Power corrupts… and supercharged luxury sport coupe power corrupts awesomely.
In the rarefied air of this automotive segment, there are a few must-have items to be checked off the list. I want elegant exterior styling with subtle muscular design cues. I need a comfortable interior that is fitted with up-scale materials, up-dated technology, and provides adequate support if the road gets twisty. Finally, I need a power plant under the hood that growls, snarls, pops, and shouts at me when I push the gas pedal to the carpet – yet remains civil and smooth when I pick my wife up from a long day at her office.
So does the 2010 Jaguar XKR cover all areas of my checklist? No.
It lights the list on fire while slapping me in the face… it has everything I want and more.
The XKR is a damn good car to stare at, regardless of whether it is moving or standing still. I had more than one person ask me if it was an Aston Martin… not a bad car to be confused with, and proof the that exterior style works. Those who know even a little bit about cars however, can tell that this is indeed an aluminum-skinned jungle cat. The exterior lines flow smoothly from front to back with the occasional protrusion to hint at the fact this is no mere shuttle for smooth sailing between point A and point B.
The interior of the Jaguar is a simply a nice place to be. The soft-grain leather seats are both heated and cooled. The sound is pumped through a magnificent Bowers & Wilkins 525 watt audio system with a six-disc changer. The climate controls, audio system, and navigation system are accessed through an easy-to-reach touchscreen. The interior is wonderfully laid out and quite comfortable. The seats also provide the aforementioned required support when I feel like pretending the Pacific Coast Highway has morphed into the Isle of Man.
It is not all perfect inside however – the touchscreen was confusing to use at first because of the way the menus are arranged. It was not very intuitive. I also wish the graphics could be brought up a few notches. Once I learned how to use the system though, it became second nature – it’s just that the learning curve should have been much shorter.
New for this year, and easily the most exciting part of the car, is the 5.0L V8 under the hood. With the aid of a supercharger, the XKR produces 510 hp, and sends it out to the rear wheels. The six-speed automatic transmission goes from luxury car smooth to neck-snapping fun with the slap of a steering-wheel mounted paddle. This car, to put it quite un-eloquently… hauls ass.
Oftentimes, when reviewing a car, it is nice to turn the traction control off (or as far off as the computer will allow) and really enjoy the experience. Not so for this XKR. The traction control system does a marvelous job of wrangling all the rear-wheel power without hurting any of the fun behind the wheel. Turn that off and the car turns into your choice of : a) a burnout king or b) the next star of Fast & Furious: Liverpool Drift. A & B can be fun at times, but for wringing out the most of the car without ending up as guardrail paint – I recommend keeping the watchful eye of HAL partly in check. Besides the traction control, there is a button near the console-mounted gear selector with a picture of a checkered flag on it. This one you do want to push. It puts the car into Dynamic Mode, which firms up the suspension, increases throttle response,and lets you rev the engine up to the limiter in each gear.
The 2010 Jaguar XKR is truly a polarizing luxury sports coupe, with many seemingly contrasting words fitting as a proper description. The car has a classical style yet boasts a powerful stance with strong features (like the rear hips and the front lower air vents). The interior space is luxurious yet a comfortable place to sit while pushing a car to its limits. The engine … well there is nothing polarizing about the engine. It is a true beast that makes driving the XKR a joy with every press of the start button.
The 2010 Jaguar XKR coupe starts at $95,150.00 and the one you see here wears the optional ($5,000) 20-in Nevis wheels. This, along with destination, pushes the car to an even $101,000. This is the second time we have reviewed a powerhouse luxo-rocket with a six-figure price tag… only this time it makes sense.
2010 Jaguar XKR
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nice read, and a damn fine looking car.
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Once again, my envy meter has been pegged. Put this one on a pedestal next to the E-Type, fast, classy and gorgeous.
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I can't wait for depreciation to dropkick the value of one of these.
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I make fun of cat owners by saying that cats steal their souls. This only offers further proof. How many souls has the pursuit of balanced performance and comfort claimed? This is one bad kitty, and also one cat I would not mind owning.
