Being in SoCal gives me a lot of opportunities but I'm not sure what my stock 4.0 XK8 can outperform. I was on the 405 and saw a Lotus Elise but I figured there was no way, it's too small and nimble, Porsches are all over, SL500/55, Corvettes, BMW 6 series, G36's, etc. etc. so what does an XK8 stackup against?

 

Camry's, Volts, Priuses, most Mini Vans and most other economy cars.

0-60 for an XK8 is mid sixes. That is not slow, by any means, but most modern performance cars are a good bit quicker. I don't run mine very hard, but I think that this car comes into its own in the mid to high range. It has a pretty good run from 60 and up.

If you think that you are going to run around and outrun Vettes and high end BMWs and so forth you will be in trouble.

If you had an XKR, you'd be in the running with most of those cars.

My buddy has a Chrysler 300 Hemi with over 150,000 miles. That is a big, heavy car, and it is quicker to 60 than an XK8.

 

If you're talking beautiful lines and style (and I know you're not), your ride can "take" just about anything on the 10, the 405, and the 5.

It's better to be heartbreakingly beautiful and pretty fast, than forgettable and a little faster. In my opinion.

 

No point in using the accelerator at all. These XK's look far too good to worry about racing anyone. it's a class car all by itself, and it does have nice performance with lots of style and comfort.

If you drive a Jag....especially an XK roadster or coupe...you don't need to prove anything. If you think you do, you're driving the wrong car. Point in fact: when i used to take my ZR-1 out for a cruise, or once in awhile it would happen on a long trip (for about 5 seconds), I would always get someone who wanted to challenge me. When I first got the car, and after the modifications I did to enhance performance, I would play the game just for fun. But it gets boring real quick when you know you have a 200 mph car and the race to the next light doesn't prove anything. So, I just stopped wasting my gas and risking tickets.

I did encounter a guy in an Elise once out on Hiway 95 between towns. We were both cruising about 110 in the dark. I was tempted to play but with jackrabbits and deer along the road I figured it just wsn't worth the risk. And, I knew I could blow him off anyway.

So, enjoy the music of the car and the stereo, and be nice when people give you thumbs up just because the car is what it is.

 

Do you judge a beauty contest on how fast the winner can run? Come on!!! It's a Jag.

 

^^^THIS^^^


My XK8's performance off the line is decent, but from 55 to 80 it blows my sock off.

 

Ok...now that's a disturbing thought.

Beauty queen bikini races...in heels, of course.

 

I've always thought that there's more to Jags than just style, elegance, and a nice stereo but obviously many disagree.....including, for wayyyy too many years, Jaguar's own advertising and marketing departments.

Although the car in question isn't a good choice against modern day performance cars there's no reason to be at the back of the pack choking on everyone else's exhaust. Jags belong at the head of the pack.

Adversaries must be chosen carefully but there's no reason to drive as though the car was made of glass, either. Most Jags are, it seems, and that saddens me :-)

I say "Give 'er the boot" at every opportunity and, even if you can't win many drag races, at least show that Jags are useful for something other than a classy arrival at the opera house.

Cheers
DD

 

I just love it when some kid in some fancied up rice rocket (usually a Subaru WRX) is side by side with me at the line for a red light. All it takes is a glance, and a little rev (not you Sam). Then you watch him blow through the intersection while you mosey on through with your grand touring car, hoping there's a policeman watching.

 

Especially in SoCal, even if you had a reasonably fast car you will likely be blown away at the next intersection by someone with a faster car. The "fastest" car I had was the one right before buying the Jaguar. It was a 1995 Corvette (red of course) that was pretty fast by the standards at the time. I hardly ever did any red light racing but the satisfaction I derived was knowing that I could probably hold my own against most "normal" cars.

