Let me start off by saying, I have been a Jag owner for about a year. And am very happy with the exclusivity of Jaguar ownership. I have always admired the british motor cars for being what I consider "World Class". As a Land Rover owner for nearly 2 decades (2-Defenders, Range Rover, Discovery, LR3, and a Series IIa) this led me to my Jag purchase.
Now for my dilemma, I am at this time considering trading my 2008 XJ8L (5000 Mi) for a 07 or 08 XK. The reason I posted this here is, Do any of you XK owners ever regret purchasing the sport coupe over another model? If so why? I realize the downside of the 2 seater, however the XK has to be the best looking motorcar in the world. Better than an M series BMW, More stunning than MB, more affordable than Porsche, and well the japanese stuff is just not on par.
I truly enjoy my XJ and the pleasure it provides rolling down the road at above posted speed limits, (with 23-25 mpg as an added bonus) yet I long for that very unique grand touring coupe.
If you XK owners can provide me with your likes and dislikes of your purchase it may ease (or intensify) the desire to own the baddest cat on the planet.
Regards, Jeff

 

I think the XK coupe is sharp and with so few on the roads (in cincy anyways) in another 5-10 years people will look at them and go WHAT THE HECK IS THAT. They are really sharp. I'd get one but I have one XK and that is all I can handle. Ha ha ha.
Anyways wife drives the XK8 and I finally picked up one of my my dream cars, 96 Impala SS. Like the Jag, but the Impala whups its **** in the power dept.

 

Cars of this quality and style, and, in my opinion, to a lesser extent all the other high end cars, are just super hero costumes. The quality and driveability of the XJR/XKR are the same. It just depends on whether you wish to be superman or batman.

Both cars are beautiful with timeless styling that will turn heads for a long time.

 

True, Very true. One isn't "Better" than the "Other", just different.
Jeff

 

Jeff, I have had my 2005 XKR coupe for about 2.5 years now and it has been an excellent car. The ride is very solid and the car is a dream to drive. I have had no significant mechanical or repair issues, but I do practice regular PM. My friends drive Porsches and Mercedes but it is the XKR that gets all the attention and certainly has the more refined ride. I would have to say that the XKR strikes the perfect balance between sports car and a very sleek grand touring sedan. To me the coupe is art on wheels and I would definitely buy again.

Reagrds

Tim V.

 

Thanks for the info guy's, I may test drive one later today and make the comparison for myself. Unfortunately the one's locally are not the R version. However I have found the 300hp in my XJ to be very adequate in the performance department.
Jeff

 

I've had my 2000 XK8 Coupe for a year now. It puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. If I had it to do all over again I'd get an XKR Coupe. I'd like the extra power for driving over the mountain passes here in Oregon and I'm just a power person.

I purchased November 2008 and the car had 27000 miles. It now has 56700 miles in a year and 2 months.

The throttle body was replace and the ABS system's board was resoddered. I'm going to have the tensioners changed and also the water pump in a couple of months. I replaced the front rotors and also the pads and adjusted the ebreak a couple of times. I change oil every 3000 miles and I use Valvoline 5w30. I send an oil sample to Blackstone Labs every oil change for a peek at how things are going with the bearings and other metal parts inside this engine. Things are great inside this engine dispite the piston wall coating.

 

I went from an '02 996 Turbo to an '06 xk8 coupe ... I was looking for an R but couldn't find one in a coupe... the xk8 was beautiful and refined but the passion was missing until I bought my '08 XKR ....

I have to agree with Tim; the R is the perfect blend between sports car and GT.... or as my kid's call it: 'an old man's sports car' .....

 

MJA, Is the suspension tuned differently between the R model and the reg XK? If memory serves me correctly there was different tuning in the XJ's suspension between models.
I can say when I test drove the XJR it did put a big smile on my face, however I also felt the sensation that I would be showing my DL to the authorities on a more frequent basis. I will agree with your kids, It is an "Old Man's Sport's Car". Man it's good to be old! And "Refined", and "Distinguished", and "Urbane". LOL
Jeff

 

Having had Jaguars since my first car (63 E-type coupe 3.8 bought in 65), I have tried a lot of cars. I got the current 06 XKR Coupe in mid 2009. I picked a black car that had the 20" Detroit BBS wheels with the red Brembos. It attracts a lot of attention and it feels alive to drive, it is very active on the road, with amazing road feel and power that allows one to perform very quick movements. The car also has the optional upgraded suspension and it is very taut and not what I think of as a grand tourer but more of a racer. My XJ8 is the best touring car I have ever owned, much better on the road for a long trip. I think the design of the 97-06 series is the best looking car Jag ever designed and wanted to have one before they got too old. Being an architect, design is a lifestyle and cars that you like to look at go with it all.
All in all, the XKR fitted like mine is a point-and-squirt powerhouse that attracts attention and is a pleasure to just look at, as someone said, mechanical art. It is not a grand touring car, look for the XJ8 or XF for that.

 

oil in the water.