't wish for a manual transmission for my XKR, but I'd really like to have an 8 speed DCS transmission like the S5.

Best Regards, Fred

 

I just bought my XKR and I've learned so much from you people on this forum. Thanks very much. One of the main things I've learned is about the sports mode. I had not used it til I read about it on here. Some cocky guy in a Mercedes s amg tried to show off and race around me today. Oh no he was surprised.

 

Mine behaves somewhat differently. In sport mode it does shift into 6th, but only at ~ 70 MPH or higher.

 

I've have always heard that our cars start in 2nd gear, unless in sport mode or using the J-gate to shift. Thing is, I am having a brake switch problem that intermittently prevents the car from shifting up from 1st regardless of whether it's in normal Drive, Sport Drive or J-gate "2nd". In order to upshift I have to swing the lever over to the left, select 2nd and then upshift to 3rd. Being stuck in 1st is no fun. You know for sure it ain't 2nd. I hope to replace the switch in the next couple of weeks. But in the meantime I usually use the J-gate to to start in 2nd (1st) and shift manually to ensure I don't stay in 1st.

 

Here I thought the "S" Switch was for the Snow Mode. I was waiting until I got my studded snows on to give it a test.