By the numbers my Jaguar is supposed to be about as fast as the Corvette but it just doesn't feel that way (probably due to the heavier and larger size where you don't really feel the speed as much). But I have cared even less about red light races since the looks and classiness of the car are enough for me. I just sort of mosey along, both on the streets and on the freeway, basically making the statement that I don't need to care how fast a rolling piece of artwork can go.

Doug

 

I did a test last year with my 97 XK8. My car run's great and seams to pull nice and hard all the way to 100mph ( so I thought ). I though, way not race a quarter mile againt another 4.0 of another brand. So I got a buddy of mine and we lined up. I went up againt my wife's 2001 Jeep cherokee sport 4.0 straight 6. From a dead stop all the way to 80mph I was looking at the back of the Jeep. I was gaining some ground but not as fast as I would of liked. So..........for our XK8's they are great looking nice handling car's but dont try to out run soccer mom's in it at the stop light's.

 

Well I'm a bit younger than your average Jag owner, early 30s, so I guess the testosterone is a bit more when some dude on the freeway and between stoplights gets the better of me! I've seen nothing short of a Ferrari here that has the aesthetics of my coupe. I did see a Zonda on a tow truck bed going north on the 405 once! Yeah it's not a performance car but it LOOKS like one for sure! People probably think I have a V12 in there with the styling and tires!!

 

My wife's XK8 is purely a convertible sports tourer. A drop-dead gorgeous car that is plenty fast enough for her. But a dragster it is not, and we simply don't attempt to use it that way....

 

If you got beat by a Jeep with a 4.0-6 there's something wrong with your Jag. But first, I would NEVER drag my Jag from a dead stop. There are far too many expensive parts to break, and it puts serious strain on the entire driveline. These are GT cars, not drag racers. The smooth power in these cars is from 20 or 30 up to 100+. And I believe you have to switch off the traction control, too.

And, yes, I'll admit I did have one incident where I was trying to move over to the left turn lane on a 6 lane divided boulevard near my house when some dumbazz in a wannabee ricer sped up and wouldn't let me over. I was in the middle lane, pulled around the car in front of me and accelerated hard, passed, and moved back over all 3 lanes and into the turn lane before the ricercrap could catch up. Not a very safe move, and far exceeded the speed limit in less than a quarter mile, but the car did what I expected....blew the ba*tard off and got where I needed.

 

I agree with oldjaglover, while it is no drag racing king, an XK8 should be able to take down a six cylinder Jeep Cherokee!!! You may have the loose throttle cable problem.

Check out this thread.


https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...estored-38663/

 

There is nothing wrong with my car. I know these cars well and it run's and drives great. Go find a 4.0 Jeep and give it a try. Maybe from a roll things would have been different.

 

I own both a straight six Cherokee and an XK8. The Jag would probably win a race in reverse, especially once speeds got above 60 mph The Jeep has good torque and gets off the line pretty well, but it runs out of steam pretty early.

Here's my Jeep:


I haven't raced too many cars, simply because I view the car as the Grand Tourer that it is, but I am also relatively young (27) and I've had a few encounters with friends. None of the cars I've raced were all that quick, but I did have a few run-in's with a 2007 Mustang GT Convertible with a touch over 300 HP. He destroyed me off the line, but I took him from 70-120ish.

I should have bought an XKR, but the XK8 hasn't disappointed me and it's been so trouble free that it is a keeper.

 

"FWIW".... according to Car and Driver.......


Ford Escape vs. Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe, Jeep Cherokee, and Seven More Compact SUVs - Comparison Tests


....a 2001 Cherokee 4.0 L6 will go 0-60 in 8.4 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 16.5 seconds.

Any standard issue XK8 should be able to out-drag the Jeep very easily, being a at leat 1.5 seconds faster in both sprints. A 1.5 second difference is quite a lot.

Cheers
DD

 

I prefer to be behind most Soccer moms! The view is much nicer, LOL

 

if you happened to live on the righthand side of the Atlantic Ocean you could out accelerate almost everything regularly on the roads. Not because it is faster, but because most prestige cars are powered by rattly diesel engines.