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I can't tell you how happy it makes me that we're running reviews of CEO-grade cars on this site.
Sort of like serving caviar and Coors Light.-
well… my reviews of the Mazdaspeed3 and Mazda6 are coming up soon…
though I do have a 335d left in my quiver of upcoming reviews – but that is more middle-mgmt. -
There is a group of people, I'm sure, who hate champagne but love caviar. The champagne makes for a bad hangover but beer is to be savored and enjoyed. To us this is the perfect place.
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I don't mind caviar – especially when it comes pre-mixed with cheese and comes in a tube!
I'm with you, there is nothing wrong with juxtaposing the high end with attainable cars. We can always dream, right?
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….but is it still a Jaaaaag?
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Nice review Jeff! It is good to be king. When its my turn to be king I'll take an R8. Thanks in advance.
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Who am I kidding? I will settle for anything…
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I will do what I need to do, to get my hands on the R8 5.2 for longer than 10 minutes (I drove it briefly and ruined my pants).
… whatever it takes Audi… whatever it takes
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Thanks!
I think the nose might look better in person… I had no problem with it.-
Jeff, I went through your Flickr album searching for other angles of the nose only to find an exorbitant amount of shots from the rear.
[insert dragon comment here]-
I know, I realized as I put this review together that I didn't take enough front-end shots… Also, that day I was waiting for it to get darker so I could try some longer exposure stuff but I didn't have time to wait anymore – So a lot of those photos are me testing the light, haha…
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[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by joel feder, Jeannette T. and Jaguar, Hooniverse. Hooniverse said: From the Hooniverse:: 2010 Jaguar XKR https://hooniverse.com/blog/2010/01/14/2010-jaguar-xkr/ […]
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What is Jaguar’s fascination with oddball gear selectors? Remember J shift? I hate the knob.
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Does anyone else feel that the headlight shape isn't as beautifully suited to the car (I actually feel they are a bit clunky – especially from the side, though the overall shape of the car is great) so that the Jag couldn't compete (in terms of looks) with its Aston Martin siblings? Also, even though I know what the old E Type looked like and that the opening in front is meant as a nod to that car, I can't help but think "Taurus" (the egg inspired vehicle) when I look at this one.
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I definitely don't mind the looks of the XKR, especially of that gorgeous rear, but personally I prefer the XKRs, which seems to have a slightly more cleaned up front. Especially in the black.
<img src="http://www.egmcartech.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/2009_jaguar_xkr_s_press_images_1.jpg"> -
[…] 2010 Jaguar XKR : Hooniverse […]
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I still rather have a S-Type and those are not even extra luxurious. Although, I would re-design it in a way, I would want it to look. The new S-type and S-Type concept cars, are very clean, with free flowing lines. This gives the car it's Sexy, hence "S-type" look, the design is missing an agressiveness, that would make it look better. So, I am going to re-design and post a one off Jaguar, Derelle1 style, here on this site, if the webmaster allows me to. It will be a commercial, and I am going to post it here. So stay stuned as you don't want to miss this.
Thanks,
Derelle1 -
XK creates an immense fashion. It's definitely a high speed engineering achievement. Powered by a supercharged 4.2L V8 engine, which is capable or producing 420 horsepower and mated with a 6-speed automatic transmission, the XKR moves the convertibles rear wheels with precision, relying on stability control and a computer activated system to keep the Jaguar on track. Performance ventilated disc brakes and an anti-lock brake system ensures that the cat stops on a dime, every time. Jaguar has built it's reputation when it comes to luxury and fashion. But apart from the pleasure they give to car enthusiasts, they are also excellent in terms of repair service. Nowadays, it is easy to ask for Jaguar repair questions since most of the experts are there online.
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You wouldn't know about anybody specific, would you? We're all desperate to have our XKRs repaired, and just don't know who to turn to. Help us! Also, tell us more about this immense fashion of which you speak.
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When I think of immense fashion, I think of really fat people trying to wear nice clothes. I don't see how that's a selling point for the XKR. May get rid of mine now.
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