Hi,

I’m just thinking out loud here.I currently have a n 05 xk8 convertible and absolutely love the looks.I was planning on adding an 07~09xkr150 coupe but have had some rethink about that. The x150 platform is much more rigid than the x100.I’ve read old road tests and the overall consensus was that the x150 convertible is more rigid and better handling than the x100 coupe. I want it all and can’t afford it all.Please offer your opinions on my plans for a new stable being made up of an xkr150 convertible and a late model xkr 100 coupe. I believe the handling of the x150 convert is sufficient for my thrill/speed seeking adventures and the looks of the coupe along with its somewhat better rigidity (compared to the convertible) should make it tolerable for me while every one is admiring the beautiful lines it possess. Happy New Year Everyone



wj

 

when I am taking some hard S turns at 100+ mph in an '02 XKR, I'm not very concerned with being able to "tolerate" the X-100 chassis deficient handling qualities.

Yes, the X-150 is a stiffer chassis. No, you don't need that degree of rigidity to throughly enjoy the car unless you are headed to LeMans for the 24 hour endurance race. People make a crucial error in observation when they characterize the X-100 couple as flexible.

What is really going on is a errant conclusion based on the feeling one gets from driving with worn out suspension parts. When the suspension is in "as new" condition, the X-100 coupe is something a tad more than "tolerable" on any twisty road you can name.

Z

 

wymjym,
I have both an X100 'vert and an X150 5.0L coupe, and I love both for different reasons. The 2002 XKR convertible is just plain sensuous and gorgeous and wears proudly its links to its past heritage, the XKE. The 2010 XKR coupe is just so much better in every driving dynamic, power, handling, ride, composure, there is simply no comparison, the X150 platform is a more modern, better engineered, more satisfying ride. But, it's not as sexy, though quite handsome. Drive a couple, especially back to back with your X100, and get a feel for them.

 

I went for a spirited ‘hill country ‘ drive yesterday. Wet roads were fun, the convertible slid predictably in all (slow to high speed) situations. I have no complaints. The roads then dried and I found that as long as the road surface was smooth (not a reasonable assumption for public roadways) I once again had no complaints. One can feel the relative flex between front and rear but I’ve lived with much worse. However, if I was set up hard into a corner with a need for a directional change and the road was a bit choppy…my fight for stability was quite a handful.Fwiw I drove my ss’s 3 litre xf over the same roadways last year and I went quite a bit faster with less drama.Conclusion, I love the car, I am happy with the handling but a coupe it is not.I think I’ll pursue getting an x100 coupe and replace my x100 vert with an x150 xkr vert.Now just to find the $ before I find the cars.

wj

 

 

The x100 convertible handles very well but it is a GT , not a 'sports car'. It will handle anything that you can do, that is even remotely legal, with ease and comfort.

 

^^^^^^^ +1

before I purchased my '02 XKR, I looked at many so called "sports cars" including many Corvettes from the same general era, 1998 - 2007 more or less. The XKR coupe, not marketed as a sports car, handled better, was more precise in the curves, and had better acceleration than the Corvette "sport cars" by a substantial margin. And was totally in another class comfort wise.



I looked for a year for the best automotive experience that can be had for under $10,000 to 15,000. I found out that , for the money, you cannot find a better car than the X-100 series.

364 days and 16,600 miles later, I'm even more convinced of that.

Z.